Bute Energy has a vision for a healthier, wealthier Wales that uses energy generation as a positive power for all - both now and for future generations.
Bute Energy is committed to paying £7,500 per megawatt installed on all the energy parks it is developing through an independently governed Community Investment Fund. The fund will benefit not just local people close to the energy park sites, but communities along the route of the grid connections too.
Green GEN Towy Usk will connect the Nant Mithil, Aberedw, and Bryn Gilwern Energy Parks to the national grid. If these proposed energy parks are approved, communities along the proposed Towy Usk connection will be eligible to apply to the Bute Energy Investment Fund which has a projected value of approximately 2.5 million per annum.
To ensure this fund achieves the biggest impact and enables large scale multiyear legacy projects, Bute Energy has established a Community Investment Team whose sole responsibility is to engage and work with individuals, charities, and groups in the areas in and around its sites. The team comprises staff focusing on various themes, including Recreation & Health, Natural Environment & Cultural Heritage, Education, Social Mobility & Training, addressing the Cost of Living crisis and Social Mapping.
Recognising that every community is unique, the Community Investment Team are talking to residents and using data and ongoing research to map the needs of communities in detail, identifying the greatest challenges to target and prioritise the engagement that could bring about the most impactful benefits. Through feedback from the first round of consultation, engagement with local people and extensive social research, the top 5 place-based challenges identified along the Towy Usk route are:
- Community Life and Resilience
- Agriculture
- Access to transport and transport infrastructure
- Support local businesses, micro enterprises, and organisations
- Loneliness and isolation
The Bute Energy Community Investment Team are dedicated to ensuring that communities are prepared from day one to utilise the fund which will go live on completion of the Energy Parks expected in 2028. They are already meeting, collaborating, and working with a wide range of groups and stakeholders, from local schools, sports teams, and transport groups to national organisations involved in health, culture and environmental and rural affairs. The Community Investment Team welcomes engagement from groups and organisations the length and breadth of Towy Usk connection route.
Do you know of any groups, organisations, or initiatives where the Bute Energy can offer some support? If you have any ideas on how and where you'd like to see the money invested and utilised once the Energy Parks come into operation, we'd like to hear your thoughts.
Wider benefits
In addition to a specific Community Investment Fund, Bute Energy and Green GEN Cymru are committed to maximise the social value of their proposals, by ensuring any contracted partners are focusing on investing jobs, time, resources, and money into the communities near our projects. This includes encouraging staff recruitment in Wales, local volunteering and maximising supply chain opportunities in the areas where we are working.
Where would you like the money to be invested? Are there any groups, organisations, or initiatives where we can offer some support?