FINAL REPORT Renewable and Low Carbon Energy Assessment Carmarthenshire County Council 1 June 2019 FINAL REPORT Renewable and Low Carbon Energy FINAL REPORT Camarthenshire County Council Assessment Prepared for: Carmarthenshire County Council Prepared by: Hywel Edwards Senior Engineer AECOM Limited 1 Callaghan Square Cardiff CF10 5BT United Kingdom T: +44 29 2005 1500 aecom.com © 2019 AECOM Limited. All Rights Reserved. This document has been prepared by AECOM Limited (“AECOM”) for sole use of our client (the “Client”) in accordance with generally accepted consultancy principles, the budget for fees and the terms of reference agreed between AECOM and the Client. Any information provided by third parties and referred to herein has not been checked or verified by AECOM, unless otherwise expressly stated in the document. No third party may rely upon this document without the prior and express written agreement of AECOM. Prepared for: Camarthenshire County Council AECOM Renewable and Low Carbon Energy FINAL REPORT Camarthenshire County Council Assessment Table of Contents 1. Introduction.............................................................................................................................. 9 1.1 Background to this Assessment ..................................................................................... 9 1.2 Purpose of this Assessment ........................................................................................... 9 1.3 Method employed by this REA ..................................................................................... 10 1.4 Why this REA is important ............................................................................................ 10 1.4.1 Wider corporate role ..................................................................................................... 11 1.5 Scope of this Renewable Energy Assessment ............................................................... 11 1.5.1 Planning ....................................................................................................................... 11 1.6 Technology ................................................................................................................... 11 1.6.1 Energy Hierarchy .......................................................................................................... 11 1.6.2 Transport ...................................................................................................................... 11 1.6.3 Stand-alone electricity generating assets ...................................................................... 11 1.6.4 Soundness................................................................................................................... 12 1.7 Defining renewable energy and low / zero carbon energy ............................................. 12 1.7.1 Renewable energy ....................................................................................................... 12 1.8 Technologies addressed in this REA ............................................................................ 13 1.8.1 Low carbon energy options .......................................................................................... 13 1.8.2 Power vs. energy output .............................................................................................. 13 1.8.3 Electricity vs. heat output ............................................................................................. 13 2. Policy context and drivers for renewable energy..................................................................... 14 2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 14 2.2 UK and Energy Policy Context ..................................................................................... 14 2.3 Wales’ Policy Context for Planning and Renewable Energy .......................................... 15 2.3.1 The Environment (Wales) Act 2016 .............................................................................. 15 2.3.2 Prosperity for All: A Low Carbon Wales’ ........................................................................ 15 2.3.3 Planning Policy Wales .................................................................................................. 15 2.3.4 Natural Resources Wales Policy .................................................................................. 17 2.3.5 TAN8 & Ministerial Letters ............................................................................................ 17 2.3.6 Developments of National Significance (Procedure) (Wales) Order 2016 ...................... 18 2.3.7 National Development Framework 2020 - 2040 Consultation Draft: August - 1 November 2019 ............................................................................................................................ 18 2.3.8 Permitted Development Rights ..................................................................................... 18 2.3.9 Carmarthenshire LDP .................................................................................................. 18 3. Calculating the energy consumption in the Carmarthenshire LPA area in 2022 and 2031 ....... 21 3.1 BEIS energy reporting .................................................................................................. 21 3.2 Calculating future energy consumption ......................................................................... 21 3.3 LZC energy technologies in the Carmarthenshire LPA area in 2019 .............................. 22 3.4 Capacity of LZC energy technology installations in 2019 .............................................. 22 3.4.1 ‘Stand-alone’ LZC energy installations in 2019 ............................................................. 22 3.4.2 Capacity of ‘building-integrated’ LZC installations in 2017 ............................................. 23 4. Wind Energy Resource .......................................................................................................... 24 4.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 24 4.2 Mapping....................................................................................................................... 25 4.2.1 Step 1: ......................................................................................................................... 25 4.2.2 Map Reference & Title: W1 – Wind Resource in the Carmarthenshire LPA Area ........... 25 4.2.3 Step 2: ......................................................................................................................... 25 4.2.4 Map Reference & Title: W2 - Statutory and Strategic Constraints.................................. 25 4.2.4.1 Statutory Designations ............................................................................................ 25 4.2.4.2 Non-Statutory Considerations ................................................................................. 26 4.2.5 Step 3 .......................................................................................................................... 26 Prepared for: Camarthenshire County Council AECOM Renewable and Low Carbon Energy FINAL REPORT Camarthenshire County Council Assessment 4.2.6 Map Reference & Title: W3 – Wind Resource Available ................................................ 26 4.2.7 Step 4: ......................................................................................................................... 26 4.2.8 Map Reference & Title: W4 – Local Constraints ............................................................ 26 4.2.9 Step 5 .......................................................................................................................... 27 4.2.10 Map Reference & Title: W5 – Wind Resource Available ................................................ 27 4.2.11 Step 6 .......................................................................................................................... 27 4.2.12 Map Reference & Title: W6 – Wind Resource Available within Grid Connection ............ 27 4.2.13 Step 7 – Wind Farm Initial Local Search Areas ............................................................. 27 4.2.14 Map Reference & Title: W7 – Wind Land to be Assessed for Landscape Impact ........... 27 4.3 Maximum available wind resource ................................................................................ 27 4.4 Further constraints to wind energy sites ....................................................................... 28 4.5 Potential opportunities for future development .............................................................. 28 5. Biomass Energy Resource ..................................................................................................... 29 5.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 29 5.2 Constraints to biomass energy resource....................................................................... 29 5.3 Energy Crops ............................................................................................................... 29 5.3.1 Usable land and crop yield ........................................................................................... 29 5.3.2 Technologies ................................................................................................................ 30 5.3.2.1