With construction on Bute Energy’s first onshore wind energy park due to start on-site in late 2025, the company has awarded its first pre-construction contract to family-owned Terra Firma.
This £1 million contract will not only provide vital insights to inform construction but will enable the company to recruit new staff from the local area, Bute Energy said.
Bute Energy is set to invest more than £3 billion in delivering its plans for 16 onshore wind energy parks across Wales by 2030. The developer has put in place a strategy which will retain as much of the £3 billion investment in Wales for the benefit of the economy, supply chains and communities.
The partnership between Bute Energy and Cardiff-based Terra Firma will mark a significant milestone as preconstruction ground investigation work commences at Twyn Hywel Energy Park, which was given the green light by the Welsh Government in November 2024.
The contract includes testing ground samples, and further archaeological and ecological investigations that, among other things, will safeguard cultural and heritage assets on site. The survey work will inform the safe and responsible construction of the 14-turbine site that straddles the border between Caerphilly and Rhondda Cynon Taff. The Energy Park will be operational by 2027, and will generate enough electricity to power 81,000 homes.
This investment comes weeks after Bute Energy announced a £600 million investment from Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners alongside the First Minister and Secretary of State for Wales.
Sid Anverali, Project Director for the Twyn Hywel Wind farm, said:
“We are committed to doing our part to support the Welsh supply chain and contribute to green growth for Wales’ economy. We are proud to be working with Terra Firma, demonstrating the impact that our shift to renewables can have on Welsh business and the Welsh economy as a whole.
“Twyn Hywel will support the creation of hundreds of new jobs, generate a community fund of around £700,000 every year and see a further 2% of the value of each contract re-invested into local communities through the Bute Energy Social Value Standard.”
Mathew Lake, director at Terra Firma, said:
“We are thrilled to be signing this significant contract with Bute Energy. As a family run business in Wales it’s great to work with a Welsh business that is committed to improving the communities in which we work.
“Renewable energy is key to achieving Wales’ net zero targets, and we are very excited to be playing our part alongside Bute Energy to achieve this. It’s great to see contracts like this offered to local businesses, providing great career opportunities, apprenticeships and training for the next generation of aspiring engineering geologists and geo technicians.
“This contract has enabled us to employ several new staff members ranging from supervising engineers to site support technicians, all of which are from the local area surrounding Twyn Hywel Energy Park. Not only does this add value to the Welsh Economy, but the staff will also benefit from having access to clean renewable energy which they helped to develop. It’s something that we will all be extremely proud of.”
