David Chadwick has warned that large-scale windfarm developments proposed across Mid Wales risk causing irreversible environmental damage by targeting protected peatland and ecologically sensitive landscapes during a debate in Parliament today.

Speaking in Parliament, the Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe highlighted a wave of proposals spanning sites from Gilwern Hill near Llandrindod Wells to Nant Mithil in the Radnor Forest, as well as Banc y Celyn, Garreg Fawr and Aberedw. He stressed that while renewable energy is essential to tackling climate change, current plans risk undermining those efforts by damaging vital natural carbon stores.

Peatlands were identified as a key concern due to their role in storing carbon, supporting biodiversity and regulating water systems. Chadwick pointed to evidence showing that construction on peat soils can lead to excavation, oxidation and long-term degradation, releasing emissions that offset the benefits of clean energy generation.

He also raised concerns about recent planning decisions in Powys, including previous developments approved by Labour despite being on land that contributes to the River Severn catchment, an area already vulnerable to flooding. He warned that such decisions risk setting a precedent where environmental protections are overridden, particularly under the current approach of the Welsh Labour Government.

Chadwick further emphasised the ecological significance of the landscapes under threat, noting that they support species such as curlew, skylark, red kite and brown hare, alongside rare habitats that have developed over centuries with minimal human intervention. He argued that these ecosystems cannot be recreated once lost.

The proposals at Nant Mithil were highlighted as particularly concerning due to their scale and overlap with protected areas, including a Special Area of Conservation linked to the River Wye and multiple Sites of Special Scientific Interest. He also criticised the expansion of developments beyond areas designated by the Welsh Government for wind energy.

Chadwick warned that repeated exceptions to environmental safeguards risk undermining public confidence in climate policy and called for a more strategic approach that balances renewable energy generation with the protection of irreplaceable natural assets.

Commenting after the debate, Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe David Chadwick MP said: “We need clean energy, but we cannot claim to be acting for the climate while destroying one of our most important natural climate defences in the process. Peatlands are not wasteland, they are vital carbon stores, and once they are damaged, they release the very emissions we are trying to prevent as well as contribute to flooding.

“The Welsh Labour Government’s free-for-all approach to onshore wind is sending a deeply worrying message that protections for these landscapes can be brushed aside when it becomes politically convenient. Time and again, we are seeing developments pushed forward on sensitive peatland despite clear warnings about the environmental damage this can cause.

“These are not low-value or expendable areas of land. They are some of the most ecologically significant landscapes in Wales, supporting irreplaceable habitats and species. Once they are gone, they are gone for good, and no amount of mitigation can bring them back. We need a renewables strategy that works with nature, not against it.

“I will continue to stand up for the views of my constituents against the Welsh Labour Government’s approach to appeasing big developers and the big money behind them.”