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Wind Power and the Cambrian Mountains |
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A major current concern of the Society is the threat posed by major wind energy developments to the landscape, natural beauty, biodiversity, and scientific interest of the Cambrian Mountains. We also believe such developments to be damaging to the interests of the communities of the Cambrian Mountains, whose future viability will be increasingly dependent on those qualities of their environment which we seek to sustain and enhance.
Nant y MochNant y Moch Protest - 20th June 2009 - Click here for story We deplore the designation by the Welsh Assembly Government in its Technical Advice Note 8 (TAN8) of the Nant y Moch Strategic Search Area (see map 2 below for boundary) and the society is committed to opposing any major wind energy development arising from the Nant y Moch SSA designation. The SSA has been reduced in area since TAN8 was first published. As recommended in TAN 8, Ceredigion Council commissioned a report during 2007 from Arup Consultants with a view to providing an evidence base for subsequent planning policy formation and decision-making. The report concluded: "It is recommended in accordance with the study brief that the TAN 8 SSA boundary is therefore refined to remove the environmentally worst performing areas and any additional land not needed to deliver the TAN 8 indicative capacities". In line with this recommendation, the map provided in the Arup Report showed a very significant reduction in the original Nant y Moch TAN 8 area. Click here to view the Arup report (PDF - 8 megabytes). Subsequently, Dulas Ltd. (acting for Airtricity, the developers) produced a map showing a preliminary site layout plan for the proposed Nant y Moch windfarm. The developers not only ignored the recommendations of the Arup report but went beyond the area contained in the original TAN 8 document. It showed 105 wind turbines; this would make it the biggest so far in Wales. Airtricity have since modified their plans, but as they are unwilling to share them with us, the information here refers to the original Dulas version.
The site boundary goes from just outside Talybont in the west and well into Powys in the east, and from Cwm Einion (ironically known to many as Artists’ Valley!) in the north to Llyn Craigypistyll (the source of Aberystwyth’s water) in the south. It includes the site of Cerrig Cyfamod Glyndŵr which the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales suggests is where Owain Glyndŵr “held parley, and made his covenant” and is close to the probable site of Glyndŵr’s famous victory in the Battle of Hyddgen. Nearby are numerous Cairns and graves relating to other Welsh heroes, including Carn Gwilym on Banc Llechwedd Mawr. The archaeological importance of Nant y Moch is made clear in a paper (by CMS member Stephen Briggs) "Why Nant y Moch is a Vital Study Area for Early Settlement Studies and Climate Change in the British Uplands" (PDF - 1.5 megabytes) which also emphasises the environmental and archaeological significance of the vast and fragile blanket peat bog which covers much of the area. The issue of access to the site during the building phase has not as far as we know been resolved. We understand that a working document studying possible routes suggests that access to the site should be off the A487 at Eglwysfach, and we can only conclude that this implies the use of the whole of the route up the Artists’ Valley - major disruption of this traditional beauty spot. Click here to view the draft access document (PDF - 22 megabytes). More generally, the working document suggests that the erection of a likely 450 wind turbines in Powys and Ceredigion could generate 3300 long distance abnormal loads with three vehicles per convoy every weekday for five years. "The imminent development of wind farms in rural Wales will result in the largest infrastructure project ever undertaken in the Principality. The delivery of components by road has the potential to cause significant disruption to residents along the routes and other road users." CMS is investigating sources of funding to employ a consultant to represent us in opposing any large scale wind turbine proposal on this site. We are proposing to build up a reference collection of websites which have particular relevance to Nant y Moch. Here is a preliminary list: Country Guardian (UK wide conservation group concerned about the spread of wind turbines on our finest landscapes) Dulas (offers “professional services for clients wishing to implement renewable energy”) Windfarm Victims EPAW (European Platform Against Windfarms calling for a moratorium on European wind energy projects) Cefn CroesCefn Croes power station, opened in 2005, was built on a high plateau in the heart of the Cambrian Mountains, despite huge opposition, and despite the advice of the officers of the local planning authority that it should not be permitted because of its impact on the environment and landscape. Click here for more. CamddwrThere is also an ill-defined proposal for an enormous power station of around 165 x 2MW turbines in the southern part of the Cambrian Mountains. This area was thankfully excluded from the Strategic Search Areas, apparently because of objections from the Ministry of Defence, which uses it for very low altitude flight training - one of only two such Tactical Training Areas in the UK. This scheme is the brainchild of one Dafydd Huws of Caerffili, who has set up a body called the Camddwr Trust, and hopes to gain approval for his plans by promising to distribute a portion of the revenue from the windfarm to local communities. Camddwr may yet re-emerge as a threat to the Cambrian Mountains, when the windpower possibilities of existing TAN8 areas have been exhausted, and if experimental work succeeds in perfecting a system which would obviate the threat posed by turbines to the RAF's tactical training requirements.
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Cefn Croes wind power station  |
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