The Welsh government has approved EDF Renewables UK’s application to build the Garn Fach wind farm and energy storage facility south of Newtown, Mid Wales.
The project consists of 17 turbines that will be capable of generating 85MW, which EDF said was equivalent to meeting the needs of 69,000 average UK homes.
The company noted that this was based on a 35% capacity factor, which it said was a “conservative figure” established using measurements from the on-site mast. It also cited UK government data, which put average UK household energy consumption at 3,772kWh.
EDF is also planning to build an energy storage facility at the Garn Fach site in order to support flexible capacity and the integration of the generated power into the national grid.
Indeed, co-locating renewable generation assets with battery energy storage systems (BESS) is becoming an increasingly popular option among developers as they seek ways to mitigate challenges related to the intermittency of renewable power generation.
The Garn Fach wind farm was first proposed in 2020 and was initially planned to have 22 turbines but the number was reduced to 17 following two informal consultations held with local communities.
The Garn Fach site had previously been proposed for hosting a different wind farm known as Llaithddu that was being developed by Fferm Wynt Llaithddu Cyf as a 29-turbine project.
However, planning permission for that project was denied by the UK government in 2015 on the grounds that a section of the site contravened planning policies and would cause “significant harm” to the landscape.
Local media noted on October 22 that under the approved plan for Garn Fach, no turbines would be built on the section at issue in the previous project’s application.
Garn Fach approval
For EDF Renewables UK, the Garn Fach approval is part of a broader push to build new renewable energy capacity across the UK and Ireland.
The EDF Group subsidiary has an operating portfolio of 43 renewable energy sites including battery, onshore and offshore wind with a combined capacity of 1.5GW. On top of this, it has almost 14GW worth of projects in planning and development, including wind, battery and solar photovoltaic (PV).
In Wales, the company already operates the Llangwyryfon wind farm near Aberystwyth and the Cemmaes wind farm near Machynlleth.
It is currently building the Porth Wen solar project in North Anglesey and is also proposing to develop the Hirfynydd Energy Park in South Wales.
EDF welcomed the Welsh government’s approval of Garn Fach.
“The site is an excellent location for a wind farm and has the potential to make a significant positive impact in Wales and to the local community,” stated EDF Renewables UK’s director for onshore wind, Jon O’Sullivan.
According to EDF Renewables UK’s website, it has already contracted with 10 Welsh companies on project development for Garn Fach.
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