RWE, Wales’s largest electricity generator, is consulting on proposals to build a wind farm capable of generating power for 24,500 homes, above the A465 Heads of the Valleys road.
If approved, Pen March Wind Farm, to be located north-west of Rhymney and north-east of Merthyr Tydfil, will consist of up to six turbines with a capacity of around 30 MW and a maximum tip height of 180m, contributing to both Welsh and UK Government climate targets.
The pre-application consultation runs from 3rd November 2022 until 15th December 2022 online, with in person events at Dowlais, Rhymney, and Idris Davies School.
RWE is also in discussions with Caerphilly and Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Councils on the potential for shared ownership on the project, an initiative which will support both authorities’ decarbonisation efforts and address a key Welsh Government policy that 1 GW of generating capacity will be locally owned by 2030.
A reported 82 per cent of residents in the Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney constituency support onshore wind.*
Jenny Cowley, RWE’s Project Manager leading on the development, said:
“Since 2019, we’ve been working hard developing the Pen March Wind Farm project.
“We’ve carried out assessments on site, held discussions with local stakeholders, conducted an informal public consultation and gathered a huge amount of valuable information.
“We believe that this is an excellent site for a renewable energy project, which will help tackle climate change, secure energy supplies, and stabilise prices.
“We are now seeking formal input again from members of the public and statutory consultees, ahead of submitting a planning application to the Welsh Government.”
As well as generating clean, green electricity at low cost, RWE will also put together a package of benefits that will directly benefit local people, including a community investment fund. In the last 10 years RWE in
Wales has contributed over £10 million to local communities across Wales via its onshore and offshore wind funding.
The draft Environmental Statement, which can be found on the project’s website, www.penmarch.co.uk, and will be available to view at the events, goes over the results of all the assessments and surveys as well as the
how RWE plan to construct the wind farm as sensitively as possible.
RWE will consider consultation feedback and submit its planning applications early next year. The examination will take place during 2023, with a decision from Welsh Government expected in 2024. If the project gains planning consent, construction could take place in 2025, with the site being operational in 2026.
