Cilfynydd Energy Centre

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Welcome to the Cilfynydd Energy Centre project website. Innova are proposing a 400 Megawatt (MW) Energy Storage System (ESS) on land immediately north of the National Grid substation, west of Llanfabon.

The development site covers approximately 6.5 hectares.

The proposal would support the UK’s transition to Net Zero and increased use of renewable energy through supporting the availability of energy to the National Grid. Renewable energy is characterised by its intermittent generation profile. For example, solar energy is produced during daylight hours, and wind generation fluctuates between seasons and during periods of high and low wind resource.

Energy storage systems like the one proposed at Cilfynydd Energy Centre provide a solution to this by storing electricity from the grid at times of oversupply, and releasing electricity back into the grid at times of peak demand.

The site has been carefully selected and designed through a detailed assessment process considering heritage, landscape, ecological and environmental designations, access, flooding, transport, and agricultural land quality. We have engaged a team of expert consultants to provide advice on the project.

An important part of the development process is to engage with the local community and therefore we will be hosting a community consultation event at Llechwen Hall Hotel on 14th November 2024 between 3pm and 7pm.

The UK has committed to becoming Net Zero by 2050 and a target to decarbonise the electricity grid by 2035.

The Proposed Development would support the UK’s transition to Net Zero, and increase the use of renewable energy through supporting the availability of energy to the National Grid.

The Future Energy Scenarios 2022 report (written by National Grid ESO) indicates that the UK will need more than 250GW of energy storage by 2050, and this proposal would add a significant amount of energy storage to this pipeline. In April 2022, Renewable UK reported that, nationwide, there was around 1.5GW of energy storage in operation, 1.5GW under construction, and 10GW that had consent, but had not yet been built. A significant increase is required to meet the projected requirements.

Projects like Cilfynydd Energy Centre will allow electricity that has been produced by renewables to be stored in periods of high supply and released at times of high demand and low supply, whilst also allowing us to make better use of our existing electricity supplies from conventional generation methods.

The UK has committed to becoming Net Zero by 2050, and has a target to decarbonise the electricity grid by 2035.

This requires an extra 3GW of solar to be built each year. Renewable energy developments like Cilfynydd Energy Centre are a key part of addressing the Climate Emergency. The development will serve a key role in this vital transition to renewable energy.

The Welsh Government has already set an ambitious target for Wales to meet 70% of its electricity demand from Welsh renewable sources by 2030, and are consulting to push further to meet 100% of its electricity needs from renewable sources by 2035.

As a result, many low carbon and renewable developments are needed across the UK. Renewable energy developments like Cilfynydd Energy Centre are a key part of addressing the Climate Emergency. The development will serve a key role in this vital transition to renewable energy. In 2019, Caerphilly County Borough Council declared a Climate Emergency and committed to becoming a Net Zero carbon local authority by 2030.

We have proposed an ESS to be located on a parcel of land, north of the National Grid substation, to the west of the village of Llanfabon.

The site has been carefully selected and the design is being informed by an ongoing detailed assessment process.

A Site Selection Assessment was initially completed which sought to identify the optimum site to accommodate the proposed development within a reasonable proximity of the Cilfynydd National Grid substation. The proposed site is identified below.

The proposal comprises energy storage units which will be distributed across the site in pairs, each with an associated transformer and inverter. Groups of ESS units will then be connected into a 33/132kV transformer which then feed electricity to the on-site 400kV substation, for export into the National Grid. The proposal will be connected to the Cilfynydd National Grid substation via an underground cable.

Existing mature trees and hedgerows surround the site which will be retained where possible to provide screening. Landscape enhancements will also be delivered to further screen the development and provide an opportunity to deliver significant Biodiversity Net Gain on site.

Access information

It is proposed that construction vehicles will approach the site from the Abercynon roundabout on the A470, turn east along the A472, turn south on Llanfabon Road before turning west onto the National Road and into the site.

We are currently assessing the number of construction vehicles that will be required, and this will be detailed within the Construction Traffic Management Plan (CTMP) which will be submitted as part of the planning application, to be agreed by the Council and adhered to by the appointed contractor. The CTMP will also include a suite of mitigation measures to reduce the effect of construction traffic on the local highway network.

Once operational, the site will be visited for occasional routine maintenance, typically once or twice a month by a light goods vehicle. In the first five operational years, regular visits will be made by landscape contractors and ecologists to monitor and manage completed landscape works.

A plan of the proposed construction traffic route is provided below:

Traffic route plan

Cable route

The site will be connecting directly into the Cilfynydd National Grid substation immediately to the south.

We have instructed a range of specialist consultants who are currently undertaking surveys to inform the design and planning application. The following surveys have been undertaken or are ongoing as part of the planning process:

• Breeding Birds
• Bats
• Access study
• Arboriculture
• Topographical Surveys
• Flood Consequences Assessment
• Noise Assessment
• Heritage
• Landscape & Visual
• Civils Design
• Preliminary Ecological Appraisal

These include the work currently completed and underway. There will be a further suite of surveys to be undertaken with feedback from the public consultation.

Will the site affect the local wildlife?

Extensive ecology surveys have been carried out on and near the site. Where species have been identified, suitable mitigation measures have been put in place so as not to disturb the existing wildlife

When are you submitting the application?

We are currently undertaking surveys on-site and expect to submit the full application in early 2025.