Mynydd Mynyllod under threat again
Having seen the back of the Scottish Power plan to turn Mynydd Mynyllod into a giant wind factory, we now face a similarly monstrous proposal from RWE, the German energy conglomerate.
The background image accurately compares a 180m turbine to Llandrillo church.
Having seen the back of the Scottish Power plan to turn Mynydd Mynyllod into a giant wind factory, we now face a similarly monstrous proposal from RWE, the German energy conglomerate.
RWE calls the project “Gaerwen Wind Farm”, perhaps to disassociate it from the previous Scottish Power plan, but it is still a shameful disfigurement of a sensitive and lovely landscape. The scale is alarming: an array of 9 turbines, two of which would be 200 metres in height. To compare to a local landmark, this is more than five times the height of Llandrillo church spire, or twice the height of the Braich Ddu turbines looming over Glan Yr Afon. In addition to the enormous wind turbines, the potential for solar panel coverage and battery storage on the mountain is also being explored. The landscape for miles around would be adversely impacted and this proposal is shoehorned between three environmentally sensitive areas: Snowdonia National Park to the West, the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) to the East and the Berwyn mountains Special Area of Conservation (SAC) to the South. It is hard to imagine a more inappropriate site.
In an era when we recognise the importance of carbon stored in peat, this project would entail excavations of massive holes for the bases, each requiring thousands of tons of concrete, in addition there would need to be a network of permanent tracks of sufficient depth to carry the weight of the heavy installation machinery. Further, electricity sub stations and export transmission cables will be needed, most likely as overhead pylons. In summary, it would transform the mountain into a giant industrial site whose construction would regularly paralyse the road system.
Details of the plans, as presented by RWE, can be found at uk-ireland.rwe.com and we will be scrutinising them further. You can have your say on the proposal here. In the meantime, we have established “SAVE GAERWEN” to monitor and challenge this unwelcome intrusion into one of the loveliest parts of Wales. We have launched the web site savegaerwen.org for the core information. Also, much discussion can be found on the Facebook group. For ongoing updates please enter your email address below.
We welcome your support. We would urge you to take a stroll up there and see what is at risk. There are many rights of way shown on the OS map leading from Cynwyd, LLandrillo, Llandderfel, Bethel and Glan Yr Afon which allow for full enjoyment of the lovely landscape.