Brechfa Forest West Wind Farm | |
Coordinates: | 51.9833°N -4.1639°W |
Country: | Wales, United Kingdom |
Location: | 10 km NE of Carmarthen |
Status: | Operational |
Construction Began: | November 2016 |
Owner: | Welsh Assembly Government |
Operator: | innogy Renewables UK |
Ps Units Operational: | 28 |
Ps Electrical Capacity: | 57.4 MW |
Brechfa Forest West Wind Farm is a wind farm in Brechfa Forest in Carmarthenshire in south west Wales. Construction of the wind farm began in November 2016 and power generation commenced in January 2018.[1]
Innogy Renewables UK Ltd. proposed that the wind farm would be built in Strategic Search Area G, created as part of the Welsh Government's TAN 8[2] policy, published in 2005. Brechfa Forest West Wind Farm, had a proposed capacity of greater than 50 MW; thus the application was submitted to the Infrastructure Planning Commission.
The Brechfa Forest West development, located near the Afon Pib valley, consists of 28 turbines with a maximum tip height of 145 metres. The turbines have a generating capacity of around 57.4 MW. The plans were opposed by local activists.[3]
As the Infrastructure Planning Commission ceased to exist in April 2012, the Brechfa Forest West application fell to the National Infrastructure Planning section of the Planning Inspectorate to produce a recommendation for the Secretary of State at DECC. They recommended approval, and DECC confirmed that development consent for Brechfa Forest West was granted on 12 March 2013.[4]
Carmarthenshire County Council Planning Committee approved the planning application for Brechfa Forest East at their 17 December 2013 meeting.[5]
Construction on the Brechfa Forest West wind farm started in November 2016, and all turbines were operational in June 2018.[6]