WIREDGOV

The Welsh Government has welcomed news that Brechfa Forest West Wind Farm in Carmarthenshire has been given consent to connect to the grid.

The announcement was made last week by the UK Government’s Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Greg Clark, and follows the wind farm site being given consent by the Department for Energy and Climate Change in March 2013. 

The consent  facilitates the construction of Brechfa Forest West,  which is  a 28 turbine, 57.4 MW renewable wind project.   It will deliver an annual community benefit of over £450k per  year once it is up and running and is expected to take approximately 20 months to build.

Environment Secretary Lesley Griffiths  said: 

“I welcome the UK Government’s consent  of the grid connection for Brechfa. It means a real step forward in our ability to deliver on our carbon targets, and will mean huge benefits to the  local supply chain and  local community.

“However I would like to take this opportunity  to push for powers over  grid consents to be devolved to Wales, particularly now that Wales has responsibility for consenting  wind installations. 

“The current system leaves us exposed to possible misalignments between renewable energy consents and infrastructure and I believe would be much simplified by devolution of grid consent powers to Wales.”

Economy Secretary Ken Skates said: 

“The construction and operation of this wind farm would not only benefit the environment but also the local economy. This is great news for Carmarthenshire and South West Wales. The Welsh Government stands ready to assist, encourage and prepare local companies to bid for contracts as and when they become available.”