Trydan is the only large-scale onshore wind developer wholly owned by the Welsh Government with a singular focus on delivering for Wales.
A key goal is to develop 1 GW of new renewable energy generation capacity on Welsh public land by 2040 and deliver benefits to our society, our environment, and our economy, for everyone living and working in Wales today and for future generations.
The land is on the country’s public estate, managed by Natural Resources Wales, providing some of the very best sites for developing onshore wind – upland plateau sites where the best wind resource can be found.
Trydan has completed early feasibility work, with initial indicative plans now available on our website, and have written to local stakeholders and representatives to arrange meetings with them.
We are preparing to come to your area this autumn to discuss the project further with you including asking for your feedback and listening to your concerns and suggestions, all with the goal of ensuring you have the opportunity to help shape how we make the best project for the area.
To stay informed about the project, subscribe to our mailing list here or e-mail us here. Alternatively, you can call us on 01824 599500.
Finally, an indicative timeline is published on the project site, and we’ll keep that up to date and provide more detail as the project develops.
Yes, they do. Our focus is on areas that are not currently developed with respect to wind energy.
We also consider cumulative impacts as required by Regulation 5 of the EIA Regulations. The Environmental Statement considers the possible effects that a proposal may have in combination with existing or consented developments.
When we come to local areas to have detailed conversations about our proposals, we will have initial information and models to help everyone start to see and understand how our projects will fit in with what is here already, or what could be here by the time we expect the projects could get built.
That way, we can look together at place-based evidence, consider how to shape these projects to make the most sensitive, sustainable projects they can be, and find ways to optimise the value they bring to the locality as well as to Wales.
At present, we’re undertaking extensive environmental studies to make sure that the project proposals are sensitive, you may perhaps see a “lesser spotted ecologist”, or someone carrying out a survey to ensure we have base-line data to understand the area fully now, in addition to NRW and others going about their usual business in the forest. This means there is still great access to the forest.
Should we proceed to construction and operations (see indicative timeline), we anticipate there may be some minor and short-term impacts to walking, biking, and horse-riding route accessibility during this phase.
All access is scheduled to return to a pre-construction state following completion of the development.
Absolutely. The operational forest is an important income generator for Welsh Government, helping to fund many aspects of NRW’s work across the whole landholding it manages on behalf of Welsh Government. It also produces much-needed timber for construction, agricultural, and other uses.
Within NRW there is a team focussed on energy delivery. We work closely with them to ensure our development work fits around current NRW operations, without impairing them in any way.
They also review our proposals, to ensure that should we go ahead with construction and operation, our activities complement, rather than hinder forest operations.
Our proposed turbine locations, and access tracks within the forest, consider many factors, including forest management plans and felling and replanting cycles, and make use of existing tracks used by the forest management teams.
We don’t know yet. We are currently looking at the range of turbines the specialist supply chain offer to onshore wind developers.
Technical aspects of wind operations have come a very long way, even in the last ten years, and innovation continues at a fast pace. Should we proceed to construction, there may be better options available to us.
New machines are better engineered to be quieter and more efficient at converting wind energy into electrical energy, under more conditions over longer timeframes.
We know that taller turbines deliver greater installed capacity, with fewer, taller turbines often resulting in reduced environmental impacts.
That’s why we prefer to keep our options open this early on. In the coming months, we will share information about what the choices are and ask for your views on the choices we have to make.
There is no conclusive evidence to indicate that wind farms have an adverse impact on tourism. A 2014 report for the Welsh Government by Regeneris Consulting and The Tourism Company concluded that the effect on tourism from wind farm developments is very limited, with case studies revealing no evidence of significant impacts on tourism. The study also revealed that visitors to areas with wind farms had either a positive or neutral view about wind farm developments.
It is also interesting to note that wind farm sites attract tourism. The Whitelee wind farm located on the outskirts of Glasgow is the UK’s largest onshore wind farm. Operated by ScottishPower Renewables, Whitelee is a case study of a renewable energy project generating substantial tourism and employment benefits.
There is little recent UK-based research on this topic and existing studies show inconclusive evidence of wind farms affecting local house prices. A 2016 study by climateXchange on the impact of wind turbines on house prices in Scotland found no evidence of a consistent negative effect on house prices.
As we model the project, we will get a better understanding of the specific social, cultural, economic and environmental impacts it can potentially have in the locality.
Our focus is to make sure we optimise the positive opportunities, and avoid, minimise, and mitigate any potential negative impacts, through careful, considerate, and thoughtful planning and design, while working with others who can help us achieve this.
Renewable UK Cymru’s report Unleashing the Full Value of Welsh Renewables states that by 2035, total investment of onshore wind projects in Wales could total £7.6 billion, of which Welsh businesses could secure £3 billion.
In addition, over the period to 2035, as more projects come online, it is estimated that community benefit payments could total £183 million.
Not at all. We still have to go through exactly the same process as any other developer. We are bound by planning laws, like every other developer, and because the project is over 50 MW, we will follow the IC process.
Whilst it is true that wind turbines do cause occasional bird fatalities in the UK, there has been little recent research into the overall effects on bird populations in or around operational sites in Wales.
Where studies have been completed (e.g. monitoring for collision of birds and bats using search dogs), no indication of population effects in any species has been found.
Whilst any bird fatalities are clearly an undesirable consequence of wind developments, the death rates associated with turbine collisions are still significantly lower than other human causes of bird deaths – such as domestic cats, traffic or collision with buildings.
There is a lot of information available online, ranging from industry guides and political reports to news reporting and educational videos. They cover everything from general information to very specific topics.
One such example is this document aiming to respond clearly and accurately to persistent myths and misconceptions about renewables, battery storage and grid infrastructure. Regen was developed with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Renewable & Sustainable Energy to help MPs and others have more evidence-based conversations about onshore renewables.
In addition, Renewable UK Cymru’s report Unleashing the Full Value of Welsh Renewables is an up-to-date report, which focusses primarily on the economic potential of renewables for Wales. It was produced by an economic research consultancy, Biggar Economics.