Wales

Investing in Wales: Wear Point Wind Farm

Wear Point Wind Farm- Pembrokeshire

Wear Point Wind Farm is a wind energy project currently under construction in Wales.

Consisting of four wind turbines, Wear Point Wind Farm is being built on a piece of disused industrial land owned by the SemLogistics tank storage facility in Waterston.

The new wind farm is owned by Wear Point Wind Ltd – a joint venture between wind developers Infinergy and specialist investor John Laing – and comprises four turbines, capable of generating2.05 MegaWatts of energy.

Wear Point Wind Farm obtained planning consent from Pembrokeshire County Council after a two year planning process and has a total project capacity of 8.2MW, which will provide enough energy to power more than 4,500 homes per year. In addition, the new wind farm is set to replace between 7,400 and 17,600 tonnes of CO₂ per year.

The construction of Wear Point Wind Farm is a fantastic economic boost to Wales, with a total net value of £14.3 million alongside the appointment of many Welsh companies to complete the works. The construction is being coordinated by Raymond Brown Cymru from Bridgend, who has a fantastic track record in this sector having previously constructed Infinergy’s Castle Pill Wind Farm in Steynton and Ferndale Wind Farm in the Rhondda Valleys.

Commenting on the investment, Ross McArthur of John Laing, said:

“Wear Point Wind Farm’s net investment totals £14.3 million and we are delighted that a significant proportion of it has been spent on products and services sourced from local, Welsh and Wales based companies.

Wear Point Wind Farm- Pembrokeshire

“Wales stands to benefit greatly from onshore wind development and we feel that Wear Point Wind Farm has made a valuable contribution.”

Austwel from Milford Haven will construct the substation and Burke Contracts from Carmarthen is undertaking the ground works. Jenkins & Davies from Pembroke Dock is responsible for mechanical engineering works, whilst GD Harries & Sons from Narbeth is supplying the aggregates.

Construction on the site’s substation took place between March and June 2013, whilst foundation pouring for the project got underway between May and June. Electrical installation began in June and ran through September and was followed by the installation of the four turbines.

State of the art Repower MM82 turbines are being installed on the project. The turbines have a hub height of 59m, with a turbine height to blade tip of 99.9m.

Reinstatement work is currently taking place and with work continuing to make good progress the site will be fully operational in November. Once work is completed on the project, Wear Point Wind Farm is expected to maintain an operational lifespan of between 20 and 25 years.

To ensure a direct face-to-face link with the local community, Infinergy has joined the site’s Community Liaison Committee, alongside representatives of various local councils, including the Welsh Government, Natural Resources Wales, local police and site operators SemLogistics and Dragon LNG. The committee meets on a regular basis to exchange information and solve any issues which may arise.

At the end of 2012 there were 1,422 onshore wind farms in operation, with 350 in construction or pre-construction and 550 granted consent for their development to take place. There are also offshore wind farms in operation, constructed in bodies of water. As 2013 begins to draw to a close, the number of wind farms across the UK is steadily increasing and the impact on this growing industry will hopefully mean a continuous decline in electricity costs for the population.

Wear Point Wind Farm- Pembrokeshire

For more information on Wear Point Wind Farm please visit: www.wearpointwindfarm.co.uk and for more information on Infinergy please visit: www.infinergy.co.uk.

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Roma Publications