EcoPellets unveils plans for £100m Welsh renewables complex

Just days after the Welsh Assembly unveiled ambitious plans to cut the use of fossil fuel-based energy by 80 per cent by 2025, an Irish firm has announced plans to create a £100m renewable energy hub in the north of the country.

County Cork-based EcoPellets, which specialises in providing wood pellet fuel, has acquired a 55-acre site at Llangefni Industrial Park on Anglesey and is now working on plans for a biomass-powered electricity plant and four-turbine wind farm. Combined, the new facility is expected to provide 40MW of electricity – enough to power 50,000 homes.

The company said it was already in talks with the Welsh Assembly government over the proposals and intended to apply for planning permission shortly.

It predicted that the planned three-year construction project would create 100 jobs, while a further 35 full-time jobs would be created once the site is up and running.

"Applications for building and operating permits are in preparation and, dependent on the necessary permissions from the local authority, we will be ready to commence the main construction activity early next year," said EcoPellets director Paul Kellett.

He added that the project would highlight Wales' potential as a significant hub for renewable energy technologies. "Wales has one of the best wind regimes in the world and an excellent climate for growing wood," he said. "These clean energy sources currently supply just a tiny fraction of our energy requirements now, but this is changing."

A spokeswoman for the company said that project was still in its early stages and further details were unlikely to be made available until planning applications have been formally lodged.