COUNTY BOROUGH OF BLAENAU GWENT REPORT TO: THE CHAIR AND MEMBERS OF THE PLANNING COMMITTEE REPORT SUBJECT: PLANNING REPORT REPORT AUTHOR: SERVICE MANAGER DEVELOPMENT LEAD OFFICER/ TECHNICAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT ORDER OF APPLICATIONS Application No. Address C/2014/0276 Land at Rassau Industrial Estate, Rassau, Ebbw Vale C/2014/0193 Land at Sycamore Avenue, Tredegar C/2014/0228 Land at Former Tech Board Site, Rassau Industrial Estate, Rassau C/2014/0375 Former Wrekin Site, Cwm Road, Aberbeeg, Abertillery Application No. : C/2014/0276 (Full Application) Case Officer : Catherine Ashby Date Lodged : 30 September, 2014 Applicant : Mr Peter Trussler Ogmore Power Limited, C/O Nathaniel Lichfield & Partner Agent : Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners Helmont House Churchill Way, Cardiff Location : Land at Rassau Industrial Estate Rassau, Ebbw Vale Proposal : Construction and operation of a 16MW Short Term Operating Reserve (STOR) generating plant to include the construction of a new building with exhaust flues to house an engine generator and the provision of external plant to include outdoor cooler radiators, gas reception kiosk, security fencing, car parking, new access and landscaping scheme. Ward : Ebbw Vale Rassau REPORT SUMMARY The application proposes the construction of a 16MW embedded Short Term Operating Reserve (STOR) gas powered energy generating plant within a new building to include external equipment, a new access and landscaping works. The plant is designed to provide reserve electricity generation to the National Grid which can be called on at short notice at times of network ‘stress’. The principle of the proposed development and its impact on environmental, social and economic factors has been carefully assessed. It is considered that the development is acceptable in principle in this location, and that the impacts of the development are also acceptable subject to mitigation where appropriate. It is therefore recommended that planning permission be granted subject to conditions. SITE AND DEVELOPMENT DESCRIPTION The 0.64 ha application site is located within Rassau Industrial Estate and is currently being temporarily used as a compound for the purposes of constructing the realigned Heads of the Valleys A465 dual carriageway (for road construction plant, machinery and materials storage). Once complete the road will run directly alongside the northern boundary of the site. Prior to its current temporary use the site was vacant brownfield land that formed part of a development plateau. The southern boundary of the site is adjacent to the internal (unclassified) Rassau Industrial Estate road, although works in relation to the A465 dualling currently prohibit access. The site also benefits from screening from a mature belt of trees adjacent to the southern boundary. The vacant site forms part of the wider Rassau Industrial Estate which itself comprises typical steel portal frame warehouse/industrial-style buildings on development plateaus interspersed by estate roads and belts of landscaping. There are no employment premises in the immediate vicinity of the site. The nearest industrial premises would be located north of the realigned A465 trunk road and on the far west of the development plateau. The residential area of the Rassau is located to the south/south- west and is approximately 200m away at its closest point. The planning application proposes the construction of a 16MW embedded Short Term Operating Reserve (STOR) gas powered energy generating plant within a new building to include external equipment, an access and landscaping works. Also known as a ‘peaking’ plant the STOR plant will provide electricity generation at short notice to the electricity network. The National Grid owns and operates the national electricity network. They are obliged to ensure that the electricity supply system runs within specified limits. Many factors change these operating conditions, but none more so that the balance between the electricity demanded by customers and the electricity generators available to produce electricity. Conventional power generation equipment can be operated with some certainty, however the increasing supply of energy from renewable sources, such as wind turbines and solar arrays, means that some power generation is reliant on prevailing weather conditions, which can create a shortfall in supply. These shortfalls are required to be replaced at short notice and for this reason the National Grid requires a number of plants across the country capable of producing small amounts of electricity at short notice. The power plant the subject of this application would be such a plant. The proposed STOR comprises of eight ‘engine-driven electricity sets’ that together create a total of around 16MW energy. Each engine generator set will be sited in its own acoustic containment cell, side by side within a new plant building. The engines would be fuelled by natural gas and will use conventional spark ignition technology to burn the fuel which in turn rotates the generator, creating electricity that is exported to support the local electricity network. The engine exhaust gases pass through a silencer before being expelled to the atmosphere. As the fuel is natural gas the exhaust emissions are similar to those expelled by a conventional gas-fired central heating boiler. The heat generated by the engines is dissipated in radiators cooled by electric fans. The engine cooling system is a closed loop water system which continues for as long as the plant is operating. By its very nature, i.e. providing short term reserve power at short notice at times of network ‘stress’, the plant will only run for short periods of time with long periods between operating times. The developers experience show that this is infrequent and that STOR facilities are typically called on for around 60-90 minutes every 2-3 day, which equates to around 300 hours per annum. This period of time is typical in the current market, though actual usage may vary according to supply and demand and network ‘stress’. The National Grid’s Annual Market report shows that in 2011/12 the average time for a STOR call (i.e. across the entire network) was 83 minutes and that the average number of STOR calls per day was once every 3 days. However, of this, some facilities never run whilst others run a high percentage of the STOR calls. The proposed new plant building would be a steel clad portal framed style building approximately 45m long by 19m wide and 9m high at the ridge of the pitched roof. Ventilation louvres will be sited at high level on the northern elevation. Eight slim galvanised steel flues will be sited at equal distance along the southern roof plane of the building and will project 3m above the ridge. As indicated above, eight engine generator sets in their own individual acoustic housings will be located within the building, albeit part of each set protrudes through an opening in the southern elevation. These are the enclosure air intake vents for each unit that allow air into the generator. They have silencers behind them to ensure no noise breakout and air heating and cooling systems. They also serve as the access points for taking the generator units in and out of the building. Eight radiator coolers will be sited within the external compound alongside the northern elevation of the building. The coolers are approximately 4m long by 2m wide and 2m high and would be finished in galvanised steel. A gas reception kiosk is proposed to be erected in the southeast corner of the compound and would be approximately 6m long, 2.6m wide and 3 m high. The Natural Gas supply required to fuel the engine generator sets is available at the correct pressure and capacity to operate the plant. An application has been made to Wales & West Utilities for a gas connection. An electrical connection required to export the electricity generated to the local electricity network is available at the Western Power Distribution (WPD) electricity substation situated on the estate road approximately 350m from the site. An application for an electricity connection has been made to WPD. If required, a separate planning application will be made by WPD to facilitate the electrical connection. The site will be accessed from the Heads of the Valleys A465 trunk road via the existing estate road to the south. A new access will be formed in the south west corner of the site, which will maximise the distance between the site entrance and the new roundabout that is to be constructed as part of wider road improvement works to the estate road as part of the A465 improvements. To avoid vehicular conflict between traffic coming off the new roundabout and vehicles wishing to turn right into the site, a pull-in is proposed to ensure that traffic is not held up whilst the gates into the site are being opened. A bellmouth will be constructed at the site entrance and internal vehicles turning/ car parking arrangements are indicated. The hardstanding around the plant building will be laid to stone. A belt of landscaping is proposed to the north and south of the main plant compound to provide screening and soften the development and it is proposed to agree the detail of these areas through a condition. The main plant building will accommodate a welfare facility and foul water will be disposed to the main drainage system on the industrial estate. Surface water collected from the roof and hard standings will be discharged to the surface water main drainage system or soak-away. It is proposed to enclose the main plant compound with a 2.4m high painted weld-mesh style security fence/gates, which will include a 3-strand electric wire top. The main security gate will remain locked except when being visited for maintenance. A CCTV system will be operational internally and externally around the main plant building for security and to keep a watching brief on the status of the plant.