Powys County Council voted to grant full planning permission for the Carno Wind Farm Extension Phase III (Carno 3) at a meeting of the Planning, Taxi Licensing & Rights of Way Committee held at County Hall, Llandrindod Wells on Thursday 10th March 2016, following a site visit earlier in the day.
The application benefitted from a great deal of local support with over 379 representations to the Council in its support, and 136 in objections.
The application was submitted by local company, Amegni Renewables from Carno, and prepared by Aberystwyth agents, Natural Power Consultants, and was initially made in 2010 for 18 wind turbines. Following consultation with the relevant authorities, local communities and the general public, five of the 18 turbines were deemed to have too great an impact. These five turbines were subsequently removed from the scheme, leaving a 13 wind turbine extension that was deemed acceptable by the planners and supported by the community and general public.
John Woodruff, Planning & Development Principal Consultant at Natural Power said: “The Carno project has been in the planning system for nearly six years and it is wonderful to see that the Council, in its vote, has acknowledged that this is the right scheme in the right place. Natural Power’s Mid Wales based team have been advisors for the scheme since 2008. Our relationships with clients and stakeholders are key to our success and we are proud of being part of this particular success story. It is also encouraging to see Powys Council helping the County to further its contribution to Welsh climate change targets and enabling this locally promoted project to go ahead.”
The wind turbines will be situated adjacent to the existing wind farms of Carno I and Carno 2 which lie to the south of the Carno village in Powys. The site will feature 13 wind turbines up to 126.5 m to the blade tip and generate up to 39 MW of renewable electricity. Based on the potential annual energy output of the development, it is expected that the scheme will supply the energy demand equivalent to approximately 17,000 homes and will provide greater than 74,000 tonnes per year of carbon (CO2) emissions savings over electricity generated from fossil fuels.
A sum in excess of £100,000 per annum will be made available to the local area in the form of community benefits once the site becomes operational. In addition, the development is expected to contribute in excess of £3 million to the Powys economy during construction and support 21 local jobs, with further local employment for operations and maintenance work once the site is up and running.
Sion Thomas of Amegni Renewables said “We are extremely delighted that Powys County Council moved to support the Carno 3 development. We have maintained a consistent belief that this is a great project in a great location that has benefitted from the support of the community. The Carno 3 wind turbines will make a significant contribution towards Wales’ renewable energy ambitions. We look forward to working positively with the local communities to ensure that the benefits of this project are maximised locally.”
About Amegni
• Amegni Renewables is a young, local business from Carno, in Powys. The business is formed by local farmers who have diversified their farming businesses into wind energy. They have developed, and are now operators of the Carno II Wind Farm, one of the first windfarms of this scale to be locally owned in Wales. Amegni Renewables has been advised on the project throughout by Natural Power Consultants of Aberystwyth www.naturalpower.com
• The Carno I Wind Farm was developed by RWE Npower and became operational in 1996. The site consists of 56 Bonus 600 kW wind turbines with a total installed capacity of 33.6 MW. The site is situated some 4 km to the south of Carno village in Powys.
• The Carno II Wind Farm was developed by Amegni and became operational in 2009. The site consists of 12 Siemens 1.3 MW wind turbines and has a total installed capacity of 15.6 MW. The Carno II wind turbines are situated to the north of the Carno I turbines.
About Natural Power
• Established in the mid 1990s, Natural Power is a leading independent renewable energy consultancy and products provider. The company offers proactive and integrated consultancy, management and due diligence services, backed by an innovative product range, across the onshore wind, offshore wind, wave, tidal, renewable heat, solar PV and hydro sectors, whilst maintaining a strong outlook on other new and emerging renewable energy sectors.
• Natural Power has been at the heart of many groundbreaking projects, products and portfolios for more than two decades, assisting project developers, investors, manufacturers, research houses and other consulting companies. With its iconic Scottish headquarters, The Green House, Natural Power has expanded internationally to work in 32 countries, and now employs over 320 renewable energy experts. This project experience spans a portfolio of 69GW which is equivalent to powering 4.7m UK homes.
www.naturalpower.com
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