Leading renewable energy consultancy Natural Power has supported and worked alongside client RWE, to successfully secure planning consent for RWE's Alwen Forest Wind Farm and grid connection, maintaining its 100% success rate in Wales.

Located in both Conwy County Borough Council and Denbighshire County Council, the up to-60MW project comprises up to nine turbines - each with a tip height of up to 200 metres - alongside battery storage, delivering clean power equivalent to the needs of an estimated maximum of 70,600 Welsh homes.

Natural Power led on the environmental impact assessment coordination for the Development of National Significance (DNS) project, which commenced with the scoping submission in 2018, through to submission of the DNS application to Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW), followed by post submission support. This is the second DNS project consented by Natural Power.

Ffion Edwards, Associate Technical Director - Consenting and EIA at Natural Power, said: "Securing consent for Alwen Forest marks the culmination of several years of dedicated work and a full team effort across Natural Power. Led by our Aberystwyth office, this achievement maintains our 100% consent success rate in Wales and demonstrates the strength of our local expertise.

"We're proud to have supported RWE in gaining consent for both the wind farm and its grid connection - projects that will deliver tangible environmental and community benefits, including a shared ownership scheme."

Following this milestone, Natural Power will continue to support RWE as the project advances towards final investment decision and then construction, assisting with the discharge of planning conditions for site investigation work to accelerate deployment.

Martin Cole, RWE's Project Manager leading on the development: "Consent for the Alwen Forest Wind Farm is a significant achievement and underscores RWE's unwavering commitment to deliver sustainable energy solutions while prioritising environmental stewardship and community engagement."

Community Energy Wales (CEW) is supporting the Alwen Forest development because it marks one of the first in Wales: a commercially developed renewable energy project incorporating genuine community ownership. CEW regards the shared-ownership model in Alwen as exemplary and encourages public endorsements as part of the planning consultation to help solidify the role of community stakeholding in Wales' energy transition.

Ben Ferguson, co-executive director at Ynni Cymunedol Cymru Community Energy Wales, said: "Ynni Cymunedol Cymru Community Energy Wales is delighted to see this project consented, after working towards a shared ownership opportunity with RWE Renewables throughout the development of the project. This investment opportunity will significantly increase the economic return to local communities over decades, a positive move forward in the relationship between the large renewable energy projects being developed to meet net zero, and the communities which host them."