10/28/2016

Onshore power boost to Wales’ renewable energy ambitions

Wales’ largest onshore wind farm has generated clean electricity for the first time this month, as the project moves towards full operation. The export of power to the national grid heralds one of the biggest boosts this decade to delivering Wales’ green energy targets.

Vattenfall, the Swedish energy company, is now looking forward to the completion of the 76 turbine Pen y Cymoedd Wind Energy Project early next year.

Gunnar Groebler, Vattenfall’s Head of Business Area Wind, said: “Wales’ big ambitions for renewables send a strong signal to the green energy sector. Vattenfall’s Pen y Cymoedd Wind Energy Project will propel Wales towards reaching those objectives”.

“Energy companies like Vattenfall must support the decarbonisation of the energy sector if the international community is to hit climate change targets. That is why we are building projects like Pen y Cymoedd and why we hope to continue to build our renewables business alongside a growing and competitive Welsh wind energy supply chain.”

Lesley Griffiths, Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs, Welsh Government, said:

“It’s great news that Wales’ largest onshore wind farm is now generating energy. Supporting the development of more renewable energy projects is a key priority for the Welsh Government and this marks progress towards our goal of reducing our greenhouse emissions by at least 80% by 2050”.

Mike Pitcher, Programme Executive for the Energy Delivery Programme at Natural Resources Wales, said:

“The development at Pen y Cymoedd is an important step for renewable energy in Wales. In addition to giving a boost to the green energy sector, the work to restore extensive areas of peatland habitat and the development of new mountain bike trails shows how it’s possible to generate multiple benefits for people, nature and the economy when delivering renewable energy projects”.

At 228MW, Pen y Cymoedd is not just Wales’ largest onshore wind farm it also bigger than any English project. It is also Vattenfall’s largest onshore wind farm.

The Welsh Government challenged the Welsh renewable electricity sector to generate 7,000GWh by 2020. Pen y Cymoedd will deliver 11% of that target. It is expected to produce enough power annually to meet the electricity demand of more than 188,000 UK households* and will more than meet the domestic demand of host local authorities Rhondda Cynon Taf and Neath Port Talbot. Over the lifetime of the project, it is expected to save 6.4million tonnes of CO2.