Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council was updated on Thursday, April 23 about a proposed wind farm development in the region.
During the council meeting, officers confirmed that a planning application for nine turbines at Mynydd Bedwellte is currently being validated by Welsh Government planners.
The Spanish company EDP Renewables is behind the plan to erect nine wind turbines, each reaching a maximum height of 180 metres, on Mynydd Bedwellte.
The proposed site is located west of Tredegar and east of Rhymney, straddling the border between Blaenau Gwent and Caerphilly local authority areas.
The project has been classified as a Development of National Significance, which means it will be assessed by Welsh Government Planning Inspectors at PEDW.
As a result of this classification, both Blaenau Gwent and Caerphilly councils will act as consulted parties rather than decision-makers. An inspector will prepare a report containing recommendations for a Welsh Government minister to consider when determining the application.
Development team manager Helen Hinton spoke to the council, explaining that members would be aware the previously anticipated Development of National Significance relates to Mynydd Bedwellte. She noted that consultation for that project has concluded and documentation has now been forwarded to PEDW. She added that PEDW had confirmed the application has reached the validation stage and that the approach taken has been to inform relevant ward members that the application is under consideration, emphasizing that matters remain at a very early stage. She indicated she would update councillors once the application passes validation and becomes officially pending.
Committee chairwoman Cllr Lisa Winnett, who represents Labour for Blaina, thanked the committee for the information provided, and the committee noted the briefing.
EDP advised that it held a pre-application consultation event between June 30 and August 11 of the preceding year, which enabled the company to develop its plans further before submitting to PEDW during the present year.
EDP Renewables said its objective is to generate clean energy for Wales and contribute to achieving net zero targets while establishing a positive legacy for local communities.
According to the company, the development would generate 54.9 megawatts of electricity, enough to supply approximately 35,500 households.