Consultation on North Wales wind farm

A consultation has been launched on proposals to build a wind farm in North Wales capable of powering 63,500 homes.If Welsh renewable energy generation RWE gets approval, Alwen Forest Wind Farm will straddle both the Conwy County Borough and Denbighshire County Council areas.It will lie on a site north of Alwen Reservoir, near to Llyn Brenig and also RWE’s operational Clocaenog Forest Wind Farm.The pre-application consultation will run from 13 December and last for eight weeks.RWE will also make information available online and hold two in-person events in Nantglyn and Cerrigydrudion.Nine turbines of up to 200m high make up the project, with an installed capacity of around 60MW plus battery storage and a habitat management plan.The application also covers the grid connection between Alwen and Clocaenog. It is planned to be, for the most part, underground and to utilise existing infrastructure at Clocaenog Forest wind farm.RWE project manager Martin Cole said: “We are now seeking final input from local people and statutory consultees and other interested stakeholders as part of the pre-application consultation, prior to final submission of the planning application to the Welsh Ministers, who will make a decision in due course.”RWE said that once the consultation period closes, it will consider feedback ahead of submission of the formal Development of National Significance planning application to Planning and Environment Decision Wales.If the project gains consent, site preparation and construction works are scheduled to start in 2026. The aim is for the wind farm to be fully operational in 2028.