THE WELSH GOVERNMENT’S Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy, and Planning has granted approval for the Twyn Hywel Energy Park, a pioneering project by renewable energy developer Bute Energy. Set across the Caerphilly and Rhondda Cynon Taf County Boroughs, this development will feature 14 wind turbines generating 92.4 MW of clean energy—enough to power approximately 81,000 households annually.

Twyn Hywel Energy Park is part of Bute Energy’s ambitious network of energy parks across Wales, representing a £3 billion investment with the potential to generate over 2 gigawatts of renewable power. This clean energy output could supply 2.25 million homes and offset around 5.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions—equivalent to removing all cars from Caerphilly County Borough’s roads each year.

This project will mark Wales’s first onshore wind construction since 2020, symbolizing a renewed commitment to sustainable energy.

Stuart George, Managing Director of Bute Energy, said: “Onshore wind represents the cheapest, cleanest, and quickest route to generating clean energy and ending our reliance on fossil fuels. Wales is primed to lead and benefit from the shift to renewable energy through significant direct investment, new jobs, and investment in local communities. Bute Energy is dedicated to creating a lasting legacy of skills, opportunities, and investment for Wales. Our Community Benefit Fund, skills initiatives, and collaborative approach with communities will help keep as much of the investment in Wales as possible.”

Bute Energy has established a Community Benefit Fund worth over £30 million across the 40-year lifespan of its projects. Designed with input from local communities, the fund aims to support local groups, charities, and services in sustaining and growing their work to meet community needs. Additionally, the company has embedded a 2% Social Value Standard into every contract, ensuring investments flow into local economies during the energy park’s construction and beyond.

The project is anticipated to create hundreds of jobs in Wales, generating millions in local economic benefits. Construction is scheduled to commence in 2025, with completion targeted for 2027. Bute Energy plans to maintain ongoing consultation with local authorities and communities throughout the development process.

PLANS for a green hydrogen production facility by Pembroke Power Station, which the applicants say “can establish Pembroke at the forefront of south Wales’ low carbon future,” and create new jobs are expected to be backed next week.

An application by Pembroke RWE Generation UK plc for the construction of a green hydrogen production facility with electrolysers, hydrogen gas storage, HV transformer and electrolyser control building, and hydrogen gas pipeline offtake; together with associated infrastructure, including water supply pipeline to the Pembroke Power Station and electrical supply connection to the National Grid Substation on land adjacent to Pembroke Power Station is recommended for conditional approval at the November 5 meeting of the county council’s planning committee.

The electrolyser site was previously occupied by the power station’s sports and social club.

A report for planners states: “A green hydrogen facility is proposed that would comprise the main electrolyser area, a hydrogen gas pipeline corridor, an electrical connection to a high voltage transformer and an area for connections into the Pembroke Power Station and a cable corridor for connection into the National Grid Substation.

“The electrolyser is planned to be powered with ‘low carbon electricity supplied primarily via grid connected renewables’ and will create ‘green hydrogen’ for use in industrial processes. Water for the electrolyser will come from existing power station supplies.

“The pipeline corridor would supply hydrogen gas to the Valero Refinery. The pipeline corridor would follow the route of an existing natural gas pipeline. Most of the pipeline corridor would be underground, passing across farmland and a wooded area. It will emerge above ground within the Valero Refinery. The working width of the construction area for the pipeline is expected to be approximately 30m.

“The applicant states that some of the final design aspects and features of the proposed development within the electrolyser site ‘cannot be confirmed at this design stage as these depend on the appointment of an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractor. This may include the heights of buildings, structures and plant and the arrangement of features defined by zones’, nevertheless the maximum height of the flare stack would be 25m and the electrolyser building and compressor building would be up to 17m in height. All other equipment would be of lower height than the electrolyser building.”

The report also quotes from the applicant: “The proposed development forms part of the Pembroke Net Zero Centre (PNZC) initiative which will see RWE diversify its energy generation portfolio to demonstrate a pathway towards decarbonisation.

“RWE’s vision for the PNZC has a critical role to play in Wales’ and the UK’s pathway to Net Zero. By decarbonising its current operations at the power station, while investing in new innovative technologies at the development site, RWE can establish Pembroke at the forefront of South Wales’ low carbon future. The proposals for RWE Pembroke Green Hydrogen form part of this ambition.

“By bringing together technologies such as hydrogen production, carbon capture and storage, battery storage and floating offshore wind to the Pembroke area, RWE can help to decarbonise the energy sector in Wales for generations to come. RWE’s ambitions will build on Pembrokeshire’s local energy heritage, safeguarding existing jobs at the development site, while delivering a significant local economic investment and creating new jobs throughout construction and operation.”

The facility is expected to take 24 months to build, subject to approval, an earlier consultation on the scheme said, and could be built by early 2027.

PLANS by one of the UK’s largest housebuilders to build 72 homes, 25 of them affordable, on the outskirts of a Pembrokeshire seaside village have been given the final sign-off, with works due to start in the spring.

Back in 2022, Persimmon Homes applied to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park for the scheme on a 2.26 hectare area of land adjoining the northernmost houses of a long-established Sandyhill Park residential estate, Saundersfoot.

The application, including 47 open market dwellings, proposed a variety of detached, semi-detached, terraced and apartment properties to create an “attractive and integrated extension to Saundersfoot”.

The application was given delegated approval when it came before the national park’s July development management committee, with conditions including the completion of a Section 106 legal agreement relating to the affordable housing.

The affordable housing units will be split into four low-cost ownership units and 21 socially rented units, the report for national park planners said; the 35 per cent affordable percentage taking precedent over an affordable housing policy requirement of 50 per cent as it is designated as an allocated site.

As well as the affordable housing element and an open space provision, the scheme included a financial contribution to cover the contribution towards Active Travel Routes within the local area (Saundersfoot Harbour to New Hedges).

After that approval, Persimmon Homes West Wales and Pembrokeshire Coast National Park have now signed the S106 agreement and Persimmon is planning to begin groundworks next Spring, with sales launching soon after ahead of the summer season.

Welcoming the agreement, Persimmon Homes West Wales’ Managing Director, Stuart Phillips, said: “We’re pleased to have finalised the S106 agreement that will allow us to deliver 72 new, high-quality homes for local people in Saundersfoot.

“The development will provide a wide range of zero-carbon ready homes that will be of particular help to young families and first-time buyers, who otherwise might struggle to get onto the housing ladder in Pembrokeshire.

“Throughout the planning process, we have worked closely with officers and stakeholders to ensure that our homes are in keeping with – and enhance – the local area, and I’m thankful to officers and the project team for their collaborative efforts throughout.

“The scheme will deliver substantial community benefits, including new facilities, enhanced green spaces, and significant investment in public infrastructure, as well as the transfer of 25 properties to a local housing association.

“Persimmon has a proud record of delivery in Pembrokeshire, and we are excited about this latest development as we continue to build the best-value homes in sustainable and inclusive communities for local people.”

Local community council Saundersfoot had objected to the scheme on a number of grounds, also asking for a caveat that no property is bought for second-home holiday use.