Bute Energy has awarded a £1m contract to Terra Firma for pre-construction ground investigations at its 92MW Tywen Hywel wind farm in Wales.
The Cardiff-based consultancy will carry out testing of ground samples as well as archaeological and ecological assessments of the project site near the Caerphilly-Rhondda Cynon Taff border.
The work will prepare the way for construction to begin at the 14-turbine wind farm later this year, which will be the first to be built from Bute’s pipeline of 16 onshore projects being developed in the country.
The developer said it has put in place a strategy to retain as much of the planned £3bn investment into the portfolio within Wales “for the benefit of the economy, supply chains and communities”.
Tywen Hywel is expected to be operational by 2027.
Bute project director Sid Anverali said: “We are committed to doing our part to support the Welsh supply chain and contribute to green growth for Wales’ economy and proud to be working with Terra Firma, demonstrating the impact that our shift to renewables can have on Welsh business and the Welsh economy as a whole.
“Twyn Hywel will support the creation of hundreds of new jobs, generate a community fund of around £700,000 every year and see a further 2% of the value of each contract re-invested into local communities through the Bute Energy social value standard.”
Terra Firma director Matthew Lake added: “Renewable energy is key to achieving Wales’ net zero targets and we are very excited to be playing our part alongside Bute Energy to achieve this.
“It’s great to see contracts like this offered to local businesses, providing great career opportunities, apprenticeships and training for the next generation of aspiring engineering geologists and geo technicians.
“This contract has enabled us to employ several new staff members ranging from supervising engineers to site support technicians, all of which are from the local area surrounding Twyn Hywel Energy Park.
“Not only does this add value to the Welsh economy, but the staff will also benefit from having access to clean renewable energy which they helped to develop. It’s something that we will all be extremely proud of.”