Vattenfall has developed hybrid wind and solar projects before, including the Parc Cynog site in Wales. Image: Vattenfall.
Vattenfall is eying the development of a renewable energy scheme at Mynydd Lluest y Graig in Mid Wales.
The Swedish multinational is considering a range of technologies for the site, including solar panels, energy storage and wind turbine options.
Plans for the site in north Powys between the villages of Talerddig and Llanerfyl were previously shelved in 2013 due to regulatory changes in Britain, but given technological advancements the company has decided to look at the site afresh.
Plans are at an early stage still, with Vattenfall set to send out information to the local community inviting their feedback later this year as it starts to put together a more detailed design for the project.
“We’re looking forward to talking to the local community about this renewable energy scheme and seeing what the full potential of the project could be,” said Jonathan Hewett, Vattenfall’s project manager for the scheme.
“The amount of investment planned through this scheme could be transformative – supporting communities at a grass roots level to reduce their energy bills, invest in the local economy over the long term and build a real benefit from hosting the project.”
If the site is developed, the local benefit fund could equal provide around £500,000 of funding to the area annually, the company noted. It will also evaluate ways to lower bills and create long-term jobs locally.
Whilst Vattenfall has been quiet in the UK’s solar and storage sector in recent years, it was one of the first to develop hybrid renewable energy projects in the country, including the 4.99MW Parc Cynog Solar Farm in Carmarthenshire where it added solar power to one of its existing onshore wind farms in 2016.
As part of Wales’s net zero by 2050 target, it is aiming to generate 70% of its electricity consumption from renewable energy by 2030.