Cylchlythyr Cadno:

News from the den

Croeso

Thanks to those of you who read our summer newsletter in July and gave us some nice feedback! We hope you enjoy reading what we’ve been up to over the last few months. The highlight was receiving the news that EDF Renewables UK’s Garn Fach Wind Farm in Powys had received consent, which lifted our team’s spirits and was a shot in the arm for the industry in Wales.

It’s been good to see progress on other renewable projects, with RWE submitting the planning applications for Alwen Forest Wind Farm and Grid Connection, and Abertillery Wind Farm in the last few months. Towards the end of November PEDW will hold the hearing sessions for RWE’s Pen March Wind Farm.

Conference season is upon us, from Plaid Cymru in Cardiff, Labour in Llandudno, and Western Gateway and Future Energy Wales in Newport; we are looking forward to meeting up with acquaintances old and new.

Consent for EDF Renewables UK’s Garn Fach Wind Farm

Congratulations to EDF Renewables UK & Ireland for securing a long-awaited consent on the Garn Fach Wind Farm project an 85 MW, 17 turbine proposal, which will be capable of generating enough renewable electricity for 69,000 homes.

It was an absolute joy to work with EDF Renewables UK on this project, along with the 14 farming families involved in the scheme and the wider community. Initial discussions with local stakeholders started in 2019, followed by two informal consultations and a pre-application consultation. The application was submitted in March 2022.

This consent is the result of many years of very hard work, with input from hundreds of people across multiple disciplines. Not forgetting that during the final consultation, a total of 450 people responded of which 62% expressed their support for a wind farm at Garn Fach, recognising not only that this is a good site for a wind farm but that it is an important project to reduce carbon emissions, secure electricity prices and energy supplies, and bring significant local benefits.

EDF Renewables UK is offering an annual community benefit of up to £425,000 per year (index linked) for the entire 30-year lifetime of the project and an element of local ownership in its plans.

This is excellent news for energy prices, the battle against climate change, for Wales, and for the industry. Llongyfarchiadau EDF!

Senedd Cross Party Group on Renewable and Low Carbon Energy

The next session of the Senedd Cross Party Group on Renewable and Low Carbon Energy, chaired by Delyth Jewell MS, will be taking place on Monday 25 November at 10.30am, via Microsoft Teams. If you would like to join the session or hear more about the CPG, please contact Daniel Taylor at [email protected]

Since our last CPG meeting, the landscape has dramatically shifted. There is a new Labour Government in Westminster, driving a fresh policy direction on renewables. While a new leadership in Wales has its own ideas and desire for delivery by the 2026 Senedd Election, bringing significant consents for renewables infrastructure in recent weeks. Join us for an insightful session on the current state of renewable and low carbon energy amidst these changes. We welcome Eleri Davies (RWE Renewables), Jack Pugsley (Savills), and Paul Maile (Eversheds Sutherland) to share their analysis. Eleri will also discuss her role in the UK Government’s Onshore Wind Industry Taskforce and its impact on Wales.

UN climate warning

In October the UN released its Environment Programme’s Emission Gap Report 2024 which paints a stark picture of our climate future. According to the report the world is on track for a catastrophic temperature rise of up to 3.1°C by the end of this century. This far exceeds the 1.5°C target set by the Paris Agreement, which is now at risk of becoming unattainable without immediate and drastic action.

These concerns are reflected by the Copernicus Climate Change Service data which shows that Europe experienced the warmest summer on record in 2024. This was coupled with more extreme weather, with a wetter than average summer in western and northern Europe, and drier than average summer in eastern Europe and the Mediterranean. The recent flooding in Spain is a terrifying reminder of the impact of climate change.

Those of us working in the renewable energy sector don’t need to be reminded of these facts, but it is incumbent upon us to keep repeating how urgent the climate crisis is and how every single MW of clean, green electricity we all enable through our collective efforts will make a difference.

Future Energy Wales #RUKFEW24

Keep an eye out for the Cadno team at Future Energy Wales (12-13 November at the ICC Wales).

Future Energy Wales is an annual highlight for us. We really enjoy the opportunity to catch up with clients and colleagues, and hear about what’s going on in the industry in Wales.

We are particularly looking forward to RWE’s Eleri Davies’ session on the true value of Welsh renewables, and the panel discussion on priming public support for renewables.

Come say hello if you see us!

Western Gateway Conference

In October, Angharad and Daniel attended the 2024 Convention for the Western Gateway at ICC Wales in Newport. The conference brought together politicians, local authorities, industry and other key stakeholders from across Wales and the south west of England. In particular, it was great to hear from Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning Rebecca Evans, who spoke about the Welsh Government’s ambitions to deliver green growth and green jobs through working in partnership with industry.

Informal consultation on Coriolis Energy’s Foel Fach Wind Farm

In September, we welcomed members of the public to two public exhibition events for Coriolis Energy and ESB’s Foel Fach Wind Farm near Y Bala as a part of its early informal consultation which ran from September through until October. Coriolis Energy and ESB are proposing an up to 11 turbine wind farm, which could deliver up to 79.2 MW, enough renewable energy to power over 55,000 homes. They are also offering an industry leading £8,000 per MW Community Benefit Fund and an innovative community ownership partnership with Ripple Energy where local residents, businesses and community groups would be able to buy shares in the wind farm and receive savings on their electricity bills.

The local community were invited to attend two exhibition events in Cwmtirmynach and Y Bala to learn more about the proposals and share their thoughts. It is always great to hear from members of the community who are keen to have their say and share their ideas, which are always very insightful in informing the proposals as they develop. We were very pleased to have partaken in two very successful public events in Gwynedd and thankful to those who came to the exhibitions!

PR guru Val Bodden delivers a masterclass to the team

In August, we welcomed Val Bodden FCIPR to our office in Cardiff to give us an expert’s guide to writing a captivating news release. Val is hugely respected in the PR world, and spent most of her career with the Royal Mail Group managing media relations.

Val delivered an engaging and informative session and presentation, helping us to build on our PR and Communications skills. The Cadno team learned some valuable tips and tricks of the trade and advanced our understanding of the ins and outs of the PR and media industry. Val’s keen insights gave us some great food for thought and we are very grateful to her for giving her time to the team and sharing her expertise.

Volunteering with Cardiff Rivers Group

The Cadno team were delighted to join Cardiff Rivers Group again in early October in Parc Coed y Nant.

Angharad, Daniel and Sarah tackled the river head on, salvaging a sofa which had made its way into the river somehow!

It is always an eye-opener to see the amount of litter that gets picked up – around 26 bags excluding heavier items on the day – and how large an issue it is for our wildlife, parks and rivers. We would like to thank Cardiff Rivers Group and Keep Wales Tidy for keeping our parks tidy and thank all of their very welcoming and dedicated volunteers – we’re always grateful to participate and thoroughly enjoyed!

Supporting the local community

Cadno Communications are proud to sponsor Clwb Pêl Droed (CPD) Treganna, a new football team dedicated to promoting the Welsh language and men’s mental health and wellbeing in Welsh football. They have already kicked off the season in the Cardiff Combination Football League Second Division, notching up three wins, two draws and two losses. Cadno’s Ewan is excited to be playing for the club and is hoping for a very successful season with the new team!

The club motto, “codi ymwybyddiaeth ar gyfer yr iaith Gymraeg mewn chwaraeon”, translates to “raising awareness of the Welsh language in sports”. Cadno couldn’t be prouder of this group of young sportsmen and their aspirations to support the Welsh language and focus on mental wellbeing.

Welsh language lessons

Cadno’s Policy and Public Affairs Manager, Daniel has recently resumed his efforts to learn Welsh by embarking on the National Centre for Learning Welsh’s Sylfaen 1 (Foundation 1) online course. Daniel said, “I’m grateful to Cadno for giving me the opportunity to continue my Welsh language learning journey. Learning Welsh is a significant professional and personal ambition of mine, and an important skill for working in the political sector in Wales.”

Cadno offers a fully bilingual service. Three members of the team are fluent Welsh speakers, and two are enthusiastic learners.  We have a translator who works with us, and other translation agencies on our books.

Plaid Cymru Conference – in good spirits

One of the most important – and enjoyable – parts of our role is attending political party conferences. Political parties are the bedrock of a well-functioning democracy and at Cadno, we think it’s important to support parties during conference season.

In October, we found Plaid Cymru in chipper mood following some good results at the UK General Election where they returned four MPs to Westminster. Plaid’s Annual Conference this year was at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. Angharad Davies and Daniel Taylor were joined by Ben Lake MP, Llyr Gruffydd MS, and Cllr Darren Price for an enjoyable Conference Dinner discussing renewable energy and the urgent need to reach net zero, and the importance of digital infrastructure to the Welsh economy.

Daniel also joined RenewableUK Cymru’s roundtable event: ‘How will a Plaid Cymru Government deliver a step change in renewable energy generation in Wales?’. It was a great opportunity to hear directly from Plaid Cymru on the party’s vision for the Welsh energy sector and discuss the solutions required to overcome the major barriers to delivery.

We’ll be at Labour Conference in November

Cadno’s Director, Angharad Davies and Policy and Public Affairs Manager, Daniel Taylor will be attending Welsh Labour’s Conference in Llandudno from Friday 15 to Sunday 17 November. This is the first Welsh Labour Conference for a long time which will provide the opportunity to engage with governments from both ends of the M4. Let us know if you are attending and would like to meet for a coffee!

Gallery – Our Autumn in pictures