Community action has been hailed by Welsh Environment Minister John Griffiths for encouraging the development of local renewable energy projects.

Griffiths, the Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development in the Welsh Assembly, was speaking in praise of Ynni’r Fro, a government scheme, which, according to its website offers ‘grant aid, loans and free, independent, hands-on advice and information to help social enterprises develop their own community scale renewable energy schemes across Wales’.

Ynni’r Fro provides assistance to local enterprises in three forms:

• Technical Development Officers provide advice and help groups develop their projects;
• up to £30,000 is available to fund initial project work such as environmental surveys, planning applications and community engagement activity;
• a grant of up to £300,000 is offered to help towards the capital costs of a renewable energy project.

Speaking of the Ynni’r Fro programme, Griffiths stated: “Our support allows communities to develop and implement a renewable energy project that they feel is right for them. It also allows them to create local employment opportunities and generate a secure and sustainable income that can be invested back into the community.

“I am pleased to report that the Ynni’r Fro programme is now providing intensive support to 24 separate community renewable energy projects across Wales. We are also on track to hit our target of creating and sustaining 22 full-time jobs that are directly related to community renewable energy projects.”

The scheme is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the Welsh Government, and currently provides support to 24 community enterprises that deal in a range of hydro, wind and anaerobic digestion technologies. To apply for funds, enterprises must meet the following conditions:

• projects must be based in Wales and generate energy from a renewable source;
• projects should be able to employ at least one part-time employee within the first two years of completion;
• hydro schemes should expect to generate at least 240,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) per annum, raising a minimum gross income of £30,000;
• Wind schemes should expect to generate at least 800,000kWh per annum, raising a minimum gross income of £70,000.

Griffiths spoke of the Mynydd y Gwrhyd wind farm as a positive example of an enterprise funded by Ynni’r Fro: “The four-megawatt Mynydd y Gwrhyd wind farm will save approximately 9,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum, provide clean energy for around 2,000 homes and provide an income stream that will be invested into energy efficiency measures for low-income families.

“It is an excellent example of what can be achieved by community involvement in energy generation and I hope it will inspire others to think about their own projects.”