With reference to the ongoing plans submitted for the building of a very large Wind Farm to be located in rural Radnorshire and the the consequent construction of 355 steel pylons and 90 H poles, the majority of these being 30m in height, to be constructed along the Wye, Edw, Irfon and Towy Valleys across Powys and Carmarthenshire, I wish to most strongly submit a protest that this project is supposedly being undertaken.

There is an immense outcry in Mid Wales regarding these proposals that will undoubtedly have detrimental impacts on the environment of an outstanding and attractive upland rural area and its farmland and communities.

Farming and tourism are instrumental facets of the local economy and these will be extremely adversely affected should such a project be undertaken.

I live on the edge of the Military Training Ground at the Epynt mountain range, this is extensively used by both the Army and also the RAF which undertakes many low-flying training flights using training aircraft from RAF Valley and also Chinook and other helicopters, but also A400M cargo aircraft.

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Pylons in excess of 30 m and associated electricity cables would prove a dangerous hazard to such training.

I call upon the Welsh Government/Senedd to very seriously consider all the implications of this project and to fully investigate other more appropriate forms of alternative renewable energy.  

What are the benefits of this particular project for the people who live in this part of Mid-Wales? What effect wu ill this have on the farming community, the farming economy and on tourism?

Off shore wind turbines are a much more environmentally friendly source  and the Celtic Sea and Cardigan Bay are windy and wet, but an ideal alternative solution. Off shore if harnessed effectively can provide a large proportion of UK energy requirements.

Nuclear power, post Wyllfa and Trawsfynydd, should surely be considered. The Severn estuary and suitable locations around the coast can offer the enormous potential of tidal generation.

Community energy schemes can be fully investigated, funded and developed.

There are surely much better means of providing electricity and attempting to reach “net-zero” than this catastrophic impact on the beauty and attraction of mid-Wales?

My concerns are also based on the economics of this whole project.

“Bute Energy” is merely an umbrella name for a company charged with the initial development of this and other projects. The funding, investment and ownership of this project lies in a consortium of multi-national companies, the main beneficiary being Danish.

The Wind Turbines and infrastructure will be assembled in Denmark, not in Wales or the UK. Employment, other than actual construction and erection will be undertaken elsewhere. Local employment will be construction locally but what happens afterwards? And what will be the impact on roads, rural lanes and farms, when construction is initiated?

Business exists to make profit. What benefit will Wales enjoy from this and other projects being proposed across Wales?

The electricity being produced, where is it being sent to? Wales already generates enough for its needs, so we suffer to produce this means of achieving “green energy” but what are the rewards?
Robert Thomas, Llanwrtyd