Bute Energy is a Welsh renewable energy company combining experience with innovation. We aim to be forward thinking in everything we do, and we are passionate about finding better ways to deliver renewable energy using reliable, proven technology.
Bute Energy is headquartered in Cardiff and focused on Wales. We are committed to playing a leading role in building a low carbon and prosperous country, delivering clean energy and supporting viable communities, now and into the future. The current energy crisis has highlighted the vulnerability of UK energy to external forces, with significant implications for energy affordability.
Onshore renewable energy in Wales will provide greater energy security, reducing reliance on imported fossil fuels. Onshore wind also offers the most cost-effective choice for new electricity in the UK – cheaper than gas, nuclear, coal and other renewables.
You can find out more at the Bute Energy website www.bute.energy.
Green Generation Energy Networks Cymru (Green GEN Cymru) is part of the Bute Energy group of companies, based in Wales.
Green GEN Cymru will design, build and operate a new 132kV distribution network needed to connect new Welsh renewable energy projects to the electricity transmission network, helping to get green energy to homes and businesses across Wales and beyond.
Our green grid network can provide a regional network solution for South and Mid Wales. Other energy generators will be able to apply to connect to it, reducing the need for more infrastructure in future.
We will work closely with Welsh communities and stakeholders as we develop our plans, to maximise the benefits and minimise the impacts for local people. You can find out more at the Green GEN Cymru website www.greengencymru.com.
North and South Wales are well served by electricity infrastructure; however Mid Wales is widely recognised as a region that is poorly served in this capacity. This lack of electricity infrastructure has proved a barrier in delivering Welsh Government targets for onshore wind generation in the area and also in allowing opportunities for development of jobs and skills in the region.
Much of the existing grid infrastructure in Wales was built many years ago to transport electricity from old fossil-fuel power stations in the north and south. Energy generation in the future will come mainly from renewables and will be more distributed, so new and updated grid infrastructure will be needed to get the energy to the homes, schools, hospitals and businesses that need it. Bute Energy is committed to connecting new sources of renewable energy in line with Welsh Government targets.
Our green grid network has the potential to provide a regional network solution for Mid Wales. Other energy generators will be able to apply to connect to it, reducing the need for more infrastructure in future.
Bute Energy’s portfolio comprises projects at various stages of development, with the first projects expected to commence construction in 2024. In total, the portfolio of onshore wind farms, solar PV projects and co-located battery energy storage systems could have an installed capacity in excess of 3 GW by 2030, making a substantial contribution towards meeting the renewable energy targets of the Welsh Government and the net zero carbon objectives of the UK Government.
Working with local and national partners, our ambitious proposals will see us increase renewable energy within Wales, helping address the biggest threat facing future generations: the climate emergency.
The Rhiwlas Green Energy Network is seeking to connect the proposed Banc Du and Rhiwlas Energy Parks to the electricity grid.
The Rhiwlas Green Energy Network proposal includes a new 132kV single circuit overhead line (OHL) on wooden poles from the proposed Rhiwlas Energy Park to a collector substation at Cefn Coch, Llanfair Caerinion, approximately 35km away. The project also includes the development of an underground cable route, approximately 3km in length, at the lower voltage of 33kV to connect the two energy parks.
The project is classed as a Development of National Significance, which will require consent from Welsh Ministers.
Banc Du Energy Park and Rhiwlas Energy Park are onshore renewable energy projects, located in Powys in Mid-Wales, near the settlement of Llangurig. The projects are proposed to deliver up to twenty-two wind turbines, access tracks, substation buildings and other associated infrastructure. Both projects fall under the Development of National Significant (DNS) planning regime. As such, separate planning applications will be submitted to Welsh Ministers via Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW), who will assess the overall impact of the projects and make a recommendation to Welsh Ministers to make a final decision on whether to grant planning permission or not.
Non statutory consultation on both Energy Parks was held in late 2022, with further statutory consultation planned prior to the submission of two planning applications to PEDW in early 2024. More information on Banc Du and Rhiwlas Energy Parks can be found at www.bancduenergypark.wales and www.rhiwlasenergypark.wales.
The Rhiwlas Green Energy Network (Rhiwlas GEN) will connect the clean, green energy generated by Bute Energy’s proposed Banc Du and Rhiwlas Energy Parks to the national electricity grid. In order to do this, we are proposing a new 132kV (132,000- volt) overhead line, supported on wood poles, between Rhiwlas Energy Park and a new collector substation near to Cefn Coch, Llanfair Careinion (part of Green GEN Cymru’s Vyrnwy-Frankton connection project). We are also proposing an underground cable route approximately 3km long, at the lower voltage of 33kV, to connect the Energy Parks. The energy generated will then be taken to the national transmission network to a connection point at Lower Frankton in Shropshire.
Green GEN Cymru will pay for the construction and maintenance of the new electricity distribution network, while Bute Energy’s energy parks will pay an annual charge for using the distribution network.
We believe that as a Welsh renewable energy business, we are uniquely placed to work with Welsh communities, landowners, stakeholders and suppliers to create economic and community benefits for Wales. Our green grid network can provide a regional network solution for the Mid Wales region.
Grid connection projects such as the Rhiwlas Green Energy Network have to consider a wide variety of issues including things like impact on the environment, engineering constraints, topography and economic viability.
Undergrounding cables often can have a more significant impact on the environment given the invasive nature of construction, and costs up to ten times more than the construction of an overhead line.
These factors have been considered in some detail already, however as part of our consultation we are keen to hear people’s thoughts on the work we have to done to date, including areas of high sensitivity along the route where mitigation may be required including the use of underground cables.
The overhead line proposed as part of the Rhiwlas GEN would be made on wooden poles, examples of which can be seen below. These poles are typically 12-14m tall, though this may vary depending on local conditions, for example changes in topography, or where the connection needs to cross roads or railways, to a maximum height of 15m.
Where the proposed line changes direction, angle poles will be required, with additional stay wires to ensure stability.
Given the rural character of the proposed OHL route it is felt that wood poles will blend sympathetically into the landscape, minimising the overall visual effect of the proposals.
Examples images of what the wooden poles will look like can be seen below.
Examples of what the wooden pole connection will look like - click the image above to open a gallery
A key part of preparing our plans is consultation with landowners, stakeholders and the public. We also follow established guidelines for routeing overhead lines, taking account of environmental studies, technical and economic factors.
It’s a complex process, and we must find a balance between the environment, engineering requirements, economic viability and the views of people who live, work, enjoy recreation and pass through the area.
Following the first round of consultation, we will carefully consider all feedback received, along with further environmental, technical assessments and survey information.
We will then develop a detailed route alignment, including proposed wood pole locations, working areas and access routes, which will be subject to further public consultation, likely in the autumn/winter of next year, followed by a detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
We will then carry out a final ‘statutory’ Pre-Application Consultation process which will enable residents, stakeholders and other interested parties to review and comment upon all the draft application documentation prior to the plans being finalised and a planning application being submitted to Planning & Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW).
You can find more information on this process in our Routeing and Consultation Document.
Overhead lines of 132kV require consent from Welsh Ministers under the Developments of National Significance (Wales) Regulations 2016.
Following our pre-application consultation and completion of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) we will submit a planning application to Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW) around autumn 2025. Independent planning inspectors will then hold a final round of statutory consultation before making a recommendation to Welsh Ministers on whether or not to grant planning permission for the application.
We are in the early stages of development of this project and no final decisions have been made on where the wood poles will be sited. The final route will be informed by a wide variety of feedback from residents, stakeholders and statutory bodies such as PEDW, Natural Resources Wales (NRW), and others, as well as the results of technical surveys and assessments.
Once we have a final design, we will speak to all landowners affected on a one-to-one basis and discuss how we can support them. We will work hard to reduce impacts on individual properties but if the final design does impact your property we will discuss what compensation is available to you in line with current legislation. Please contact us if you have a particular concern.
Bute Energy will establish a Community Benefit Fund for each of its Energy Parks. The fund will benefit not just local people close to the Energy Park, but people along the route of the grid connections too.
In addition to enabling communities along the proposed overhead line corridor to access the Community Benefit Fund, we will also be looking to maximise the positive impact of the project through our procurement process, as well as working with local education and training providers to develop pathways into careers and training opportunities within the renewable energy industry.
Bute Energy will also be looking at how we can support the work with local groups, organisations or initiatives, whether that be financially or through our active staff volunteering policy.
As part of our consultation we are keen to hear from residents about what they would like to see improved in their local area, or whether there are any groups or projects we should be talking to. We’d encourage people to get in touch with us to share these with us.
This project will enable low carbon generation to be connected to the electricity network and to the homes and businesses where we use it. Once up and running, wind generation is one of the cheapest forms of electricity generation and this project will contribute towards controlling our energy prices in the future.
No decisions have yet been made as to how the Community Benefit Fund will be administered. We do, however, want to make sure as many local people, groups and service providers are involved in developing the priorities for the investment of the fund. Therefore, if you have any views on how the Community Benefit Fund could make a positive impact in your area, we would love to hear them as part of our consultation.
Electric and Magnetic Fields (EMFs) are produced whenever electricity is used or transmitted. Background EMFs are present in most homes. They are produced by household wiring, electrical appliances, low-voltage distribution cables that carry electricity along streets and by high voltage power lines and substations.
You can find out more about EMFs at the website www.emfs.info.
We are consulting now to understand people’s views on our preferred overhead line route, and anything you would like us to take into account when planning where the wood poles should go.
We have published details of our proposals on our project website and we will be holding a series of public exhibitions to speak to people so they can find out more about our plans and ask questions of the project team.
Following this first round of public consultation, we will carefully consider all feedback received, along with assessments from our environmental and technical surveys. This will help us to develop a more detailed design and alignment for the new overhead line, including locations for the wood poles, access routes and working areas.
We will publish a report summarising the feedback received in this first round of consultation and how this has influenced our proposals.
We will then consult with local communities again on our more detailed proposals to understand their views and gather feedback which will be used alongside findings from further technical surveys and assessments. This is likely to take place towards the end of 2024. Following this second round of engagement we will again consider the feedback received and refine our plans further, prior to carrying out a detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
Local communities will then have the opportunity to review and comment on our draft Environmental Statement (ES), which will include all of the information gathered in our technical surveys as well as any proposed mitigations, and provide further feedback on our plans as part of our final statutory Pre-Application Consultation. This is likely to take place in summer/autumn of 2025.
You can contact the project team and/or provide your feedback via any of the methods outlined below:
- Fill in our online feedback form.
- Email the project team at info@rhiwlasGEN.wales.
- Telephone our freephone information line – 0800 699 0081 (Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm)
- Write to us at FREEPOST TC CONSULTATION (no further address or stamp required)
You can also attend one of our public consultation events, speak to a member of the team and fill out a feedback form in person. More details on these events can be found here.