Latest news with #RWE
South Wales Argus
4 days ago
- Politics
- South Wales Argus
Could massive solar farms damage the Gwent Levels?
The call comes as the Welsh Government considers a new application to build a solar farm on the ecologically sensitive Gwent Levels. Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW) is currently reviewing the controversial Wentlooge Solar development. The proposed 318-acre site has sparked fierce debate, following damning evidence of environmental destruction caused by a similar solar project at Llanwern. Geoff Devlin of Stop Craig y Perthi—a campaign opposing another proposed solar farm near Bishton—said: "To influence debate in the Senedd, people need to be aware of and discussing the key issues. There is now clear evidence of serious environmental damage caused by the Llanwern solar site, and people must pressure politicians. It's the only way to influence those in the Senedd." PEDW is ruling on the Wentlooge site after operators RWE appealed a previous rejection under Development of National Significance (DNS) rules. The Welsh Government's 2019 declaration of a climate emergency may bolster RWE's case, as the site could be seen as contributing to climate policy goals. The legal battle coincides with a Welsh Government-commissioned study into the Llanwern solar plant—built entirely within two Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs)—which revealed catastrophic impacts on wildlife and water quality. Lapwing breeding pairs dropped from eight to two, with no successful nesting recorded in 2023. Shrill carder bee and brown-banded carder bee populations plummeted, likely due to herbicide use and failed wildflower planting. Bat activity declined sharply. The rare Eurasian crane, once seen as a hopeful returnee to the Levels, has vanished. The report also highlights dangerous pollutants—including cadmium and lead—leaking into the reens and ditches, vital waterways that support otters, water voles, and rare aquatic flora. These findings were presented at PEDW hearings, raising urgent questions about whether mitigation measures can ever succeed in such a fragile ecosystem. Gwent Wildlife Trust CEO Natalie Buttriss stated: "Mitigation has failed catastrophically. The proposed Wentlooge site is even larger than Llanwern and poses an even greater threat to this irreplaceable landscape." Campaigners emphasize they are not opposed to solar energy, but argue that developments must avoid nationally protected areas. Only 12% of Wales is designated as SSSI, and these fragments, they say, should be sacrosanct. With vast areas of non-designated land available, they urge the Welsh Government to redirect solar projects away from sensitive habitats. The Gwent Levels—often dubbed Wales's Amazon—are home to a rich mosaic of wildlife. Magor Marsh, a flagship reserve of Gwent Wildlife Trust, preserves one of the last remaining pieces of natural fenland in Britain. From cuckoos and warblers to kingfishers and wintering teal, the area supports biodiversity year-round. The reens, unique to the Levels, remain a haven for water voles—one of the UK's fastest declining mammals. Public support for protecting the Levels is growing, with backing from naturalists Iolo Williams, Gillian Burke, and Lizzie Daly, and authors Julian Hoffman and Horatio Clare. As PEDW prepares its decision, campaigners warn that approval could set a precedent for industrial-scale development on protected land. Meanwhile, green energy giant RWE still operates lignite power stations in Central Europe. Lignite is a highly invasive and inefficient source of carbon energy. RWE has committed to phasing out all lignite sites by 2030.
Business News Wales
6 days ago
- Business
- Business News Wales
Wales' Largest Offshore Wind Farm Marks 10 Years Powering the Nation
Wind Offshore Park Gwynt y Mor, UK 2025 From left: Jo Pickard, senior consents manager, Awel y Mor, Becky Gittins, MP Lara Debenham, Interface Engineer, Awel y Môr, Nina Griffith MP, Gareth Brandrick, General Manager Gwynt y Môr, Josh Morris, Communications and Stakeholder Manager, Awel y Môr , Alisdair Smith, Marine & Logistics Manager Gwynt y Môr RWE has marked 10 years of electricity generation at Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm off the North Wales coast. At 576 megawatts (MW) installed capacity, Gwynt y Môr is currently the largest operating renewable energy project in Wales and, at the time of its inauguration in June 2015, was the second largest offshore wind farm operating globally. The project has created long-term, skilled jobs within the company and across its supply-chain, while unlocking significant economic investments for Welsh communities and companies alike, RWE said. From June 2015 to June 2025, Gwynt y Môr is estimated to have generated enough clean power to: Power a total of c.5.5 million typical Welsh and UK homes, (or 550,000 homes a year for 10 years) Drive a total of c. 257 million Electric Vehicles 400 km Run a total of c. 205 million light bulbs 24/7 for a year Sven Utermöhlen, RWE CEO Offshore Wind, said: 'A decade of operation at Gwynt y Môr is a defining moment for RWE, the region, and our passionate team. This wind farm has been at the heart of transforming North Wales into a hub of expertise for offshore wind energy and has set a blueprint for potential new projects across the UK. The experience RWE has gained here has been instrumental in establishing our company as one of the world's offshore wind leaders and a key player in the UK power sector.' Gwynt y Môr is a Joint Venture between RWE (50%), Stadtwerke München GmbH (30%) and Macquarie GIG (20%.) RWE originally developed and built the 160 turbines project and continues to be responsible for operating the offshore plant on behalf of its partners. RWE is also developing an extension project, Awel y Môr Offshore Wind Farm, to the west of Gwynt y Môr with partners. The project already has approval for 50 turbines, making it Wales's largest consented renewables project. Staff past and present marked the 10 years of operations. The anniversary was also recognised by Welsh politicians, including Dame Nia Griffith, MP for Llanelli and Becky Gittins MP for Clwyd East, who visited the turbines and met with staff and contractors. Dame Nia Griffith MP, said: 'Gwynt y Môr shows how renewable energy projects can bring extraordinary benefits, not only by powering hundreds of thousands of homes and tackling climate change, but by strengthening communities, creating opportunities, and enhancing skills. It's inspiring to see the ongoing contribution it makes to a more sustainable future for Wales.' Since its inauguration, Gwynt y Môr has regularly supported communities in which it operates, and has been a catalyst for regional investment. The project led to key developments at the Port of Mostyn, where RWE built a bespoke Operations and Maintenance base providing over 100 long term, skilled local jobs. A new pontoon landing stage was also installed so that Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs) could operate during lower tides; an innovation that enhanced the port's operational competitiveness. Beyond infrastructure, Gwynt y Môr has fostered the development of skills in the region. A bespoke offshore wind apprenticeship training programme at Coleg Llandrillo was launched in response to the RWE wind farm's operation, and is now RWE's national apprentice training hub. Through Gwynt y Môr, RWE has made significant investments in its neighboring communities. During construction, a £690,000 Tourism Fund unlocked transformational projects, including the creation of the Green Links Cycle Trail. Spanning local attractions from Prestatyn to Rhos-on-Sea, the trail has boosted regional tourism and connected key sites for locals and visitors. Long-term, the Gwynt y Môr Community Fund will invest over £19 million of flexible funding over the operational lifetime of the wind farm, with decisions made by a panel of local people. The fund supports projects ranging from improvements to sports clubs and community buildings to salaries for community development staff and projects, such as Abergele Actions and Building Brighter Futures in Rhyl.
Telegraph
09-07-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Miliband drops plans to charge homes in the South more for power
Ed Miliband has abandoned controversial plans to charge southern households more for electricity than those in the North amid a backlash from wind farm owners. The Energy Secretary has reportedly sided with opponents of proposals for so-called zonal pricing, following warnings it would imperil his clean power targets. Under the changes, regions would have paid different prices for electricity based on local supply and demand – meaning areas with more wind farms such as the North and Scotland would have paid comparatively less than the South at peak times. Advocates claimed it would also have cut bills for all households overall by removing the need for £27bn of grid upgrades and axing the payments made to wind farms to switch off when the network is busy. But wind farm owners including SSE, RWE and Scottish Power had warned that pushing ahead with the policy would have created huge uncertainty about their revenues and gummed up investment at a critical time for the Government. This risked derailing Mr Miliband's plan for a massive building programme to deliver Labour's pledge that the grid will operate on 95pc clean power by 2030. A government source said ministers had weighed up the arguments and concluded that the risks of the policy 'outweigh the purported benefits', according to the Guardian. They also said the changes would take years to implement. The mooted decision comes as the Government prepares to launch its latest renewable energy subsidy auction, known as AR7, in early August. Industry executives have repeatedly warned ministers that clarity was needed ahead of the auction. On Wednesday, a spokesman for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero refused to comment on 'speculation' but did not explicitly deny the claims. However, a source familiar with the discussions confirmed that a decision had effectively been made and was now going through the Government's final sign-off process. The report triggered an immediate backlash from advocates of zonal pricing, including Octopus Energy and the Britain Remade campaign, who have warned that spiralling constraint payments to wind farms threaten to push up bills and undermine support for net zero.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Amazon Powers Up with RWE in AI–Renewables Exchange Deal
Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) is one of the stocks that Donald Trump owns. German utility RWE and Amazon have sketched out an unusually symmetrical barter deal that swaps electrons for algorithms. Announced in Paris on 12 June 2025, the framework agreement has RWE funneling clean power from its existing and under‑construction wind‑and‑solar fleet to Amazon's voracious data‑centre arm, while AWS returns the favour with cloud horsepower, AI tools and data‑analytics expertise. The numbers are already weighty: Amazon has locked in 1.1 gigawatts (GW) of RWE renewables through seven U.S. power‑purchase agreements, and the partners hint at more PPAs, and possibly joint project development, across Europe. For RWE, the upside isn't just a long‑dated revenue stream; it's access to Amazon's compute muscle for faster energy‑trading models and more accurate wind‑and‑solar forecasting. The utility says migrating critical trading applications to AWS has already shaved 30 percent off end‑of‑day runtimes. Pixabay/ Public Domain Amazon, meanwhile, gets a clearer path toward its 100 %‑renewable target and a green narrative to soften the optics of its expanding cloud footprint. RWE's AI Research Lab in Seattle will now work directly with AWS engineers to craft next‑gen forecasting models, tightening the feedback loop between electrons generated in Europe and code executed in the Pacific Northwest. In short, two giants are trading what the other lacks, one provides kilowatt‑hours, the other petaflops, creating a template for how hyperscalers and utilities might co‑evolve as both electricity demand and AI workloads surge. While we acknowledge the potential of AMZN as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: and . Disclosure: None. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Reuters
08-07-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Germany Inc weighs joint push to boost investor confidence, sources say
BERLIN/FRANKFURT, July 8 (Reuters) - Some of Germany's biggest corporations are weighing a joint initiative to boost investor confidence in Europe's top economy, two people familiar with the matter said, adding this included investment commitments and a push to attract private capital. The initiative, which is spearheaded by groups including Siemens ( opens new tab, Deutsche Bank ( opens new tab and FGS Global, represents more than 30 of Germany's largest companies that have jointly committed around 300 billion euros ($352 billion) of investments to Germany until 2028, the sources said. Most of this sum, which could still change, covers existing commitments these companies have already made, the sources said, while the hope is that the initiative will free up more funds from firms and investors. RWE ( opens new tab, Rheinmetall ( opens new tab, SAP ( opens new tab and Volkswagen could support the push, the people said, declining to be identified as the plans are not public and could still change. Big international investors including Advent and KKR (KKR.N), opens new tab are also expected to play a role in the initiative, which could be formalised later this month in cooperation with Germany's government, the sources said. Deutsche Bank, RWE and FGS Global declined to comment. SAP and Rheinmetall had no immediate comment. ($1 = 0.8519 euros)
