Plans revealed for massive 300 acre solar farm to be built across three Welsh counties
123.3 hectares of farmland across three local authorities in south Wales could become a solar farm
123.3 hectares of farmland across Newport, Monmouthshire and Torfaen could become a solar farm
(Image: Copyright Unknown )
A proposal for a 304 acre solar farm spanning across three county boroughs in south Wales has been put forward to Ministers of the Senedd for consideration.
If the Pegasus Group get the go ahead from the Welsh Government, 123.3 hectares of farmland across Newport, Monmouthshire and Torfaen could become a solar farm, meaning thousands of ground-mounted solar panels will be built to fuel the National Grid, and aid the UK Government in reaching their Net Zero target.
The solar panels will be four metres high, and the proposal claims that through the utilisation of natural sunlight, "the facility will generate renewable energy for utilisation on the national grid." For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here
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This map by the Pegasus Group shows the area that will be turned into a solar farm if the plans are given the go ahead by the Welsh Government. (Area concerned is outlined in red and blue)
The application states: "It is the intention that a full application will be submitted in support of a ground mounted solar photovoltaic arrays (with a capacity of up to 46MW) together with all associated work, equipment, and infrastructure, on land at Court Farm, Ponthir, Monmouthshire.
"The Application Site extends to approximately 123.3 hectares of agricultural land spread across three Local Authority boundaries including Monmouthshire Council, Torfaen County Borough Council and Newport City Council."
"This will support local and national renewable energy targets and ultimately reduce the reliance on finite fossil fuel-based sources as a form of energy."
"Ground mounted solar photovoltaics (PV) are both temporary and reversible, allowing the site to be restored to its former agricultural use on decommissioning.
"The development is proposed for a 40 year period. After this time, the solar farm and its supporting infrastructure will be dismantled and removed from the site."
The applicant claims that the development will have little impact on local people in terms of noise, transport, health, biodiversity or population.
It states that though the solar farm will be visible, it will not have any other impact on local residents. It also states that "hedgerow vegetation and trees will be retained wherever possible."
By virtue of its potential generating capacity of between 10MW-350MW, this project constitutes a Development of National Significance (DNS) under section 4 of the the Wales Act 2015.
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A DNS is a type of planning application for large infrastructure projects decided by the Welsh Ministers, rather than local planning authorities (LPAs).
This means the people deciding whether this huge energy plant will be built are the Ministers of the Senedd.
For full details or to access the solar farm proposal, you can go to the Welsh Government website and search reference DNS CAS-02366-F2C3K8 - Court Farm Solar.
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