Craig Y Perthi, what proposed solar farm could mean for local residents

Creation of green spaces on otherwise private, inaccessible land

The creation of over 3.3km of new permissive pathways, alongside a 3-acre orchard, a 2-acre outdoor educational area, and over 129 acres of new, accessible wildflower meadows will open up what is currently an almost entirely private site. This increased access to green space either side of Bishton, alongside the investment of over £500,000 on green infrastructure, including the improvement and enhancement of the ~5km of PRoWs around the site, will further enable residents to enjoy increased access to green spaces in the area.

Picnic benches, restored footpath bridges and accessible, surfaced paths will be implemented along these PRoWs to ensure year round use and enjoyment. The site would also be protected as ‘greenfield’ preventing new permanent industrial or housing developments to happen around the village.

Figure 1 - What the new three-acre ‘Bishton Orchard’ within the southern part of the site would look like, one of the many new green spaces proposed on currently inaccessible private land (Image: JBM Solar)

Increased food security and the risk of climate change to food production in Wales

The greatest risk to Welsh farming and food security is undoubtedly climate change. DEFRA predicts that 73% [1] of our ‘best and most versatile’ land (BMV) in the UK, rated as ‘good’ quality or better, will disappear due to the effects of climate change by 2050. When comparing this figure to what is lost to development, between 2010-2022 around 0.6% [2]of BMV land was used for all forms of development.

Furthermore, the proposed Craig Y Perthi scheme is sited on entirely non-BMV, mostly Grade 4 ‘poor quality’ farmland. The existing sheep and free range chicken farms would continue to operate within/around the solar panels uninterrupted, producing food for the Welsh market. The added financial security for the multigenerational farms involved in the scheme will ensure they can continue to produce food for years to come at a time when so many farmers are being forced to scale back[3] or even close their doors due to financial pressures.

Construction traffic and noise from the development

With just 12 HGV deliveries expected per day during the construction period, this equates to around 1 HGV delivery per hour. Given the site is home to a busy free range chicken, sheep and part arable farm, this low level of movement is similar to existing tractor and farm delivery movements already taking place on site.

No abnormal loads are expected, with a standard HGV to carry out the delivery, with materials then being transported using the farm’s internal access tracks. Furthermore, traffic would not route through Bishton itself, turning into the site’s existing access at Castle Farm, north of the village. The noise levels as a result of the site would also be below existing background levels at all properties.

Battery Storage Safety

Battery storage is vital if we are to achieve a truly renewable energy future. Without it, we would be at the mercy of potentially intermittent sources such as the wind, whereas with it, we are able to harness and use low cost, truly renewable energy at all times. With the expansion of this technology safety is of paramount importance. With over 1GW of battery storage safely in operation already in the UK, the industry is rapidly growing, and has a stellar safety record.

This is in part due to state of the art sensors built into the battery units (which can pick up even the most discrete changes in the air around the battery units (up to 1 part per million)) that can shut off units remotely and instantaneously well before any potential thermal runaway event can take place. Likewise, the technology used is the same as that which is found within our homes, in laptops, phones and car batteries, but in this case is enhanced with 24/7 monitoring and fire suppression systems. This is undoubtedly a safe, tried and tested technology.

RWE as a company

Having invested over £3bn in Wales over the last decade alone, and as the largest energy producer in the country, RWE, with its South Wales office based in Baglan, is proud of the positive role it plays in the country. Having contributed over £15m to Welsh community funds to date, we have been able to support vital local projects and services around our operational sites. We take our commitments to local communities extremely seriously, and are committed to being a 'good neighbour' and partner to the communities in which we operate.

Reduced flood risk

With the proposed 11.3km of new tree and hedge planting, alongside the creation of species diverse wildflower and grassland meadows across the site, the water attenuation potential of the site will increase. Ploughed or cropped fields haver a much lower water retention ability than grassed fields/meadows, so as a result of the scheme, surface run-off will reduce and surface flood risk is likely to decrease.

Community benefits including rooftop solar grants

A significant £1.5m community benefit fund will support local projects around Bishton, in addition to grants to fund rooftop solar for all local schools, village halls and community buildings. RWE have already invested over £15m in community funds in Wales to date, demonstrating a strong commitment to the communities we work with. Furthermore, with solar energy representing one of the cheapest forms of energy generation available[4], the more that is deployed, the lower energy bills will become.

We have listened to feedback from local stakeholders, and made significant, positive changes to the plans as a result. We will continue to listen to feedback prior to submission of the application in early 2024, and thank everyone who has submitted feedback to date.

The Craig Y Perthi Solar Farm is a 99.9MW solar farm proposed on mostly poor-quality farmland between the M4 and the Llanwern Steel works, and adjacent to the village of Bishton in Newport. A planning application will be submitted shortly to Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW) for consideration. The plans are being brought forward by UK-based developer RWE Solar and Storage UK (previously JBM Solar), and would generate enough affordable, renewable energy to meet the equivalent needs of around 45,374 Welsh homes per annum, saving over 3,180,000 tonnes of CO2 in the process. That’s the equivalent of planting over 52 million trees [5].

You can find out more about the scheme at www.CraigYPerthiSolarFarm.co.uk