Project Benefits

Both the environment and the North Wales economy will benefit from the construction of Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm.

North Hoyle Wind Farm © Dan Towers 2004 Environment:

Maximum electrical output from the wind farm will be 576 megawatts. Once complete, the average annual energy generation expected at the site would be equivalent to the approximate domestic needs of around 400,000 average UK households1 (equivalent to around one third of the homes in Wales, according to statistics from the Office of National Statistics, 2001 census figures.)

Every year, Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm would also prevent the release of hundreds of thousands of tonnes of polluting carbon dioxide gas.

Economy and community

Construction of RWE npower renewables’ Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm will be instrumental in the delivery of over £20million to the local communities in North Wales over the project’s lifetime.

  • “A voluntary tourism fund of £690,000 over three years will be made available to both Conwy and Denbighshire County Councils, in additional to an already significant annual Community Benefit Package.
  • “This extra funding is purely at RWE's discretion, and demonstrates the company’s recognition of the importance of the tourism industry to the wider North Wales coast. The company is in the very early stages of discussion with both Local Authorities (Conwy and Denbighshire) to develop a structure for implementing and managing this package.
  • “The fund is only one small part of a significant package of economic investments which will come into the region as a direct result of the construction of Gwynt y Môr.
  • “During construction, the company expects to announce the awarding of more local contracts over and above the £2.2million of contracts already let locally, and supporting its promise to create important local jobs and investment.
  • “During its operation, more longer term jobs will be created, while £768,000 per year– over £19 million during the operational lifetime of the project – will be locally administered and invested through the Community Benefits Package.
  • “Environmentally, Gwynt y Môr will be one of the largest offshore wind farms in construction in the world, and will be capable of generating enough carbon-free energy for around 400,000 homes.
  • “This will make a significant contribution to the North Wales economy and to Welsh Assembly Government's carbon reduction and green energy target
  • “If embraced by the region, the wind farm can be hugely beneficial not just to the environment, but the area as a whole, attracting tourists and boosting the economy.”

Notes:

1 "Energy predicted to be generated by the proposal is derived using wind speeds monitored in the local area. This enables a calculation to be made to estimate the average annual energy production for the site based on 160 turbines each of rated capacity 3.6 MW. The energy capture predicted and hence derived homes equivalent figures may change as further data are gathered

"Equivalent homes supplied is based on an annual electricity consumption per home of 4700 kWh. This figure is supported by recent domestic electricity consumption data available from The Digest of UK Energy Statistics and household estimates and projections from the UK Statistics Authority.