News
Onshore wind industry contributes over £799m
WALES gains over £799 million of economic benefit from its local onshore wind industry, according to new figures released by RenewableUK. Of that, benefits to the value of £33 million go directly into the local community as a result of installed onshore wind capacity in the area.
Wales has an excellent natural resource and 559 megawatts (MW) of installed onshore wind. The region will receive a substantial £799 million in economic benefit from the installed onshore wind farms over their lifetime. This represents environmental benefits of 541,992 tonnes of CO2 reduced per year due to onshore wind installed in Wales alone.
Mid Wales has the highest installed onshore wind capacity in Wales, at just under 300MW. The next highest area is South Wales with 176MW of onshore wind capacity installed.
There are a number of firms active in the area ranging from independent onshore developers to component manufacturers and companies providing steels for wind turbines, including West Coast Energy, Jones Brothers, Prysmian and Dulas Ltd.
The figures form part of a report, undertaken by BiGGAR Economics for RenewableUK, which shows that the economic benefits of developing onshore wind are strongly felt across the UK, with the onshore wind industry generating a total £906 million in gross value added (GVA) revenue to the UK economy in 2014 alone. Since the beginning of 2012, GVA has risen by £358 million (up 65%) – revealing the increasing contribution that the onshore wind industry and its supply chain makes to the UK economy.
The largest percentage of local spend comes at the operations and maintenance stage with 42% of the value of contracts (compared to 29% in 2011) being spent in the local area. On a wider level, almost half of the total spend is retained in the region in which a wind farm is located (48%), with this highest at the development stage (59%) and operation and maintenance (58%).
For businesses, investors and other regional stakeholders looking to find out more about the economic impact onshore wind has in their area, RenewableUK has created factsheets outlining the findings for each region: http://www.renewableuk.com/en/ publications/index.cfm.
Dale Hart, Managing Director of Welsh developer Pennant Walters said: “We are committed to maximising and promoting local supply chain and employment opportunities and, on average, 27% of the economic benefits of onshore wind are enjoyed in the local authority area around each project. It’s also gratifying to see the report show that local level of content has increased in each stage of wind farm development between 2011 and 2014, reflecting our industry’s commitment to ensure benefits are spent locally.”
RenewableUK’s Chief Executive, Maria McCaffery, said, “The British onshore wind energy industry is adding £906 million a year to the national economy, so the benefits to the UK are clear to see. This report also shows that onshore wind really does bring benefits to the UK – with £7 in every £10 spent on projects invested in the UK. Onshore wind powers local economies, bringing £199 million of investment into local areas where communities host wind farms, and creating jobs across the supply chain. The industry is helping to propel Britain to a brighter, cleaner future – onshore wind is already the lowest cost of all low carbon options, with potential to be the least cost form of electricity within the next five years.
Yet onshore wind farms are under threat from misguided Tory and UKIP policies aimed at stifling their development, despite being the rational economic choice and having consistently high levels of public support.”
Crime
Recycling company brought before Judge after JCB crushes employee
A PEMBROKESHIRE-BASED recycling company has been brought before a district judge after an employee was seriously injured by a JCB loading shovel.
TBS Recycling and Skip Hire appeared before Judge Mark Layton at Haverfordwest magistrates court earlier this week when company director, Steven Thomas, pleaded guilty to failing to discharge general health, safety and welfare duties to an employee.
The incident occurred on March 31, 2021, at the TBS recycling and skip hire unit which is situated at the Waterston Industrial Estate, between Neyland and Milford Haven.
“An employee of the company was working on the site when he spotted something caught in the wheel of a four-ton JCB,” commented a lawyer for the Health and Safety Executive.
“He went to clear it and the person who was in the [JCB] driving seat knew he was doing it. But he was distracted and believed the other employee had left. So he lowered the shovel, but it crushed him.”
As a result, the employee sustained crushed ribs and damage to his lungs and breathing.
“But he’s since made a good recovery,” said the Health and Safety Executive lawyer.
Steven Thomas, of Cross Farm, Walwyns Castle Road, Ties Cross, will be sentenced by Judge Layton when he sits at Llanelli Magistrates Court on June 6.
Crime
Pembrokeshire car salesman caught driving on cocaine
A PEMBROKESHIRE car salesman has appeared before a District Judge after being caught driving a cream BMW through Kilgetty after taking cocaine.
Fraser Finlay was stopped by police officers on the night of October 3, 2023, as he drove the vehicle along Clayford Road in Wooden.
The officers’ suspicions had been aroused when the trade insurance which covered his vehicle failed to show up on their system.
A roadside breath test was carried out which proved positive and Finlay, 25, was conveyed to a police custody suite where further blood tests were carried out for analysis.
These showed he had 20ug/L of cocaine in his system; the legal threshold limit is 10. He was also found to have 800 ug/L of the cocaine derivative benzoylecgonine in his system; the legal limit is 50.
“This conviction means that my client is most likely to see an end to his job,” his solicitor, David Williams, informed District Judge Mark Layton sitting at Haverfordwest magistrates court earlier this week.
“This is because he works as a car salesman.”
Finlay was disqualified from driving for 17 months. He was fined £450 and ordered to pay a £180 court surcharge and £85 costs.
News
Pembrokeshire hostel manager narrowly avoids jail sentence
A FORMER Pembrokeshire homeless hostel manager narrowly avoided a jail sentence this week after a District Judge was shown footage of her kicking a defenceless man as he lay drunk on the floor.
Linda Tysoe, 52, was seen walking over to Shaun Nelmes and kick him repeatedly. She was also seen hurling a can of tomatoes at his head.
As a result, Mr Nelmes sustained extensive lacerations to his face; images of his injuries were shown to the judge.
“The defendant admits the seriousness of her actions and she can see that they look aggressive,” probation officer Charmain Fox told District Judge Mark Layton when he sat at Haverfordwest Magistrates Court earlier this week.
“But over the last seven years, there have been many incidents of a domestic nature where the defendant was the victim. That night, she saw red and her actions were completely out of character.”
The assault took place on the night of October 1 when Mr Nelmes arrived at Linda Tysoe’s home. CCTV video footage shown to the court that was retrieved from her mobile phone showed that he was heavily intoxicated.
“He was extremely intoxicated, so she asked him to leave,” continued Ms Fox.
“When he left, he then tried to gain entry into the homeless hostel which the defendant was managing. She received calls from residents saying that he was outside, so again she tried to remove him but she saw red. She wanted to make clear that his behaviour was completely out of order.”
Ms Fox said that as a result of the attack, Tysoe has now lost her job.
“She is currently living in a caravan outside the family home,” she said.
Tysoe pleaded guilty to a charge of assault causing actual bodily harm. She was legally represented in court by solicitor Mr Michael Kelleher.
“My client has no previous convictions but she was the victim in previous matters involving the complainant [Shaun Nelmes],” he said.
“At the time this offence was committed, he was on a prison licence for assaulting her.”
Tysoe was sentenced to 16 weeks in custody, suspended for 12 months. She was ordered to complete 15 rehabilitation requirement days and must pay £85 court costs and a £154 surcharge.
“On October 1 last year your relationship came to an end and clearly something happened that night which caused this vicious and violent incident,” said District Judge Mark Layton when imposing sentence.
“You kicked him on the floor and threw a can at him which is believed to have been a full can of tomatoes that caused significant injury to his face. This crosses the custody threshold.”
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