A PUBLIC exhibition is being held tomorrow (Thursday, March 23) in Powys over proposals to build a trans-Powys energy network.
An initial round of public consultation on the Green GEN Towy Usk, a renewable energy network which will connect energy to the National Grid – and includes the Nant Mithil Energy Park currently being considered for construction in the Radnor Forest – opened earlier this month and runs until Friday, April 28.
There will be five public exhibitions during the consultation period, including one in Llanelwedd, Builth Wells. This is being held at the Royal Welsh Showground’s Montgomery Pavilion, from 2pm to 7.30pm, on Thursday, March 23.
Hundreds of concerned Powys residents gathered at a public meeting earlier this month over the proposals.
Bute Energy wants to 36 wind turbines being built in the heart of the Radnor Forest, between New Radnor and Llandegley, and the introduction of pylons carrying electricity between Powys and Carmarthenshire.
But at a public meeting held at the showground on March 2, proposals were met with hostility.
The meeting was attended by Brecon and Radnorshire MP Fay Jones, Plaid Cymru MS Cefin Campbell, as well as representatives of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales (CPRW) and Countryside Alliance Wales, in addition to hundreds of local residents.
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Green GEN Cymru, part of the Bute Energy group, announced plans for the Green GEN Towy Usk renewable energy network on March 6, with an initial consultation period running until April 28.
The proposal is for a new 132kV double-circuit overhead line, supported on steel pylons, between a substation at Bute Energy’s Nant Mithil Energy Park and a new substation on the existing National Grid line between Carmarthen and Pont Abraham.
Plans for the new 36-turbine Nant Mithil Energy Park were first announced last September.
Bute Energy said it is currently reviewing the feedback from this and further consultation will take place this summer – the company confirmed it will be applying to the Welsh Government for planning consent.
READ MORE: Plans for trans-Powys power lines to go before the public
Gareth Williams, grid director at Bute Energy, said: “As a nation we’re in a climate emergency and a cost-of-living crisis.
“There is endless potential for renewable energy in Wales – particularly from the wind that blows across our hills and mountains.
“Bute Energy is taking action to help deliver clean green energy to our homes and businesses by developing the energy network in Wales. This will help tackle both the energy crisis and the climate crisis and make sure that local communities can live modern electric lives with less reliance on fossil fuels.”
A public exhibition is also being held next week in Penybont. The event will be open at Penybont and District Community Centre from 2pm-7.30pm next Thursday, March 28.
You can find out more about the Green GEN Towy Usk project at www.greengentowyusk.com.
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