Gwent Levels: 'Wales' Amazon in danger from energy developments'

An area dubbed "Wales' Amazon rainforest" is in danger of being overwhelmed by energy developments, campaigners have warned.

Friends of the Gwent Levels said the wetlands should be off limits due to their importance for rare wildlife.

It comes as ministers consider whether to allow a "renewable energy hub" to be built on protected land.

The Welsh government said it was unable to comment on live applications.

The developers said the scheme - which could supply clean power to 40,000 homes - would help to restore nature.

Stretching from Cardiff's eastern borders to the Severn bridges, the Gwent Levels are an unique landscape, reclaimed from the sea during Roman times.

Crisscrossing low-lying fields and saltmarshes are 900 miles worth of ancient drainage ditches - known locally as "reens" - home to hundreds of endangered species, including water voles, the king diving beetle and rootless duckweed, the world's smallest flowering plant.

The area has hit the headlines in recent years as part of the debate around building an M4 relief road - plans that were shelved by First Minister Mark Drakeford due in part to the "very significant weight" he placed on environmental concerns.

After an election result that they view as a further rejection of the motorway proposals, local campaigners now see the rise in applications for energy schemes as a new front line.

It could prove to be a harder fight, with Wales aiming to generate 70% of its electricity needs from green sources by 2030.

While "obviously in favour of renewable energy", Catherine Linstrum, co-chair of Friends of the Gwent Levels (FOGL), said it was vital schemes were not sited on unsuitable land.

"We can't tackle the climate emergency by compromising nature," she said, adding that it was "crazy" and "frightening" to see the scale of developments currently under consideration locally.

A new climate change department in the Welsh government is now responsible for energy and planning.

One of its first decisions will be whether to approve what would become Wales' largest solar farm - taking up 155 hectares of land between the villages of St Bride's and Peterstone, one of the region's sites of special scientific interest.

The proposals include around 250,000 solar panels, 160 battery storage units, underground cabling, a grid connection hub and other associated infrastructure for a period of 40 years.

A report by the Planning Inspectorate was sent to the Welsh government at the end of March - ministers have 12 weeks to make up their minds.

Dr Diana Callaghan, fellow co-chair of FOGL, said there was a "real fear" the decision could set a precedent that would result in the area becoming a "giant energy park".

"The Gwent Levels is flat and attracts a lot of sunlight being on an estuary and we know there are more applications pending at the moment - another very large solar farm in the eastern levels and one that has already been approved at Llanwern," she said.

"If this one goes ahead it represents 10% of the land in the Wentlooge Levels area. We can't afford to lose any more of this really important natural place."

While mitigation for any environmental impacts is promised by those hoping to build the scheme, the campaigners claim there is no guarantee these will work and the risk of damaging a "very fragile ecosystem" is too great.

Mike Webb, of Gwent Wildlife Trust, said it was "hard to believe the scale" of the project - describing it as "heartbreaking such an unique landscape would be covered to the horizon with a quarter of a million panels of metal, glass and plastic".

"No-one has tried before to build such a giant solar farm on fragile, complex wetland - it's the first project of its kind in Wales and Great Britain so no one knows for sure what the impacts will be," he said.

"But sites of special scientific interest only cover 12% of Welsh land - there are hundreds of thousands of hectares that would be far more suitable for a project like this".

Peter Grubb, head of planning for Savills, which represents the developers - Wentlooge Farmers' Solar Scheme Limited - said the project was "symbolic of Wales' green energy transition".

The site was chosen due to its "scale, flat topography, low agricultural grading, 'bounce' effect of solar irradiation resulting from its location on the coastline", and proximity to existing grid connections.

He said the scheme would offer enhanced environmental management of the hedgerow and "reen" habitats nearby, while providing new wildflower planting for the endangered shrill carder bee and an area of 22.1 hectares specifically managed to support breeding Lapwing.

"The site lies within an important but neglected part of the Gwent Levels where the special features of the SSSI designation have experienced alarming decline in recent years. The change of land management under this scheme would help the area to recover through a range of initiatives," he added.

"These proposals will play a key role in helping the country meet its ambitious target to transition to 70% of its electricity use from renewable sources by 2030. Renewable energy schemes must be developed to meet this target and more generally to mitigate the impact of climate change."

Rhys Wyn Jones, head of Renewable UK Cymru, said it was a "really tough balance" when considering applications of this nature but that it was "important to bear in mind that the bar is actually very, very high" for developers.

A Welsh government spokeswoman said "Welsh ministers are unable to comment on live applications currently before them for consideration."