It's Radnor Forest
It's Radnor Forest
Nant Mithil Energy Park Does Not Exist
Photo of the ancient Silurian rock dome of Radnor Forest where legend has it
the last Dragon of Wales sleeps.
Photo by Nigel DodmanThe Borders area of Radnorshire where Radnor Forest is located “is breathtaking, and the drive from Presteigne to Aberystwyth was voted one of the ten most beautiful drives in the world by the AA.”
The drive along the A44 ‘Gateway to Wales’ from Hereford referred to above wends its way along the edge the Radnor Forest “once a royal hunting ground which wasn’t a forest in the modern sense of being a heavily wooded area, but in the medieval sense of “forest” being an unenclosed area used for hunting deer.”1
Although we refer to the domed hills or rock dome of Radnor Forest, it is actually an ancient mountain range which includes the highest point in Radnorshire, the mountain summit of Rhos Fawr also known as Great Rhos, at a height of 660 metres (2,170 ft). 2
The old Welsh name for the Radnor Forest is Fforest Clud (high). Open areas within the forest offer stunning views to Cader Idris and Snowdonia in the north-west, the Long Mynd to the north-east, across to the Malvern hills to the east and the Brecon Beacons to the south.
Legend has it that the “last dragon in Wales sleeps in the Radnor Forest, a seven-mile upland area of east Wales.”3 It is said that The Dragon will continue to sleep only so long as it is contained by a ring of four churches dedicated to St. Michael (Llanfihangel) the dragon-slayer. In actuality, there are five Llanfihangel churches surrounding the Radnor Forest. All of these Christian churches appear to have been built upon pre-existing mounds and possess what remain of circular yards with ancient Yew trees.
One of these churches, Llanfihangel Cascob, is home to the rather curious Cascob Charm, also known as the ABRACADABRA charm, composed of a mixture of Christian prayer and occult formula. It is said to have been used as a protection against witchcraft to keep one Elizabeth Loyd [sic] safe. The Charm, now framed and hung on the wall inside Llanfihangel Cascob was apparently discovered in the churchyard some 200 years after its purposeful creation.
Speaking of magic, the Welsh father of Elizabeth I’s advisor, Dr. John Dee, renowned as a mathematician and magician, astronomer and astrologer, antiquarian, geographer and philosopher, purchased the estate of Nantygroes on the border between Pilleth and Whitton parishes in Radnorshire.4
Dr. Dee continued to maintain and visit Nantygroes which is relatively close to Llanfihangel Cascob, as the crow flies. It is interesting to note that, “Dee claimed descent from Llewelyn Crugeryr, a thirteenth-century chieftain whose Castell Crugerydd can still be seen by the A44 just west of The Fforest Inn” adjacent to Radnor Forest.
Whilst driving around The Bends past Castell Crugerydd Motte and Bailey Castle (Cryg Eryr, the “eagle's mount”) along the A44, there before your eyes the magnificent iconic ridge of Llandegley Rocks appears before you. At first glance, it reminds one of the ridged spine of a massive dragon. Llandegley Rocks is what remains of an ancient volcanic island which has long been inhabited as the Scheduled Ancient Monuments surrounding it attest.
Llandegley Rocks - “Not to be Mist II” © Ian Nicholson Fine Art Photography
Radnor Forest with its breathtaking vistas and rich biodiversity attracts visitors from across the UK and around the world. There is a large Starling Roost of national and international significance directly across from the Radnor Forest at Llandegley Rhos right beside Hendy Wind Farm. It has been estimated by seasoned bird watchers that a minimum of 400,000 to 500,000 starlings fly significant distances, arriving from every direction each evening to gather and perform their mesmerising murmurations at dusk before they settle into the large roost for the night.
The photo below of Red Listed Starlings flying towards the Llandegley Rhos Roost was taken 1 February 2019. This was the day after the first 110m tall turbine at Hendy Wind Farm, (depicted in the photo) had been erected in a mad rush in order to meet the final last deadline to apply to Ofgem for an ROC. Most fortunately, this turbine was not operating nor connected to the grid at the time the photo was taken. In fact, none of the seven turbines constructed at Hendy Wind Farm are connected to the National Grid. It is now February 2023 and thankfully for the starlings and their raptors, bats, insects and other birds, along with neighbouring residents, there is still no grid connection.
Photo by Richard Martin
Bute Energy’s Designs
It is our understanding that sometime during 2018 and 2019, a number of landowners in Penybont, Llandegley, New Radnor and Dolau were approached to participate in a local wind “farm” development referred to as Fron Goch.
Whilst some of the local landowners were approached directly by representatives of Bute Energy and Grayling Capital, other landowners were contacted by letters from McCartney's on behalf of Bute Energy and Grayling Capital, an Edinburgh-based private investment firm. The apparent object of the exercise was to get as many of the local farmers as possible to sign exclusivity contracts for the use of their land for Fron Goch wind farm.
Financial incentives based upon a per turbine annual income were dangled like carrots before the landowners. Apparently, when some of the landowners compared notes they realised that the offers amongst them were not equitable which, understandably, is said to have caused some upset.
It was originally said that Fron Goch wind “farm” would form the southern tip of a much larger “energy park” starting from Fron Goch at The Bends along the A44 near the Scheduled ancient monument Crug Eryr Mound which would include Llan-Evan Hill and Cowlod as it extended northward above Penybont Common towards Newtown. It was mentioned at that time that the energy park would comprise some 36 industrial wind turbines along with solar arrays.
In its first incarnation as Fron Goch, a very small portion of the proposed “wind farm” would lie within the boundaries of Priority Area 6 of the Welsh Government’s highly problematic Draft National Development Framework (NDF) now referred to as Pre-Assessed Area 4 (PA4). Priority Area 6 was identified by ARUP through desk-top exercises to be suitable for wind and solar development in the final version of Future Wales: The National Plan 2040.
Presently, a vast section of Bute Energy’s plans would extend far beyond Pre-Assessed Area 4 and include most of the seven mile uplands of Radnor Forest, including open access and common land. In fact, when one looks at their plans some 80% of Bute Energy’s layout for what they now refer to as Nant Mithil Energy Park are outside of Pre-Assessed Area 4. At the same time, only seven of the proposed 36 x 220m (721.9ft) tall industrial wind turbines are actually within Pre-Assessed Area 4 .
We made inquiries with Powys County Council and the Welsh Government, which confirmed our understanding that Radnor Forest had indeed been deliberately excluded from the Priority Areas identified for wind and solar in the draft NDF due to its high value as a public space of outstanding natural beauty which draws people from near and far to experience the expansive views and tranquility. The ancient landscape of Radnor Forest with its dragon legend, is regarded as a very special sacred place which must be preserved in perpetuity for future generations.
Map © Brecon & Radnor Branch of Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales 2019. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2018. Contains Natural Resources Wales information © Natural Resources Wales and Database Right. All rights Reserved. Contains Natural England information © Natural England 2019. Wind & Solar Priority Areas digitised from Welsh Government document “Draft National Development Framework”.
In the Welsh Government’s final Future Wales 2040 form, Priority Area 6 is now known as Pre-Assessed Area 4.
The Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales (CPRW) have said that they feel Bute Energy’s present name for the project they propose is misleading.
It seems that this proposal has been named after just one small brook [Mithil Brook] on the southwestern edge of the site, despite it covering almost 2,000ha, or most of Radnor Forest.
The site covers the western half of this major upland landscape – much of which is Open Access Land – that stretches from Fishpools on the A488 near Bleddfa to just north of the Fforest Inn on the A44 with overall dimensions of almost 10km (6.2 miles) by 6km (3.8 miles).
The small Mithil Brook is in fact very significant as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) which is also part of the River Wye Special Area of Conservation (SAC).
As noted in the screenshot of Natural Resources Wales’ (NRW) response dated 13 January 2023 to Bute Energy’s inadequate Scoping Report submitted to PEDW, the Mithil Brook and Cwm Blithus SSSI are of importance for it’s Silurian stratigraphy and is of educational and scientific value.
The Silurian is a geologic period and system spanning 24.6 million years from the end of the Ordovician Period, at 443.8 million years ago, to the beginning of the Devonian Period, 419.2 Mya. The Silurian is the shortest period of the Paleozoic Era. Wikipedia
In my lay opinion, there is no way that huge construction vehicles and excavators should be permitted to operate anywhere near such a unique area of scientific and historical significance.
Such an incredibly large scale scheme would necessarily involve the devastation of vast tracts of the beautiful hills and vales of Radnor Forest with its ancient monuments and many protected species including Red Listed Starlings and their raptors, Curlew, Red Kites, Buzzards, Peregrine Falcon, Goshawk, Hen Harrier, Short Eared Owl and many more.
A massive “energy park” would have a serious detrimental impact upon the environment and biodiversity along with tourism which, next to farming, the economy of the area is dependent upon.
In January 2016 it was reported by ITV that Wales was named "one of the top 10 countries to visit in the world, by leading travel guide 'Rough Guides’.”
When local landowners were first approached, Bute Energy was a partnership between Njord Energy Limited, and a Scottish private investment firm called Grayling Capital based in Edinburgh. The three primary directors of Grayling Capital are also directors of Bute Energy and thus it appears that Bute Energy is the spawn of Grayling Capital.
Njord Energy was well known to us as the developer of notorious Hendy Wind Farm with Steven Radford and his wife as directors.
The partnership between Grayling Capital and Njord Energy was confirmed by Bute Energy’s own website when viewed 21 March 2020, at the time the screenshot below was taken. It states as follows:
Bute Energy is a partnership between Grayling Capital and Njord. Founded in 2018, the two organisations brought together their knowledge and skills together to deliver in the cleaner and safer energy.
Grayling Capital, [is] an investment group based in Edinburgh. Njord has 30 years of experience in the renewable energy sector.
Bute Energy will apply decades of experience and expertise to harness the power of wind and we will help power the green economy with highly skilled jobs.
If one tries to find the original website for Bute Energy today, it appears to have been removed from the internet. Fortunately, we archived the "Who we are" page depicted above when the screenshot was taken.
It is notable that Hendy Wind Farm director and developer, Steven Radford was a director of RSCO 3750 along with the other Edinburgh based Grayling Capital/Bute Energy Directors, Stuart George, Oliver Millican and Lawson Steele. Radford officially resigned as a director of RSCO 3750 Limited on December 19, 2019. RSCO 3750 Limited subsequently became Bute Energy Limited via company name change papers filed and a certificate issued 13 March 2020.
According to Companies House, Grayling Capital LLP was incorporated, August 22, 2017. In March 2020, Grayling Capital described themselves as follows on their website:
WE INVEST IN RENEWABLE ENERGY
Grayling Capital is a private investment group based in Edinburgh. We focus on investments in sustainable industries.
We are currently developing a portfolio of onshore wind and solar power assets in the UK.
The team also has extensive expertise in real estate. From 2012-18 the team acquired, asset managed and disposed of a 40 asset £175m UK commercial real estate portfolio, delivering a Geared IRR of 32.9%.
Given that the incorporation date for Grayling Capital on Companies House is 22 August 2017, it is curious that they indicate the team has acquired assets since 2012.
We took a look at the Grayling Capital team members in March 2020 who were described at the time as having "a depth of experience in Private Equity, Finance and Real Estate Investment." There were also other associated companies being registered with Companies House at that time which were later renamed as Bute Energy’s numerous “energy parks” – vehicles through which they have designs to carpet the ancient landscapes of Wales with monstrous industrial wind turbines, solar arrays and battery banks.
In March 2020, David Taylor, who at one time was an advisor for First Ministers Rhodri Morgan and Carwyn Jones, along with being a former adviser to Peter Hain when he was Secretary of State for Wales, was listed as a partner with Grayling Capital on their website. According to Companies House, Taylor officially joined Grayling Capital 20 September 2019 and resigned 13 September 2021.
David Taylor is of interest to us through his connection to Hendy Wind Farm which necessitates a brief review of that long saga.
Using his Njord Energy vehicle, Steven Radford originally presented his plans for Hendy Wind Farm to the local council and community in May 2014. The planning application for Hendy was submitted to Powys County Council Planning Department in July 2014 and subsequently refused.
All was quiet until seemingly out of the blue a planning application for Hendy Wind Farm appeared on the list for the Powys County Council Planning Committee to consider at the end of April 2017. Once again, the planning application was refused by Powys CC on the basis of landscape and Scheduled Ancient Monuments (SAMs) which surround the site.
Steven Radford and his City of London U+I Plc partners chose to refute the Powys County Council Planning decision by way of an inquiry with the Welsh Government’s Planning Inspectorate. Following the Planning Inspector’s Inquiry held over two weeks in March 2018, the Inspector’s considered decision upheld the decision made by the Powys County Council Planning Committee a year earlier to refuse planning permission for Hendy Wind Farm.
The strange thing is that we were not aware of the Planning Inspector’s May 2018 decision until October 2018 when Lesley Griffiths, then Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs Secretary for the Welsh Government, said that she would ignore the planning inspector’s decision and allow Hendy Wind Farm to proceed.
The date on the letter announcing Ms. Griffith’s decision which overrode the Welsh Planning Inspector’s recommendations and local democracy, was 25 October 2018. It is curious that the “25” in the date on Lesley Griffith’s letter to Hendy’s solicitor appears to be handwritten.
When we became aware that representatives of Bute/Grayling/Njord had been speaking with landowners in 2019/2020 we began looking at the directors for Bute Energy and Grayling Capital. This included David Taylor. We found it interesting that amongst the various other companies David Taylor had been and was associated with were four “Moblake” companies, three of which were incorporated 17 October 2018. The fourth Moblake company was incorporated 18 October 2018, just before Lesley Griffith’s Hendy Wind Farm decision became publicly known.
Shortly after Lesley Griffiths gave Hendy Wind Farm the green light they proceeded full speed ahead excavating and pouring the huge concrete base for the first turbine. In doing so, they completely ignored and breached multiple planning permissions and conditions which had been included in the Planning Inspector’s decision and adopted by Lesley Griffiths when she granted Hendy planning permission.
Many of us repeatedly wrote to Powys County Council Planning asking them to enforce against Hendy Wind Farm for breaches of planning permission and conditions which they never did. In the process, we were repeatedly told to contact Hendy’s community liaison “Moblake” by calling or writing to them with the details provided on Hendy’s website. For several years we did this, as did members of CPRW but to no avail. When we wrote to Powys County Council Planning department to object to the breach of Hendy’s condition requiring a community liaison, we were told to email Moblake at the address provided.
We are aware of only three people who actually received an email reply from Moblake in the form of this template brush-off in early 2019:
Thank you for your email. Community consultation is ongoing and we are planning to hold the next public forum in February, which will be an opportunity to put your questions directly to representatives of Hendy Wind Farm.
I will advise you of the date, time and location of the forum once these are confirmed.
Moblake’s stated plans for a public forum never materialised.
Some of we diehards continued to occasionally ring and/or write to the alleged community liaison Moblake, so that it would be documented. However, other than the first few identical auto-replies people received from Moblake, there was no community liaison whatsoever for Hendy Wind Farm as was stipulated as a planning condition by Lesley Griffiths. We found ourselves caught in a loop of complete dissatisfaction and no action by Powys County Council to enforce against Hendy Wind Farm for their multiple breaches of the stipulated planning permissions and conditions.
In 2016, David Taylor campaigned unsuccessfully to be the Welsh Labour Police and Crime Commissioner candidate for North Wales with his “war on wasters” pledge. In 2016, David Taylor was also photographed whilst he was canvassing for his friend Lesley Griffiths, who at that time was the Member of the Senedd for Wrexham.
This evidence confirms just one of a number of Welsh Labour Party connections between Griffiths and Taylor. Was it Lesley Griffiths who connected David Taylor with Steven Radford and Hendy Wind Farm along with the directors of Grayling Capital who formed Bute Energy or vice versa? If so, would that have constituted a conflict of interest when Griffiths unilaterally decided to override the Welsh Planning Inspector’s considered decision to grant Steven Radford/Njord Energy/U+I Plc with planning permission to construct Hendy Wind Farm?
Returning to Bute Energy’s plans for Radnor Forest, we were informed that representatives of Bute Energy had apparently been making regular (weekly) visits from Edinburgh (where they resided), to meet with landowners in Radnorshire from sometime in 2019 until late March 2020 when the UK went into lockdown. It is likely that contact continued by other means, particularly since we understood that they were looking for other potential sites to be developed in historic Radnorshire and Mid Wales. We are presently aware of some 22 energy parks in Wales which are registered in the names of Bute Energy and its directors on Companies House.
It is notable that the caption for the image above states that Grayling Capital “invests” in rather than “develops” renewable energy. In other words, they have never previously been directly involved with the “development” and construction of “energy parks.”
If you compare the feature image from Grayling Capital's website with the photo of Radnor Forest at the top of this page, you will understand one of the reasons why we vehemently oppose the developer's plans.
What was originally referred to as Fron Goch officially became known as Nant Mithil Energy Park when the company was incorporated 30 November 2020.
The area of Radnor Forest which Bute Energy has selected for Nant Mithil Energy Park via the farmers/land owners who signed-up to their scheme, is across the A44 from Hendy Wind Farm. It's a long story of Corruption in the wind? as Jac o' the North has written. Contributions to the 2nd part of his “Corruption in the wind” and also to some of his articles about Bute Energy beginning with this one and this have been made.
Bute Energy is directly connected to Hendy Wind Farm. We have the evidence. Yet for some reason Bute Energy employees are seemingly reluctant to acknowledge this if at all.
Since the summer of 2022, particularly after Bute Energy moved their headquarters to Cardiff, part of Bute Energy’s marketing campaign has been that they are allegedly a Welsh company which seeks to help the Welsh Government meet its renewable energy targets.
The screenshot below is from the County Times article, Plans for 36-turbine Radnor Forest windfarm to go before public published 22 September 2022.
During presentations to community councils in Penybont and New Radnor, the Bute representative used the sales pitch that Bute Energy was ‘A Welsh company in Wales for Wales’ or something along those lines.
The records clearly indicate that Bute Energy’s three primary directors and its parent company Grayling Capital are based in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Environmental Concerns
During Bute Energy’s public consultations for Nant Mithil Energy Park in late September 2022 we learned that they had designs to construct 36 x 220m (721.9ft) tall industrial wind turbines along with some 100-200 hectares (257-494 acres) of solar arrays plus battery banks and a substation atop the ancient domed hills of the Radnor Forest. It is stated in Bute Energy’s “presentation boards” used for their non-statutory public consultations last autumn that their chosen site for Nant Mithil Energy Park comprises 1,922 hectares (4,749.365 acres).
Radnor Forest is a major water catchment area for the River Wye and feeds, Water-Break-Its-Neck waterfall, Mithil Brook, Summergil Brook and other watercourses. The water catchment also feeds private water supplies in the area.
Endangered, protected and red-listed birds and other species inhabit the area. There are also areas of peat in the upland moors which are required to be protected.
Although the name Radnor Forest may conjure up the image of trees, it is open upland which was once used as a royal hunting ground. Having said this, part of the proposed development site is currently forested.
There will be a major ecological disaster if trees are felled, massive pits excavated and hundreds of thousands of tons of chemical laced cement are poured to construct the concrete bases with reinforced steel for 36 x 220m tall industrial wind turbines atop the Radnor Forest.
Most people do not realise that a “wind turbine tower is a typical high-rise structure building.”
I did research on this aspect which I ended up presenting at the Welsh Planning Inspector's Inquiry regarding Hendy Wind Farm in March 2018. The massive concrete bases will never ever be removed and will continue to leach their toxic constituents into the soil, aquifers and watercourses forever.
Please note that we do not yet have an estimate for the amount of concrete that would be required for the bases of 36 x 220m turbines but it will be a phenomenal amount. Concrete will also be required for the construction of battery storage units, the number of which has not been specified.
Access roads to the Nant Mithil Energy Park site along with roads connecting the turbines and solar arrays atop the ancient uplands will also be required. On Bute Energy’s current plans, the main access to their proposed Nant Mithil Energy Park site is at the middle of The Bends along the A44. The Bends are tragically known for their high rate of serious and fatal road collisions. This is the worst possible location for access to the site.
Please watch this short video of an interview with someone formerly with the industry who describes how the construction of roads to wind turbines within a site apparently create even more damage than the construction of industrial wind turbines themselves.
The area of Radnor Forest selected by Bute Energy also contains ancient tumuli (barrows) and other remains of prehistoric settlements. Their proposed plans show two turbines right next to one of these.
A recent find of treasure in the Llanelwedd Community “including a Roman silver coin hoard, medieval silver brooches and a gold finger ring” are examples of what may be found in areas throughout Wales. This includes in Radnor Forest which is adjacent to an old Roman Road which ran through Llandegley Common, and along the approximately 60 mile long pylon route planned by Bute Energy. This underscores the importance of having qualified archeologists on site if for example, Bute Energy were to begin digging "test" trenches for pylons and/or on site in Radnor Forest.
What would happen if Bute Energy began excavating gigantic pits required for the bases of their 22 (and counting) planned "energy parks" in Wales where they have designs to install massive industrial turbines, some 220 - 250m tall? Imagine the size of the excavation that will be required to construct one of these bird, bat, insect, landscape and environment destroying monsters which until now, have only been used offshore.
There is a likelihood that historic relics could be forever lost if Bute's activities are not closely monitored. We must all keep on the look-out for any such activity to ensure that the required safeguards are in place.
This video excerpt from the 2021 film, Head Wind”21 provides a good glimpse at the visual reality of the irreparable damage to landscapes caused during the construction of a wind “farm”. There is nothing clean nor green about them.
Some 80% of Bute's plans for Nant Mithil are outside of what is now referred to as Pre-Assessed Area 4 by the Welsh Government. This includes all but 7 of the 36 x 220m tall industrial turbines. We are of the opinion that this is a blatant attempt at a land grab.
There are scores of public right of ways which crisscross Radnor Forest including footpaths, bridleways and byways open to all traffic. Notably, part of the ancient Cistercian Way crosses Radnor Forest.
Although our group are focused primarily upon stopping the construction of Nant Mithil Energy Park completely, we have members who have recently received letters from Bute Energy / Green GEN Cymru with regard to accessing their land to dig test holes for pylons. The letters we have seen are not quite as aggressive as letters which were sent to landowners in the Twyi Valley threatening compulsory purchase of land.
The residents of Dolau, Penybont, Llandegley, Llanfihangel-Nant-Melan and especially the historic 16th century Drovers inn, The Fforest Inn – where Bute Energy plans to construct a huge turning area for heavy vehicles – will be directly, detrimentally affected by the Nant Mithil Energy Park if it is built. Other residents with property along the pylon route – which no one we know has seen a map for as yet – will also be affected.
When thinking about the pylon debate it occurred to me that not only are most of the people in the Tywi Valley and beyond not aware that Nant Mithil does not exist, they probably are not aware of all of the other "energy parks” and wind farms which Bute Energy has designs to build and connect to a substation said to be near Pont Abraham5, Swansea. In that regard I took another look at Jac's map of Bute Energy's projects. As you can see, there are many more "energy parks" which Bute likely intends to connect through a new line of pylons running south-west from the Radnor Forest.
The screenshot below of Jac o’ the North’s most recent map of the approximate locations where Bute Energy intends to construct huge energy parks well illustrates the large areas of of Wales’s beautiful landscapes that will be destroyed if Bute Energy is granted planning permission for their 22 energy parks.
In addition to the huge energy parks with massive industrial wind turbines, Bute Energy intends to construct approximately 60 miles of above ground pylons from the proposed Nant Mithil Energy Park atop the Radnor Forest to a point outside of Swansea which we understand is at Pont Abraham. In this regard we are aware that Bute Energy and its representatives have been contacting landowners near Gilwern Hill and Aberedw near Builth Wells in addition to the Twyi Valley, in order to obtain access to their land to construct large pylons, with the threat of compulsory access.
It is widely known that Bute Energy has repeatedly told people that installing underground pylons would be far too expensive. The installation of underground pylons may be out of sight but immense environmental damage is also caused in the process of constructing them. See more information here.
The following is Jac’s map of the line of Bute Energy’s Green GEN Cymru Towy Usk pylon route from the Radnor Forest to south Carmarthenshire. There is also information that some of Bute Energy’s proposed energy parks intend to connect to another substation north west at Chirk which you can see on the map below to the right of where Rhiwlas Energy Park is marked.
In addition to environmental concerns, the construction of Nant Mithil Energy Park and related infrastructure including pylons, will also have a negative impact upon what was once one of the most stunning drives along the A44 gateway to Wales from Hereford, past Llandegley Rocks.
Radnorshire is the most sparsely populated old county in Wales. The breathtaking natural beauty of the area, along with its pastoral peace and tranquility will be forever ruined, destroyed if Bute Energy’s plans – with financing from Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) investors – are allowed to proceed. This will affect tourism which many in the area rely upon for income in addition to farming.
For more information about Bute’s relationship with CIP please see: Bute Energy Selling Wales For Danegeld?
Lastly, it is important to reiterate that in their marketing material and in the media, representatives of Bute Energy repeatedly refer to Nant Mithil Energy Park which does not exist.
What does exist is the Radnor Forest, where legend has it the last Dragon of Wales sleeps.
We will do everything we possibly can to protect and preserve our precious Radnor Forest from desecration and destruction by Bute Energy Limited and its partners.
If we have to awaken the Dragon to assist us, we will.
At the Bright Hem of God: Radnorshire Pastoral, By Peter J Conradi –A love letter to a corner of Wales
https://powysenc.weebly.com/davies-ellen---dee.html
Update 26 March 2023 – During Bute Energy’s Green GEN Cymru/ Towy Usk public consultation regarding the 60+ miles of pylons they intend to construct from the Radnor Forest to a substation at Pont Abraham, Bute lead director, Oliver Millican finally told me when I was asking questions about it that a substation does not currently exist in that location.