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I am not against wind farms but….
by... Chris H
I am not against wind farms in general or even this particular Wind Farm. but, after much research, after asking many questions and after much deliberation I am of the firm opinion that RES are resolved to build as massive an installation as they can on Mynydd Maen, without caring about the effect on the local area. I believe that this huge installation it totally out of place on our mountain, and that their plans totally ignore Torfaen and Caerphilly forward planning documents published in 2021.
Yes, they have had two “consultations” but the information offered on both occasions was very limited and they have been very guarded in their replies even to direct questions. On the last consultation, in June 2023, they only released the most recent plans on the web on the morning of the meeting, so most people had no real time to study them. They then requested everyone to fill in a comments form before they left so everyone had to judge the plans on the meagre information supplied and the limited time they had to study that information.
At no time was the sheer scale of the project, compared with installations most people have seen, indicated by the developers. No-one said that the turbines were twice the size of any others most people will have seen in this area; or 13 turbines of the same size as the single largest one in England.
Cwmbran is the nearest town to the turbines, yet the only photomontage offered from a Cwmbran viewpoint was from 4km away, and RES had no intention of preparing a photomontage from where I live, The Square, which is only just over 1km away, even for the planning application.
The people at RES may be caring people but their hands, and tongues, are tied and it is their job to sell the scheme to PEDW, if not us, and get the most profitable plans passed. The most profitable plans mean the most turbines and those turbines as large as possible.
Their project Manager has stated that he, or they (RES) believe that the plans are appropriate and that the area has been pre-assessed as suitable for this large scale development. They agree that we will hear the turbines but the noise will be within “industry standards”. What is sure is that some people will be kept awake by the noise created by these turbines and they, we, will have no recourse. One bizarre aspect of the noise standards is that the turbines will be allowed to make more noise at night, when most people are trying to sleep, than in the day, when people are awake, going about their daily business creating greater background noise.
Turbine T9 is the turbine that will dominate where I live, visually and as far as noise is concerned; it is right on the edge of the plateau so it is fully visible locally and it is 233m above us so it will appear to be 383m high to us, that is 2m higher than the Empire State Building, at the same distance, just over 1km. *
Is turbine T9 so important to the viability of this project? No, but it will be important to the extent of the massive profit RES will make when they operate or sell on this project.
I have expressed the concerns of those of us who live in The Square about Turbine T9 but RES are adamant, T9 will stay!
So I have looked at the project in more detail. I have worked out what a mess this project will make to the top of our mountain, how it will ecologically and visually devastate the place. I accept that there may be a wind farm there one day but it must be at a scale more in keeping with the locality, and development may need to de done by company more sensitive to the environment.
* Calculations
The Square is 222m above sea level
Turbine is 455m above sea level, 233m above The Square
Turbine height 150m
Height of tip of turbine above The Square will be 233 plus 150 = 383m, so the turbine will appear would appear to us to be 2 metres higher than the Empire state building, which is 381m high (plus mast)