In June 2021, Cabinet agreed to set aside a sum of £483,000 to explore the potential development of a 20MW (mega-watt) Solar Farm on some privately owned land at Cwm Ifor, near Penyrheol, Caerphilly.
The outline business case provides further clarity on the scale, design and outputs of the solar farm so that decisions can be made on the future of the project.
Now that the Outline Business Case has been approved, officers will move to the next stage of the project, the submission of a planning application and on to the development of a full business case, through a full procurement process.
The Cwm Ifor Solar Farm proposal seeks to develop a 20MW solar farm in Penyrheol, to the north of Caerphilly town centre. The project has the potential to be the largest public authority owned solar farm in Wales.
The £12 million project would have a life span of approximately 35 years and it is estimated that 40 ‘green’ jobs could be created as a result during the lifetime of the scheme. The proposal would also see lifetime C02 savings of 55,300; approximately 1,580 per year, which is enough to power approximately 6,000 homes.
Caerphilly County Borough Council declared a climate emergency in June 2019. Significant action is required to tackle the climate emergency. Development of a locally owned solar farm within the county borough will help to support decarbonisation of the local electricity system and demonstrate leadership with respect to tackling carbon emissions and decarbonisation of the energy system.
Cllr Jamie Pritchard, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Prosperity, Regeneration and Climate Change commented, “This ambitious proposal will align to our decarbonisation agenda and would see the potential for the development of a flagship solar farm development capable of producing 20 million KWh annually.
“Now that Cabinet have approved the outline business case, officers will continue to engage in-depth with residents, schools, the business community and others on the solar farm proposal, including siting options, land usage and mitigations, to enable us to make an informed and robust decision when presented with the final business case.”
