RWE has officially opened the 96MW Clocaenog Forest onshore wind farm in North Wales.
Clocaenog Forest is the largest onshore wind farm in RWE’s UK fleet.
It was officially opened by Julie James MS, Welsh Government Minister for Climate Change.
The Minister was joined by dignitaries, community and business leaders, representatives from Natural Resources Wales and RWE’s development team, to celebrate the occasion, at Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water’s Llyn Brenig Visitor Centre.
Clocaenog Forest is located on the Welsh Ministers’ woodland estate, on land managed by Natural Resources Wales.
Although the wind farm has been in operation for over a year, Covid restrictions have prevented RWE from celebrating the achievement.
The wind farm is located near Denbigh, and consists of 27 turbines, capable of providing renewable electricity equivalent to the needs of 63,800 UK homes.
James said: “It was my pleasure to officially open RWE’s Clocaenog Forest onshore wind farm. Onshore wind already accounts for 39% of our renewable electricity generation in Wales but we have big ambitions in this sector.
“We have the vision for Wales to become net exporters of renewable energy in a way that supports the economy and retains value in Wales.
“We want to regenerate the industry so that we bring benefits to our communities and create skilled jobs.
“We have already made great strides in making net zero a reality in Wales. We want an electricity network which is smarter, greener and capable of supporting a low carbon future, which meets the future needs of our communities and people.
“Providing the best long-term value for Wales. RWE are a large and important developer in Wales, we look to them to set a high standard among the developer community and are excited to see the difference they can make to the future of renewable energy in Wales.”
Upon completion in 2020, the RWE’s Clocaenog Forest began delivering a £768,000 annual community investment fund into the local area.
The fund is independently managed and administered by Community and Voluntary Support Conwy (CVSC) on behalf of local communities in Conwy and Denbighshire.
It aims to establish a long-lasting legacy by delivering life-changing benefits for the neighbouring communities.
So far, the Clocaenog Forest wind farm fund has invested £1.181m into 96 grants, creating more than 24 jobs and safeguarding a further 62 in the process.
RWE head of onshore development UK & Ireland Cathal Hennessy said: “RWE ensures that it works closely with local communities throughout the development of renewable projects; to ensure there is a long-lasting benefit from the delivery of its projects to the local area, as well as to the environment.”
CVSC Fund Manager Esyllt Adair added: “We are looking forward to seeing the positive longer-term impacts this community fund will have for the local economy.
“We would urge businesses, groups and organisations who are interesting in applying to the fund to get in touch with us to discuss their projects or ideas as early as possible, so we can support them through the application process.
“This is a fantastic opportunity, and we want to work closely with local people to maximise the impact of this really significant investment.”