Location

A windfarm of up to three wind turbines is proposed for the old airfield at Newton Down, near Porthcawl. The site is an old wartime airfield, now mostly arable farmland, 1.5km south of the M4 motorway

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Windfarm Layout

The indicative windfarm layout comprises:
• 3 wind turbines, with 80m towers and three blades 45m in length.
• Foundations for the wind turbines 2m deep and 20m in diameter.
• 3 crane pads, made from crushed stone, adjacent and used for mobile cranes to erect each turbine.
• Access tracks circa 5m in width, made from crushed stone - 80% of these will be laid over existing airfield tracks, 20% will be new tracks.
• A single story substation with internal and external electrical equipment in a compound approximately 30m square.
• Underground cables to carry the electricity from the wind turbines to the substation.
• An overhead, wooden pole 33kV electrical line, similar to those surrounding the area, to connect the windfarm substation to the local electricity distribution network 1.6km to the north west.
• An anemometer mast, 80m high of lattice construction, 2.5m wide at base and 40cm wide at top.
The layout and components used for the consultation is necessarily indicative as it may change with the benefit of the public consultation, wind measurements, technical assessment and the environmental impact assessment. However, the indicative layout used is the maximum envisaged scale of project

Life of the Windfarm

The life of the windfarm would be approximately 25 - 30 years. Construction of the windfarm takes about 9 months depending on the weather. Most the work is preparatory and the wind turbines are each erected in a day or two.

The windfarm would operate with little intervention required, only occasional maintenance, approximately monthly visits. The wind turbines would be turning on average at least 80% of the time. The windfarm would be monitored remotely by telecom links.

The turbines turn approximately one revolution every 4 seconds. They automatically orientate towards the prevailing wind direction. The turbines once up to speed do not accelerate as the wind gets faster, but rather draw more power from the wind and maintain their speed. In extreme storms the turbine blades feather into the wind and stop turning.

Windfarms are very easy to decommission compared to traditional gas, coal or nuclear power stations. At the end of the windfarm life cranes will come back on site and remove the wind turbines. The turbines are unbolted from the concrete foundations and removed entirely off site to be recycled or re-used. All other infrastructure, substation, etc. is removed to ground level, any concrete foundations remain in situ below the ground and are landscaped over. Underground cables are usually neutralised and left in situ to avoid further ground disturbance. The whole operation takes only a few months.

The planning application is for a fixed period and after this date the windfarm would be removed. Any extension in the life of the windfarm would require a fresh planning permission. Decommissioning of the windfarm is insured by an independent financial bond the local authority can call on to complete the decommissioning if the operator defaults on its obligations.