Progress on wind turbine plans for Oakdale Business Park

Planning permission has been granted for a temporary mast at Oakdale Business Park which will discover if the site is suitable for two wind turbines.

Caerphilly County Borough Council announced in July that it had identified the business park as a potential location for two wind turbines – enough to generate electricity for 2,400 homes.

Tony Duffin, regional manager at Partnerships for Renewables, which is working with the council, said: “The mast, which is a long thin structure and will allow us to gather important data to confirm that the site is windy enough for a viable renewable energy development.

“Our investigations so far show that the site has potential to host two turbines with a maximum tip height of 130 metres and a generating capacity of 2.5 megawatts each. This could produce around 11 gigawatt hours of green electricity every year, enough to power 2,400 homes. It may also be used to supply local businesses with reduced-price electricity.

“We are currently undertaking various environmental and technical studies on the site and if all our investigations prove positive and we progress with a development at the site, we would expect to be ready to submit a planning application in March 2011 at the earliest.”

Councillor Ron Davies, cabinet member for regeneration and countryside said: “It’s good to see that this scheme is progressing as the council has an ambitious sustainable regeneration strategy in place and we are committed to the concept of ‘Living Better, Using Less’.

“Investigating wind energy is a vital part of our future energy mix and we are proud to have the opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to meeting renewable energy targets and promoting sustainability.”