Third phase of Powys wind farm given planning permission
Plans to build a substation to collect and distribute electricity created by a wind farm in Powys have been approved by planners.
Sion Thomas of Amegni Renewables Ltd had lodged a planning application to build an electric substation, control building, parking area and an underground cable at Carno wind farm.
The proposal is part of the extension or third phase to the wind farm which is also known as 'Carno III' and consists of 13 turbines which, after an amendment to the consent, means the wind turbines can be nearly 150 metres high to help “maximise” the wind farm’s efficiency.
Originally the infrastructure was given permission along with the wind turbines in 2017, but due to changes in where the buildings should go, a fresh application was needed.
The control room will house the switchgear, metering, control, and communication equipment required to operate the wind farm and will be placed inside the fencing of the proposed substation area.
In front of the control building there will be a hard-standing area for vehicle parking.
Powys planning officer Gwyn Humphreys said that the “principle of development” had already been accepted by the previous decision in 2017.
The village of Carno is three miles to the northeast and the town of Llanidloes five miles to the southeast of the site.
The Carno I Wind Farm was developed by RWE Npower and became operational in 1996 with of 56 wind turbines. Carno II Wind Farm was developed by Amegni and became operational in 2009 with12 Siemens wind turbines.
