Natural Power has now helped consent over a third of all MW in Wales[i], and this latest project represents the single largest onshore consent in England and Wales to date

May 2012

Leading International renewable energy consultancy group Natural Power completed the full Environmental Impact Assessment, as well as providing technical services and working closely with Vattenfall's development team on consent management for Pen y Cymoedd wind farm in South Wales, leading to the consent of the 299MW project.

The 76 turbine wind farm, owned by Vattenfall (formerly Nuon Renewables) is located between Neath and Aberdare, on the southern side of the Vale of Neath. The successful consent of Pen y Cymoedd wind farm takes Natural Power's portfolio of onshore client consents to more than 1GW – one of the largest client portfolios in the UK.

Natural Power's Welsh office, based in Aberystwyth, has been working on Pen y Cymoedd since early 2008. In close partnership with Vattenfall's development team, the project has been guided through the planning process in coordination with Countryside Council for Wales (CCW), the RSPB and both Rhondda Cynon Taf and Neath Port Talbot Councils, achieving a clean bill of health from statutory consultees, before gaining approval from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).

John Woodruff, Senior Development Manager at Natural Power said "We are overjoyed in delivering this 299MW successful consent with Vattenfall – the single largest onshore consent in Wales and England to date. We have had to be innovative in dealing with various constraints that this particular project threw at us but, working with local Stakeholders such as CCW the two local planning authorities and RSPB, who ultimately supported the project, we have managed to deliver solutions that meet both the environmental and economic objectives of such a project."

Piers Guy, Development Director at Vattenfall added: "We wanted to work with Natural Power because of their consenting success record. They were a key part of the team and were proactive, engaging within the team as well as with external stakeholders."

Giles Dearden, Development Director at Natural Power commented: "Pen y Cymoedd takes our portfolio of client consents to over 1000MW of onshore wind energy projects. Natural Power has now helped consent over a third of all MW in Wales[i], and this latest project represents the single largest onshore consent in England and Wales to date – it is also Natural Power's largest onshore consent globally to date, its success is a testament to our Planning & Development Services team's commitment to sympathetic development of wind farm projects."

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