Huge Solar Panel Installation Planned at Marchwiel – The project aims to boost on-site solar energy production fivefold.
10,000 Solar Panels
Welsh Water is moving forward with a significant expansion at its Five Fords wastewater treatment works in Marchwiel. The site currently hosts 10,000 solar panels, with an additional 40,000 to be installed nearby. This project will enhance the facility’s existing renewable infrastructure, which already includes biomethane production and combined heat and power engines.
This development will contribute to approximately 8% of Welsh Water’s total annual electricity and gas consumption. This is enough to power around 4,500 homes. It forms part of the company’s broader strategy to reach net zero by 2040 and reduce overall energy costs.
Welsh Water will work in partnership with Innova Renewables, the renewable energy company responsible for developing the site. Last month, Dŵr Cymru/Welsh Water signed a 40-year power purchase agreement with Innova. This agreement will secure solar power from two new sites – Wrexham Solar Park (WSP) and Cefn Park. It will also provide long-term price certainty for approximately 8% of the company’s annual energy use.
Five Fords
WSP, located south of the city’s industrial estate between Pentre Maelor and Talwrn, received planning consent in November 2022. Cefn Park will have its site on farmland near the sewage plant on the opposite side of Cefn Road, and received planning consent in March 2023. A substation supporting the project will be located at the Five Fords facility.
Each site will include a battery energy storage system with a 10MW power output. According to the developer, construction at both sites is “due to commence shortly”. Combined, the two solar farms will have a total capacity of 15MWp. Some of this electricity will power the Five Fords treatment works, while surplus energy will flow to other Welsh Water sites.
The Five Fords site serves around 180,000 customers in north Wales and has received £36 million in investment over recent years to become a model for green energy. Experts consider it one of the most diverse renewable energy sites in the sector, employing various innovative technology, including the production of “poo power” – a renewable gas created from sewage sludge via anaerobic digestion. This process uses bacteria to convert waste into methane in oxygen-free, heated tanks, maximising energy output.
Self-Sufficient
Andrew Dixon, Head of Energy Efficiency at Welsh Water, said, “In 2015, we shared our vision for the Five Fords site to become an ‘energy park’, starting with technology to turn biomethane into energy that feeds into the national grid and going on to pioneer multiple renewable energy technologies for the benefit of the environment.
“This solar development is a major step towards Welsh Water becoming self-sufficient in our energy needs, reducing our carbon footprint and adding to the innovative technologies already on site. With the introduction of this technology, Five Fords will be producing around 8% of Welsh Water’s annual energy demand for electricity and gas, which is major progress for our journey to net zero.”
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