Consent confirms RWE as one of the top developers and investors in Wales

Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change Ed Davey announced consent for the construction of Clocaenog Forest Wind Farm, near Denbigh, North Wales.

The 32 turbine wind farm, developed by RWE Innogy UK, will have an installed capacity of up to 96MW - equivalent to the approximate domestic needs of up to 40,800 average UK households(1) or more than all the households in Denbighshire(2).

The decision to consent follows recommendations made by the Planning Inspectorate. It was welcomed by developer RWE Innogy UK for building confidence in independent and objective decision-making around UK energy policy, and for helping support future investment in the sector.

Consent for the nearly £100m project also follows a recent report which hailed the energy and environment sector as the fastest growing in Wales and the UK – and which is now considered a priority by The Welsh Government for its high growth potential.

RWE’s Clocaenog project developer Martin Cole said the company was pleased with the decision – its second success under the National Infrastructure Planning process after Brechfa Forest West - and now looks forward to delivering the economic and environmental benefits locally and nationally.

He said: “This is a tremendous project, which can deliver significant benefits for the local communities, businesses and the environment, and is an important contributor to the UK energy mix and energy security.

“We have already started to make inroads into working with the business sector through our supply chain events, to ensure local companies are well placed to bid for contracts when they emerge. We will build on this locally and with other business organisations over time.

“We are also keen to step up our work with communities to maximise the significant community benefit fund of £768,000 a year. With our neighbouring sister project Gwynt y Môr, that means RWE Innogy UK will be putting an extra £1.5million a year into North Wales communities.”

The wind farm would be located in Clocaenog Forest, on land managed by Natural Resources Wales on behalf of the Welsh Ministers, and within the counties of Denbighshire and Conwy.

Construction of the wind farm, according to a socio-economic survey, could support around 236 jobs, and unlock around £40million in supply chain opportunities for Welsh firms(3).

Once fully operational, the wind farm is likely to generate up to £768,000 index linked(4) a year in benefits for local communities. RWE will work closely with communities ahead of the fund going live, to make best use of the investment locally.

Clocaenog Forest is RWE’s fifth wind farm proposal in Wales to be given planning permission since January 2013, amounting to over 281MW of new renewable energy potential in Wales.

Consent was delivered in a letter on 12 September 2014 and followed a detailed examination process, managed by the Planning Inspectorate. This included a number of local hearings, site visits and the submission of written information. Prior to the application being made, RWE completed extensive consultation with statutory consultees and local residents.