RWE clear last planning hurdle for huge offshore wind farm in north Wales

Energy giant RWE has cleared its final planning hurdle for a huge wind farm off the coast of north Wales which at capacity could power more than half of Welsh households.

Its Awel y Mor scheme, which would have 50 turbines 10.5 kilometres off the coast of Llandudno, has finalised its planning process with the awarding of its marine licence from Natural Resources Wales. The license follows the granting of a development consent order in September Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Claire Coutinho.

Alongside RWE shareholders in the project are Stadtwerke München (30%) and Siemens Financial Services (10%). It is targeting a completion before 2030 with the maximum height of its turbines at 332 metres. Subject to final investment decision it will be next to RWE’s existing Gwynt y Mor windfarm, which began energy generation in 2015.

Awel y Môr is also one of seven UK offshore wind farm developments for which the Crown Estate is assessing requests to increase generation capacity over and above the project’s initial agreement for lease, while staying within its existing consent boundaries.

Project lead Tamsyn Rowe said: “With the marine licences now in place, Awel y Môr offshore wind farm can continue progressing onto the next stages of the project.

“As the culmination of more than five years’ work involving extensive consultation and data-gathering, this is a significant achievement for the team. They are now hard at work refining the plans for construction both offshore and onshore, and taking the necessary steps to enable us to take a final investment decision.

“We are continuing to develop plans to support companies looking to enter the supply chain. In addition, we are looking to ensure there are the necessary skills in the workforce in order to construct, operate and maintain what will be Wales’ largest wind farm when completed.”

RWE has also launched a consultation on proposals to build a wind farm in north Wales capable of generating power equivalent to the needs of 63,500 homes.

If approved, Aits lwen Forest Wind Farm will straddle both the Conwy County Borough and Denbighshire County Council areas, on a site north of Alwen Reservoir. It is near to Llyn Brenig and RWE’s operational Clocaenog Forest wind farm.

The pre-planning application consultation will run for eights weeks. The project consists of up to nine turbines of up to 200m high with an installed capacity of around 60 megawatt, plus battery storage and a habitat management plan. The application also covers the grid connection between Alwen and Clocaenog, which RWE said is planned to be, for the most part, underground and to utilise existing infrastructure at Clocaenog Forest wind farm.

RWE project manager, Martin Cole, said: “Since 2017, we have been working hard on developing our Alwen Forest Wind Farm proposal, having carried out detailed assessments at the site on specifics such as wind conditions, ecology, ground conditions and access, held discussions with interested parties, conducted an informal public consultation back in 2020 and gathered a huge amount of valuable information.

“We are now seeking final input from local people and statutory consultees and other interested stakeholders as part of the pre-application consultation, prior to final submission of the planning application to the Welsh ministers, who will make a decision in due course.

“Alongside a community fund and the economic opportunities available to local businesses, both of which we are delivering at our nearby Clocaenog Forest Wind Farm, we are working with Community Energy Wales to also offer local people the opportunity to benefit directly from the wind farm.

“By establishing a co-operative organisation Ynni Hiraethog, to hold a stake of up to 15% of the project, people will be able to share in the revenues generated.”