First and foremost, let me be clear: I’m a staunch supporter of green energy. However, we must ensure that our efforts to combat climate change don’t inadvertently harm the very environment we’re trying to protect. This proposed large-scale onshore windfarm development has raised some serious questions about its impact on our precious ecosystem.

1. Incomplete Information

One of the major concerns is the lack of transparency in the information provided by RES, the developer. We still don’t have the full details of their proposals, which casts doubt on the thoroughness of the assessment process.

2. Quarrying Impact

The sheer size of the quarries needed for construction is staggering, with an estimated requirement of 160,000 tons of stone. This level of excavation and soil removal poses significant environmental risks.

3. Habitat Disruption

Excavating for the wind turbine foundations and the quarries will disturb vast areas of land, threatening our local mountain habitat. There’ll be little of the mountain left undisturbed.

4. Water Supply Concerns

Our water table is crucial for supplying drinking water to the nearby farms. Any disruption or contamination would have severe consequences for the environment and local livelihoods.

5. Traffic Congestion

The transportation of materials for construction, including wind turbine blades and concrete foundations, we could expect over 5,000 heavy vehicles using our narrow lanes and roads, which is not only inconvenient but also unsafe. (EDIT: RES recently confirmed the number would actually be over 10,000 heavy vehicles)

6. Cumulative Landscape Impact

Take a look at the map, and you’ll see that this proposed windfarm is just one of many planned for the South Wales region. The cumulative impact on our landscape is significant, and we must consider the preservation of certain areas.

Moreover, we must address concerns about the capacity of our national grid. Recent reports (and confirmed by RES) have revealed issues with grid capacity, leading to compensation payments to wind farm companies for halting their turbines during windy periods. Before further industrialising our countryside, we need to resolve these grid limitations. We can’t afford to spend more compensating large wind farm companies than we gain from energy.

The bottom line is, are we prepared to sacrifice large parts of our countryside when our infrastructure can’t even handle the current number of windfarms, let alone the additional ones being built?

I urge you all to carefully review this case and consider the implications for our environment, our wildlife and our landscape.

Thank you for your attention.

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I keep pushing them (RES) for more information but they’re being deliberately vague. They have kept some information from the Commoners Association too, so it’s making sure we all have the true picture of what is going to happen.
I believe they probably intend to reduce the number of turbines again, it’s a well known technique to placate local communities and show they are ‘willing’ to accommodate our concerns.
But we all must all raise our objections or they will gladly plonk 13 turbines up there.