Archives: Press Release

Public exhibitions in five locations
Leaflet to all households, businesses and civic groups

Statutory consultation on a proposed gas-fired power plant on the Hirwaun Industrial Estate in Rhondda Cynon Taf begins this month (October 2013).

Hirwaun Power Ltd (HPL), a UK power plant development company, will hold its consultation on the £200m proposal between 17th October and 28th November 2013.

HPL has produced a Statement of Community Consultation, detailing the pre-application consultation programme. It includes a number of exhibition events, which will be an opportunity for local people and interested organisations to see the plans and give their views on the proposals. Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council (RCT) has been consulted on the programme.

An informal and non-statutory round of consultation was held in June this year, when the outline proposal was presented to communities during several public exhibition events that were attended by 98 people.

The statutory consultation will show how the project has developed since then in the light of community feedback, engagement with RCT and authorities such as Natural Resource Wales, and the company’s own technical and environmental studies.

The proposed Hirwaun Power Project would produce up to 299 megawatts (MW) of electricity – the equivalent of supplying 400,000 homes – would represent a significant multi million pound investment into the local economy. The project would support up to 250 jobs during the 2-3 year construction and commissioning period, and up to 15 full-time jobs when operational.

Hirwaun Power’s Project director Norman Campbell said, “Consultation with local communities and organisations is vitally important to us. It provides us with an opportunity to explain our project in detail and get feedback to help with the development of our proposals. Our initial phase of consultation in June gave us the chance to communicate directly with local people and we were pleased with the interest shown.

“We will now explain how the project has moved forward in recent months and provide more detailed information. For example, we have further developed our proposals relating to the siting and design of the power plant. In doing so, we have also taken steps to minimise the environmental and visual impact of the project.

“If the proposals are realised, the power plant would be ultra-modern and a very significant investment in the local economy. The project would directly create new jobs and provide opportunities for a variety of other local companies to supply and support the operation and maintenance of the power station in the future.

“We hope that as many people as possible will attend our public exhibition days, or see the information we have made available on the project website and at certain local libraries. We will advertise the formal consultation in local media and also distribute more than 4,000 leaflets in the area surrounding the site.”

At the end of the consultation period HPL plans to submit an application for a Development Consent Order to the UK’s Planning Inspectorate, with a final decision taken by the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. Subject to the consultation and planning process and financing, the power station could enter commercial operation in 2018.

Public exhibition events will be held as follows:

PUBLIC EXHIBITIONS
Thursday 24 October 13:00 – 19:00
Rhigos Community Centre, Heol Esgyn, Rhigos, Aberdare, CF44 9BX
Friday 25 October 13:00 – 19:00
Hirwaun Community Centre, Village Hall, High Street, Hirwaun, CF44 9SL
Thursday, 7 November 13:00 – 19:00
Penderyn Community Centre, Pontpren, Penderyn, CF44 9JN
Friday 8 November 13:00 – 19:00
Penywaun Community Centre, Gwladys Street, Penywaun, CF44 9DE
Saturday 9 November, 10:00 – 15:00
Aberdare Community Parish Hall, Monk Street, Aberdare, CF44 7PA

For further information on the project visit: www.hirwaunpower.co.uk.

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For further information contact the Hirwaun Power press office on 0800 9589015or alternatively email [email protected]

Notes to editors:
Hirwaun Power Ltd (HPL) (www.hirwaunpower.co.uk) has been established by Watt Power Ltd. (WPL). WPL based in Edinburgh has been established to develop a portfolio of flexible gas fired generation assets to support the UK Government drive to a low carbon economy.
WPL are committed to the development of well sited, sustainable energy projects that are designed to meet the specific needs of the evolving UK energy market. They recognise the need to balance commercial issues with the environmental benefits and concerns of energy projects and believe this can be responsibly delivered at a local level.
HPL and Watt are committed to acting in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. As part of this policy, we will ensure that the views and concerns of the local community are addressed, and that the Power Project and supporting infrastructure is designed and developed to the highest quality, safety and environmental standards.
For further details please visit: www.wattpowerltd.co.uk.

Two main parts of the consultation programme are a leaflet to be distributed to more than 19,000 homes and businesses in the local area, and a series of exhibitions that will be held in the area between 11^th October and 19^th October.

Notices about the SoCC have been or will be published in the local press, and copies of the SoCC have been lodged at local libraries and Mid Suffolk District Council’s (MSDC’s) office in Needham Market, as well as on our website.

Consultation with local people, businesses, and organisations is an essential part of the Development Control Order process laid out by the Planning Inspectorate for a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project.  Progress Power is fully committed to proper and extensive consultation, thus ensuring that the local communities can comment and give feedback on our proposals.

In May of this year, at the Eye Community Centre, we shared our initial plans with the local community and invited their comments. Since then, we have undertaken various studies and developed our plans further and we are now ready to begin a period of public consultation next month. This statutory period of consultation runs from 3October to 7 November.

A leaflet about the project will be distributed within the next 3 weeks to homes, businesses and civic groups in the vicinity of Eye Airfield. Then in mid-October, we will hold exhibitions in five locations within 3kms of Eye Airfield. We will use these as an opportunity to ask people’s views about all aspects of the project as well as the results of our preliminary environmental assessments.

We can confirm that the electrical connection to the National Grid via a new proposed substation will be underground rather than overground.

MSDC and Suffolk County Council were formally consulted about the draft SoCC and gave their response on 14 August, and councillors of both councils were briefed on the project’s status and the local area consultation programme at the end of August.

The SOCC notice is to be published in the following local papers: Eastern Daily Press, East Anglian Daily Times, Diss Mercury and Diss Express.

Hirwaun Power Ltd pledges full consultation with local communities

A proposal to build a new gas-fired power station on the Hirwaun Industrial Estate in Rhondda Cynon Taf is announced today (12 June 2013).

Hirwaun Power Ltd, a UK energy developer, says that its proposed scheme will inject tens of millions of pounds into the local economy.

The company will consult with local people and organisations before applying for permission to build the £200m power station. The project will support hundreds of jobs during the construction and commissioning period, and up to 30 full-time jobs when operational.

Hirwaun Power station will produce up to 299 megawatts (MW) of electricity – the equivalent of supplying 400,000 homes.

Consultation is a very important part of the planning process and Hirwaun Power will engage with local communities before applying for development consent to build the power station.   An initial phase of public information events to introduce the project will be held at venues in Rhigos and Hirwaun on:

Rhigos Community Centre (Heol Esgyn, Rhigos, CF44 9BX)     

Thursday, June 20^th                  –                       5.00pm till 8.00pm.

YMCA Hirwaun (Manchester Place, Hirwaun, CF44 9RB)

Friday, June 21^st                                                       –                     12 noon till 7.00pm.

Saturday, June 22^nd                   –                      09:00am till 1.00pm.

Members of the Hirwaun Power project team will be on hand at the exhibitions to explain the development procedure and how the consultation process is expected to evolve. As the project is at an early stage, there will be no drawings, artists’ impressions or models on display.

Hirwaun Power proposes to take gas from the nearby National Gas Transmission System and use it to generate electricity. This energy will feed into the National Grid, which also runs very close to the site.

Norman Campbell is the managing director of Watt Power, the parent company of Hirwaun  Power and  has principal responsibility for the project. He said “This power station will be an ultra modern and clean facility and a very significant investment in the local economy. We will seek to maximise local economic benefit, both during construction and operations.  This will be achieved through direct job opportunities, and also indirectly through the various companies that will supply and support the power station in the future.

“This power station will cost approximately £200 million, and tens of millions of that investment would be spent with local companies. We are strongly committed to benefiting the local area and engaging companies and job seekers.”

He continued, “Before seeking permission to build the plant, there will be an extensive consultation process with Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council and with local people and interest groups. This is extremely important to us, as we want to explain our plan in detail and listen to what people have to say.

Information material will be distributed to households, businesses and other organisations. There will also be a series of information days where people can meet the project team, ask questions and voice their opinion. We will advertise public consultations in local media and on the project website, www.hirwaunpower.co.uk.

Mr Campbell added that the proposed Hirwaun Power Plant would help to meet electricity demand for homes and workplaces.

“There is a need to replace a significant number of coal and oil-fired power stations in the UK that will close in the near future,” he said. “It is accepted that without new electricity generating capacity, there could be difficulty meeting energy demand in the UK within several years. In addition, gas fired power stations will provide back-up to the intermittency of onshore and offshore wind power and support Wales’ move towards a low carbon economy.

“The proposed Hirwaun Power Plant would be efficient and produce energy much more cleanly than the coal and oil-fired power stations it would replace. We will do our utmost to ensure that the power plant will cause the minimum disturbance locally, during construction and subsequent operation.

Mr Campbell said that Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council and the Welsh Government had been briefed on the proposal. Following consultation and feedback from communities and interest groups, Hirwaun Power intends to submit an application for a Development Consent Order to the UK’s Planning Inspectorate later this year, with a final decision taken by the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. Additional consents, including planning permissions, may also be required for elements of the project.

Subject to the consultation and planning process and financing, the power station could enter commercial operation in 2018.

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For further information contact the Hirwaun Power press office on 02920 814843 or alternatively email [email protected]

Notes to editors:

Hirwaun Power Ltd (HPL) (www.hirwwaunpower.co.uk) has been established by Watt Power Ltd. (WPL). WPL has been established to develop a portfolio of flexible gas fired generation assets to support the UK Government drive to a low carbon economy. Stag Energy provides the resources through a management services agreement with WPL. Stag Energy was founded in 2002 and the company draws on a depth of experience with a team that has created and delivered over 10,000 MW of power generation and related infrastructure projects across the globe, of which 2,500 MW was delivered in the UK.

Stag Energy / WPL are committed to the development of well sited, sustainable energy projects that are designed to meet the specific needs of the evolving UK energy market.  They recognise the need to balance commercial issues with the environmental benefits and concerns of energy projects and believe this can be responsibly delivered at a local level.

They are also committed to acting in a socially and environmentally responsible manner.  As part of this policy, they will ensure that the views and concerns of the local community are addressed, and that the Power Project and supporting infrastructure is designed and developed to the highest quality, safety and environmental standards.

For further details please visit: https://www.stagenergy.com/ or https://www.wattpowerltd.co.uk/

The exhibition, held at Eye Community Centre, was attended by about 150 people including local residents, local councillors and businesses from within the area.  The exhibitions, which were advertised in the local press and on parish noticeboards and in local shops, gave people the chance to learn about the power station proposals and take the opportunity to question members of the Progress Power team.

Chris McKerrow, Project Manager at Progress Power said: “The exhibition was a first stage in our consultation process, and there will be further opportunities for people to make their views known as we develop our plans.  There were a good number of people who visited the exhibition that welcomed the project but we recognise that a number of concerns were expressed by others. As we carry out our environmental and technical assessments, we will be seeking to address their concerns as much as possible.”

Eye Airfield has an area identified for energy use by Mid Suffolk District Council in its Eye Airfield Development Framework; this was open to public consultation in 2012 – https://www.midsuffolk.gov.uk/business/economic-development/eye-airfield-development-framework/

Progress Power is planning to arrange further public exhibitions in September 2013.