We want a slice of the mass energy projects pie, says Powys council

With the Welsh Government considering plans to turn large parts of Montgomeryshire into an even bigger wind energy production hub than it already is, Powys County Council have said that should they go through then there should be huge benefits for local communities, and 5% of all profits given back to them.

The region’s approved Energy Plan envisions a transition to a low-carbon energy system that delivers social and economic benefits, eliminates fuel poverty, and better connects Powys to the rest of the UK.

But Powys has insisted in the past that the plans should deliver “a transition to a greener future, support investment in the region, job creation, affordable energy and encourage increased community and public sector ownership of energy assets”.

However, this is not what either the Government or big business are proposing so the Cabinet is thinking differently and testing out a new idea which they say will better benefit the people of Powys should any large-scale energy projects be given the go ahead by Welsh Ministers.

The Cabinet is proposing a scheme where large-scale energy schemes approved by the Government provide both the community benefit fund that has become an industry standard, and a 5% profit share to be used for council priorities for the duration of the project’s operation.

Council Leader, Cllr Jake Berriman said: “We want to establish a voluntary scheme requiring every large-scale (10 Megawatts and above) energy project wanting to do business in Powys to gift a minimum 5% local profit share to provide a lasting legacy to benefit all Powys communities.

“Powys is currently experiencing an unprecedented scale of proposed energy development, with 16 Developments of National Significance (DNS) applications in the pipeline across the county.

“Clearly not all of these schemes are going to be approved by the Government but if they were communities would be faced with up to 306 wind turbines, with a combined potential to power up to two million homes, but none in Powys. The sheer volume and concentration of these projects is raising significant concerns for local communities.

“Alongside local Members and Town and Community Councils, the Local Planning Authority is a consultee on the major projects and will provide a technical response to each application registered to be considered by the Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW).

“Let us be clear Powys County Council is not the decision maker for these large-scale energy applications, that is a role for PEDW. As a council we have already called on Welsh Government to pause its open invitation for major onshore windfarm applications in Powys reflecting residents’ concern about specific and cumulative impact and lack of national grid capacity which denies our communities access to the energy being generated here in the county.

“But should future applications be approved we are calling for a voluntary five percent profit share to benefit and a change in governance to the community benefit funds to ensure greater reach across all of Powys to provide a tangible lasting legacy for future generations.”