Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Members of the public, local stakeholders and statutory bodies were consulted about the gas pipeline and electricity connection as part of the overall programme of consultation for the project.

The electrical connection is routed via an underground cable. Having examined the impact of routing the cable along Main and Fourteenth Avenue, Hirwaun Power elected to route the electrical cable underneath land to the north of the site directly to the National Grid Rhigos Substation.

The gas connection is delivered via an underground pipeline to the south of Hirwaun Industrial Estate and connects to the National Gas Transmission System on the east side of the A4061. A new Above Ground Installation has been constructed to connect to the Transmission System.

Hirwaun Power owns the land for the main site on the industrial estate.

The semi-rural nature of the area was carefully considered, and measures have been taken to minimise the power plant’s environmental impact, both during its construction and operation.

Its footprint and the steps to mitigate its impacts, such as screening and landscaping, formed a major part of the consultation and planning process.

The power station site covers an area of approximately 7.5ha and is located within the Hirwaun Industrial Estate; however, the footprint of the power generation equipment is much smaller than the full site.

There is one stack (chimney) at the power station, approximately 35 metres in height. The noise produced during the power station’s operation is strictly limited by both the Development Consent Order issued by the Secretary of State and limits set by Natural Resources Wales as part of an operational Environmental Permit.

There was HGV traffic during the construction phase, but it was routed to minimise congestion, noise and disruption to Rhigos, Hirwaun and surrounding areas.

Now that the station is operational, there is a negligible increase in traffic movements, principally occasional site visits by maintenance personnel.

A Construction Traffic Management Plan was developed, agreed with the relevant Authorities and implemented during the construction phase of the project.

The combustion of natural gas in a power station does not produce any noticeable odour.

A plume consisting mainly of water vapour may be visible from the stack of the power station under certain atmospheric conditions (cold and dry with high pressure); this is not ‘smoke’.

The emissions from the stack are strictly limited by Natural Resources Wales as part of an operational environmental permit, meaning that they are not harmful to people or the environment.

Gas-fired power generation is affordable, reliable and flexible.

Gas power projects are acknowledged by the Government as being essential to a lower-carbon economy, as an alternative to coal, and the operation of a rapid-response OCGT plant forms part of a strategy to support an electricity system that has an increasing amount of less flexible, low carbon and renewable energy technologies.

Many ageing coal, gas and nuclear power stations are closing down, and new thermal power generation capacity is needed to help the country retain its energy security.

Gas peaking plants such as Hirwaun Power are designed specifically to provide essential back-up power generation to intermittent renewable technologies such as wind turbines and solar farms. New gas generation is part of a transition from more polluting fossil fuels of the past such as diesel, oil and coal to a low carbon economy driven by renewables, storage, demand side response and other low carbon technologies.

Hirwaun Power Station operates to plug the gaps that intermittency creates – essentially flicking the switch on and off at very short notice, in just 20 minutes.

It will run up to a maximum of 1,500 hours a year. This occurs only at times when the electricity system is under stress.

Through supporting more intermittent renewables, Hirwaun Power Station also helps enable the reduction of coal-fired power generation on the system.

Gas-fired power stations in this country have an excellent safety record, and we do not consider there to be any issues of concern with our site and the neighbouring energy facilities.

The Project has brought a range of benefits to the area during the construction phase and will do so too during the operational phase.

It created supply chain opportunities, including jobs during the construction and commissioning period.

In addition, the facility contributes to business rates and is an active participant in the local community.

A detailed socio-economic impact study was prepared as part of the Environmental Statement.