A planning application for a wind farm has been submitted to Welsh Government.

 

Following three phases of extensive local community and technical consultation, including with Natural Resources Wales, the planning application for Y Bryn Wind Farm has now been submitted by Coriolis Energy and ESB. 

 

The wind farm, located on Welsh Government Woodland Estate northeast of Port Talbot, has been validated by Planning and Environment Decision Wales (PEDW), and will now be subject to examination over the coming months. 

 

Proposals for Y Bryn Wind Farm include up to 18 turbines, which could deliver up to 130MW of renewable energy generation, equivalent to the annual needs of 68% of households in Neath Port Talbot and Bridgend combined, whilst offsetting over 137,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel generation each year.

 

Coriolis Energy and ESB say that Y Bryn Wind Farm will significantly contribute to the Welsh Government’s target to reach 100% of Welsh electricity consumption by renewable means by 2030.. As the cheapest form of energy generation in the UK, wind power has been proven to provide a value for money answer to the renewable energy generation challenge, they say.

 

The applicants say the aim is to have at least 1.5GW within community ownership. The project has reached agreements to establish the ‘Awel y Bryn Co-op’, alongside local energy charity Awel Aman Tawe (AAT), and third-sector champions Neath Port Talbot Council for Voluntary Service (NPTCVS) and Bridgend Association of Voluntary Organisations (BAVO), which will enable industry leading Community Benefit Fund and Shared Ownership schemes.  

 

The project will deliver £8,000 per Mega Watt each year to the Community Benefit Fund, which could be in the region of £1million per year for the lifetime of the project. Up to 20% of the project will be available for shared ownership. 

 

Trevor Hunter, Y Bryn Project Manager, said: 

“We are excited for the examination period to commence and pleased that we have been able to engage with so many stakeholders interested in the development. We believe this development will make significant contributions to meet Wales’ renewable energy targets. 

 

“We would like to thank everyone who has taken part in the consultation processes since 2021. We have received a range of views about the plans, including a great deal of local and regional support. At this stage, we’d encourage everyone with a view on the proposals to participate in the PEDW Examination process.”

Regarding the Community Benefit Fund, Trevor said: 

“We will continue to work with representatives from local communities who make up the Awel y Bryn Co-op to administer the Community Benefit Fund and ensure it provides meaningful opportunities and benefits to those most affected by the development.”

The planning application is now with an Inspector from Planning Environment Decisions Wales who will examine the application before a final decision is made by Welsh Ministers.