09 June 2011
Local residents are invited to a community drop-in surgery on Wednesday 15 June to share minor changes in the planned turbine locations for the proposed wind energy development at Oakdale Business Park.
The land, which is owned by Caerphilly County Borough Council (CCBC), is being investigated by renewable energy developer Partnerships for Renewables (PfR).
"Following consultation with a number of stakeholders and community members along with further technical studies, we have shifted the turbines to the east. This change makes them slightly further from the closest residences," explains Jerry Sturman, Regional Manager at PfR.
"The purpose of this event is to share the latest photomontages with the local community. These are to-scale, computer generated images which show what the turbines would look like in the landscape from a number of recognised viewpoints. This will also be another opportunity for members of the public to talk to the project team and share feedback."
PfR believe the land is suitable for two turbines which could generate around 11 gigawatt hours (GWh) of green electricity every year - enough to power 2,400 homes*. They expect to submit a full planning application by the summer.
As part of the development process the possibility of feeding electricity directly to local businesses based at the business park is being explored. This would ensure that as well as contributing towards national targets, the turbines will benefit communities and businesses locally, by providing discounted electricity.
Councillor Colin Mann, Deputy Leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council and Cabinet Member for Sustainability said "It's good to see that this scheme is progressing as the council has an ambitious sustainable regeneration strategy in place and we are committed to the concept of 'Living Better, Using Less'. Investigating wind energy is a vital part of our future energy mix and we are proud to have the opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to meeting renewable energy targets and promoting sustainability."
The exhibition will be held on Wednesday, 15 June at Oakdale Community Centre Penrhiw Avenue, Oakdale, Blackwood Gwent, NP12 0NH from 3.30pm to 6.30pm.
For more information about the project please visit www.pfr.co.uk/Oakdale
*Please note: The environmental benefit figures are based on: two, 2.5 megawatt turbines with a total installed capacity of 5MW, operating with a 25% capacity factor; average household electricity use of 4,602kWh per annum; and the electricity generated displacing electricity generated from CCGT / average fuel mix - approximately 430gCO2/kWh'
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