Case Study - Maesgwyn Wind Farm
| Country: | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Business area: | Environmental Infrastructure |
| Sector: | Renewable Energy |
| Project value: | £50m |
| Investment date: | 2009 |
| Completion date: | 2011 |
| Realisation date: | To be determined |
Design, build, finance and operate a 26MW wind farm comprising 13 turbines in South Wales.
Maesgwyn Wind Farm was developed by a joint venture entered into in 2006 by InfraRed with Walters Group, a Welsh civil engineering and mining extraction company.
The agreement beween the two companies to develop several wind farm sites in South Wales set out terms for sharing development risk and granted the right to participate in the project equity upon the sites securing the necessary permits for construction.
Maesgwyn achieved planning in May 2006 and, following planning enhancements, reached financial close in October 2009.
The wind farm site is located on a former open-cast coal mine approximately 14km northwest of Aberdare, South Wales, and comprises 13 Ecotecnia 80 2.0MW turbines. Civil works are being carried out by Walters UK Ltd, electrical works by PowerSystems U.K. and the grid connection by Western Power Distributions Ltd.
InfraRed’s involvement in the development of the Maesgwyn wind farm began once planning consent was submitted for approval. On achieving planning consent, InfraRed became involved in the selection and negotiation of contracts for the turbine supply, operation and maintenance, grid connection and power offtake. InfraRed was also instrumental in structuring the project financing. Maesgwyn was one of only two project-financed wind farms in the U.K. in 2009 – its financial close coinciding with a period of extreme global recession – indicating the inherent strengths of the project.
