Extra £180k for Caerphilly Council's Cwm Ifor solar farm project

The proposed location of the new Cwm Ifor Solar Farm in Penyrheol

An additional £180,000 has been approved for Caerphilly County Borough Council’s solar farm project, which will be built near Penyrheol.

Cwm Ifor solar farm was given the go-ahead by the council’s cabinet in October last year, but planning permission is needed before it can proceed.

The 20 megawatt project is predicted to generate enough electricity to power 6,000 homes and have an operational lifespan of 35 years.

So far the council has allocated £483,000 to the project’s business case. Cabinet members agreed to increase this by £180,000 at a meeting on Wednesday April 19.

What is Caerphilly County Borough Council’s cabinet?

A council’s cabinet is made up of councillors in charge of different policy areas – such as education, environment, local economy, etc – and a leader.

It is separate to the council’s corporate management structure, which is headed up by its chief executive and various directors. Cabinet is made up of councillors, who are elected and have the ultimate say.

Typically, cabinet members are councillors from the party with the most elected council members.

Caerphilly County Borough Council’s cabinet is made up of:

Cllr Sean Morgan (Nelson) – Leader
Cllr Jamie Pritchard (Morgan Jones) – Deputy Leader; Prosperity, Regeneration and Climate Change
Cllr Nigel George (Risca East) – Corporate Services and Property
Cllr Eluned Stenner (New Tredegar) – Finance and Performance
Cllr Carol Andrews (Gilfach) – Education and Communities
Cllr Shayne Cook (Morgan Jones) – Housing
Cllr Elaine Forehead (Van) – Social Care
Cllr Philippa Leonard (Risca East) – Planning and Public Protection
Cllr Chris Morgan (Machen and Rudry) – Waste, Leisure and Green Spaces

Corporate management is made up of unelected employees of the council and has responsibility for day-to-day management of services, such as making sure the bins are collected. Corporate directors work with cabinet members to come up with policy which is then agreed upon by the cabinet.

_{Last updated October 13, 2023}

The extra funding is to cover an increase in costs, which the council said is due to the withdrawal of a company’s agreement – which has meant the business plan needs to be re-evaluated.

The re-evaluation of the business plan is estimated to cost £101,000. Additionally, £20,000 is allocated to legal costs and £59,000 is set aside for “unforeseen” costs in the planning process, such as if a planning inquiry was required.

At the cabinet meeting, council deputy leader Jamie Pritchard said the project had the possibility to be the largest public authority-owned solar farm.

This is the first time the council has made moves to invest in the energy sector. It hopes the solar farm will support decarbonisation of the local electricity system, as well as provide an opportunity to generate an additional income.

The total cost is estimated to be between £12 million and £16 million.

Council leader Sean Morgan said: “I don’t think our future generations would thank us if we didn’t support this.”

Anna Lewis, transformation project officer at the council, said the consultation had received more positive comments than negative.

No decision has been made as to whether the council will develop the solar farm or sell the project on.

The project has been classified as a “development of national significance”- meaning the Welsh Government will make the final decision on the application.

As part of this, Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW) will scrutinise the visual impact of the solar farm.

The council has confirmed that it has submitted a Development of National Significant (DNS) application, which is specifically for large infrastructure projects.

CCBC

Budget increased for council’s solar farm project

Sign-up to our daily newsletter