Welsh Government
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Welsh Government invests further £938,000 to community led and locally supported wind energy projects
Natural Resources Minister Carl Sargeant has agreed additional funding of £938,000 to three community led and locally supported wind energy projects in south Wales.
As part of continued funding support for local energy projects, Carmarthenshire Energy Limited, a small Welsh based community developer, will receive a loan of £785,000 and a £25,000 grant towards the building of a 500kw wind generator in rural Carmarthenshire. Operating the turbine will generate community owned income of up to £2.5 million over the project lifetime, which they plan to use to fund energy efficiency and further renewable energy generation.
Awel Aman Tawe (AAT), a community owned project that supports the development of wind energy in the upper Amman and Swansea valleys, will receive a further £86,000.
The £6.5m project set up in 2000, is the largest community renewable scheme in development, and will construct two 2.35mw turbines that will generate electricity for the area once it is complete in 2017. AAT will use the income generated, expected to be several million pounds over twenty years, for the benefit of the villages in the area.
Additional funding of £42,000 to Senghenydd Youth Drop in Centre (SYDIC) near Caerphilly has also been secured. SYDIC was established in 1997 as a voluntary sector-led youth drop in centre and is currently developing a scheme to install a single 76m wind turbine on farmland, which will generate 500kw of electricity.
Income from the turbine will be used to fund SYDIC, and will help the centre protect jobs and continue to help young people in the area to develop confidence and skills that significantly increase their prospects of securing jobs.
Carl Sargeant said:
“I am delighted to be able to award this additional money to these three projects which clearly shows the Welsh Government’s commitment to wind power and renewable energy.
“It also demonstrates how we are trying to help communities to access funds directly to improve their local areas.
"Schemes like these community led and locally supported wind energy projects bring significant economic, social and environmental benefits to communities.”
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