WIREDGOV

Minister for Natural Resources and Food, Alun Davies was in Caerphilly for the opening of two new wind turbines that will power local homes and provide reduced price energy for local business, whilst also contributing around £10,000 a year to the local community 

The new wind turbines which are located on Oakdale Wind Energy Park are the result of collaboration between Caerphilly County Council and Partnership for Renewables (PfR), a developer established in 2007 to focus on the development of wind energy schemes on public sector land.

It is estimated that the energy produced by the two new turbines will  be enough to power around 2400 homes, but there are also plans for some of the electricity to be sold directly to a local business at a reduced rate as part of efforts to help boost the local economy.

And, as with many renewable energy projects the turbines will deliver genuine benefits into the heart of the community, with the community expected to gain £10,000 a year for the life of the project

Speaking at the event, Alun Davies said:

“Wales is very fortunate to be rich in energy resource.  I am determined that we will work innovatively and collaboratively to maximise the long term economic benefits of that  resource to Wales and to deliver my ambitions around green growth.

“The project that I am visiting today shows exactly what can be achieved through positive partnership working and is also an excellent example of  how local communities can directly benefit from renewable energy projects.”

During his visit the Minister also announced that he had published a new report which gathered information on all the low carbon energy projects operating in Wales at the end of 2012.

The report shows that by the end of 2012 there were over 36,000 renewable energy projects in Wales, generating an estimated 2719 Gigawatt Hour (GWh)  and delivering an annual saving of over 1.2m tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

It also shows that by the end of 2012 the generation potential from low carbon projects reached almost 5.5TWH, providing 35% of Wales’ national electricity consumption and 1% of its gas consumption.

The Minister added:

“Our report on low carbon energy generation in Wales establishes a clear baseline of low carbon energy projects in Wales and shows how far we have come in recent years in our efforts to move away from traditional forms of energy generation. Low carbon energy is already providing around 35% of the electricity that we consume here in Wales.

“The report will make it much easier for us to measure our progress in the years to come, not only in terms of energy generation but also in  capturing information around the emissions that we have avoided as a result of low carbon energy generation technology.”

The Low Carbon Energy Generation in Wales report is available on the Welsh Government website. Further studies are due to be carried out so Wales’s progress on low carbon energy generation can be captured

Links

Renewable energyLow carbon energy baseline survey