logo
Group planning 10 wind farms across Wales gets £600 million investment

Group planning 10 wind farms across Wales gets £600 million investment

Independent25-02-2025

A plan for a string of 10 major wind farm projects across Wales got a boost on Tuesday after its developers received a £600 million investment from a renewables fund.
The projects include Twyn Hywel wind farm, which was given planning permission last year, and will generate enough power for 81,000 homes when completed.
The investment has come from Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, which is taking a stake in the companies hoping to build the wind farms, Bute Energy and Green GEN Cymru.
Nine more wind farms are still awaiting planning permission, forming part of a £3 billion onshore wind portfolio.
Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, said it is a 'significant investment and a vote of confidence' for the Government's clean energy plans.
If it is allowed to build them all, Bute Energy's entire portfolio of planned energy projects will generate enough power for 2.25 million homes by 2030.
It comes after Labour started a massive push towards wind and solar energy in recent months to make the UK less dependent on global gas prices.
The policy is designed to reduce carbon emissions from the power grid by 95% by the end of this decade.
Nischal Agarwal, partner at CIP, said the investment 'reflects our confidence in the Welsh renewable sector to deliver much needed infrastructure to Welsh homes and businesses, to play a full role in meeting national renewable energy targets'.
Bute Energy and Green GEN Cymru said their projects are in response to the Welsh Government's plan for the country's entire electricity consumption to come from renewable sources by 2035.
Bute Energy's projects aim to meet 25% of this target – bosses say they could create up to 2,000 jobs.
Managing director of Bute Energy, Stuart George, added that the company hopes to have six of the projects on 'the Cabinet Secretary's desk' for decision by this summer.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Welsh FM accused of doing ‘nothing' to protect pensioners from winter fuel cut
Welsh FM accused of doing ‘nothing' to protect pensioners from winter fuel cut

Western Telegraph

time21 minutes ago

  • Western Telegraph

Welsh FM accused of doing ‘nothing' to protect pensioners from winter fuel cut

Darren Millar, leader of the Welsh Conservatives, called for Eluned Morgan to apologise to the pensioners affected by the change last winter, arguing the Welsh Government should have stepped in to support those in need. Speaking during First Minister's Questions on Tuesday, Mr Millar said the cut had forced vulnerable people to choose between heating and eating. Baroness Morgan, leader of the Welsh Labour Government, said she was 'absolutely delighted' that the UK Government had reversed the cut for many. The payment, worth up to £300, will be restored to the vast majority of pensioners, with anyone with an income of under £35,000 a year now getting the payment automatically. The decision last July to restrict the winter fuel payment to the poorest pensioners was intended to save around £1.5 billion a year, with more than nine million people who would have previously been eligible losing out. Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, announced the partial U-turn on Monday, following significant backlash from charities, opposition MPs and the Government's own backbenchers. Speaking in the Senedd, Mr Millar said: 'Yesterday we saw a screeching U-turn on the winter fuel allowance by Rachel Reeves, after considerable pressure from the Conservative Party. 'You will know that over half a million Welsh pensioners were deprived of their winter fuel payments last year, leaving some very vulnerable people with the unenvious choice of having to choose between heating and eating – it's an absolute disgrace. 'You are meant to stand up for Wales but what did you actually do in terms of this winter fuel allowance? You did absolutely nothing.' Mr Millar argued Baroness Morgan should have implemented a Welsh winter fuel payment or stood up to Sir Keir Starmer and demanded the payment be restored sooner. Baroness Morgan responded that she was 'absolutely delighted' that Sir Keir Starmer had listened to pensioners in Wales and across the country. 'I'm really pleased that because we have made representations to the Prime Minister on this issue that he has changed his mind and that will make a difference to hundreds of thousands of pensioners across Wales this winter, in a country where we do have more older people and housing which is more difficult to heat. 'I don't think that it's bad to listen to people and then to make sure that you respond to them.' Baroness Morgan had previously pushed back against the cut, having called for a 'rethink' in early May, saying it was something 'that comes up time and again'. At the time, the Government said there would 'not be a change to the Government's policy'. On Monday, Ms Reeves suggested that the 'stability we've brought back to the economy' meant the Government was able to change the eligibility threshold for winter fuel payments.

What's behind Keir Starmer's decision to back nuclear power?
What's behind Keir Starmer's decision to back nuclear power?

The Guardian

time29 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

What's behind Keir Starmer's decision to back nuclear power?

Keir Starmer has committed the UK to its first significant stake in a new nuclear power plant since the 1980s. The decision to invest almost £18bn of taxpayer money into the Sizewell C nuclear power plant in Suffolk was welcomed by Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, as the beginning of a 'golden age' of nuclear investment that would be critical to the government's net zero goals. The government said on Tuesday it would commit £14.2bn to the project, including the £2.7bn it earmarked for Sizewell C in the autumn budget. It has already committed £3.6bn to Sizewell over the past two years. Britain's nuclear renaissance will also include spending about £2.5bn of taxpayer money building some of Europe's first small modular reactors (SMR), after the government gave the green light to plans for Rolls-Royce to build three in the UK by the early 2030s. For critics, the technology's high costs and lengthy construction time have always eclipsed the benefits of abundant low-carbon electricity, given Hinkley Point C's current price tag of up to £35bn and repeated delays. There are also persistent concerns over the safety of nuclear reactors, and the disposal of nuclear waste. But questions over whether countries can meet the growing demand for electricity without fossil fuels, and avoid blackouts, mean many governments now believe nuclear represents a price worth paying. Megawatt for megawatt, nuclear power is far more expensive than most renewable energy technologies. But, unlike wind and solar farms, nuclear reactors do not need investment in battery backup technologies to provide a steady, reliable source of low-carbon power. The guaranteed electricity price offered to Hinkley Point C was initially £92 per megawatt-hour but this will fall to £89.50/MWh with the go-ahead for Sizwell C, under the terms of the government's contract with French state-owned EDF. By contrast, the guaranteed price for offshore windfarms which were successful in last year's subsidy auction was just under £59 per megawatt-hour. 'The upfront cost [of nuclear] is undoubtedly high,' said Dr Iain Staffell, an associate professor at Imperial College London. '£14bn could fund around 10 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind versus just 3.2 GW of nuclear. But, these reactors will run day and night, especially valuable when the wind is not blowing.' Prof Mark Wenman, also at Imperial College London, added that the costs needed to be balanced against the fact that these reactors 'will produce low carbon electricity for 80 or possibly 100 years, 24/7, providing around a 10th of the current UK electricity needs'. 'Once paid for, nuclear reactors produce the cheapest electricity of any kind, so this investment should be seen as future-proofing the UK electricity system,' Wenman said. Experts believe that powering a country on 100% renewable energy is technically possible. But there is clear evidence that grid systems running predominantly on wind and solar power can be more expensive in the long run, and could be at higher risk of blackouts. This is because renewable energy cannot help to keep the electrical frequency of the grid stable at around 50Hz in the same way that the spinning turbines of a power plants have done in the past by creating inertia. The answer, according to the government's National Energy System Operator (Neso), is to encourage renewables to become the backbone of the energy system while keeping alternatives such as nuclear, biomass and gas to provide backup for when renewable resources are low and grid stability is needed. The government's independent climate advisers agree. The Climate Change Committee recommends that the UK's nuclear capacity doubles by 2050 because while it is 'relatively expensive on a levelised cost basis' it can provide 'valuable zero-carbon generation at scale'. Britain risks losing the benefits offered by nuclear plants by shutting its ageing nuclear reactors faster than it can build new ones – leaving a gap in the UK's supplies of low-carbon electricity at a time when demand for clean energy is growing. The UK's five existing nuclear power reactors generated 14% of the country's electricity last year – down from the industry's late-1990s peak when 18 nuclear reactors provided more than a quarter of Britain's power. Four of these plants are due to close before the end of the decade, even with plans to extend their lifetimes, while only one nuclear power plant is under construction. The Hinkley Point C project in Somerset was originally due to begin generating electricity by 2017 but it has been delayed until the early 2030s. Driving Britain's nuclear renaissance is the tech industry's appetite for nuclear power. Starmer unveiled plans for a once-in-a-generation nuclear expansion earlier this year alongside an open invitation to tech companies such as Google, Meta and Amazon to invest in AI datacentres in Britain, which could be powered by small modular reactors. This is because world's biggest tech companies are investing in extending the life of nuclear plants and building small modular reactors to help meet the enormous power demands of their datacentres. This growing demand is expected to accelerate with the adoption of artificial intelligence. Earlier this month Meta struck a deal to keep one nuclear reactor of a US utility company in Illinois operating for an extra 20 years to help supply the company's datacentres with low-carbon power. It follows a similar deal from Google to supply its datacentres with nuclear power from half-dozen small reactors built by a California utility company. In addition, Microsoft has paid for the restart the Three Mile Island nuclear plant, the site of the most serious nuclear accident and radiation leak in US history. 'They are very keen to get the datacentres in and they're very alive to the fact that the power is a big issue,' Starmer said.

New link road and 235 home estate development gets underway in North Wales town
New link road and 235 home estate development gets underway in North Wales town

Wales Online

time33 minutes ago

  • Wales Online

New link road and 235 home estate development gets underway in North Wales town

Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A major homes development that also includes a new link road has got underway. Anwyl Homes has broken ground on a development of 235 new homes in Mold. The Ewloe-based family-run homebuilder is set to create an estate - named Dol Derwen - on the edge of the town. A new road will also be formed through the site linking Gwernaffield Road to Denbigh Road. Flintshire council gave it the go-ahead last year. Council officers and the planning committee backed the proposals despite some local opposition. Community leaders had voiced fears that the scheme could add to problems with traffic and flooding in the area. Graeme Gibb, sales director at Anwyl Homes Cheshire and North Wales said: 'This location offers an attractive setting within convenient distance of everything the thriving market town of Mold has to offer; including several supermarkets, independent shops, restaurants, cafes and highly regarded schools, including both English and Welsh language high schools. Join the North Wales Live WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories delivered straight to your phone 'We've already seen strong interest in our new homes in Mold. With work now underway we're expecting that interest to grow. The first homes will be released for sale towards the end of the summer.' (Image: Copyright Unknown) The 28-acre site was allocated for housing in Flintshire County Council's adopted local plan. It will feature 94 affordable homes (40% of the total development) alongside 141 private sale homes. Across the development there will be a range of one, two, three and four-bedroom designs. As part of the planning agreement, Anwyl will contribute towards the local community, including more than £37,500 towards improvements at Ysgol Bryn Gwalia. There will be a play area and multi-use games area for residents and the wider community to enjoy. Graeme added: 'To encourage biodiversity on site we'll be creating habitats for local wildlife through new native planting, the retention of mature trees and hedgerows, and the installation of bird and bat boxes.' The new road being created between Denbigh Road and Gwernaffield Road will also enable Pool House Lane to become a walking and cycling route. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store