Powys County Council has called for national energy projects approved by the Welsh Government to deliver a lasting legacy for communities, proposing a voluntary scheme for large-scale developments to share profits locally.

Under the Cabinet’s plan, every energy project of 10 megawatts or more would provide a minimum five per cent local profit share, in addition to the standard community benefit fund. The revenue would be used to fund council priorities across Powys for the duration of the project’s operation.

Council Leader, Cllr Jake Berriman said: “We want to establish a voluntary scheme requiring every large-scale (10 Megawatts and above) energy project wanting to do business in Powys to gift a minimum five per cent local profit share to provide a lasting legacy to benefit all Powys communities. Powys is currently experiencing an unprecedented scale of proposed energy development, with 16 Developments of National Significance (DNS) applications in the pipeline across the county.

“Clearly not all of these schemes are going to be approved by the Government but if they were communities would be faced with up to 306 wind turbines, with a combined potential to power up to two million homes, but none in Powys. The sheer volume and concentration of these projects is raising significant concerns for local communities.

“Alongside local Members and Town and Community Councils, the Local Planning Authority is a consultee on the major projects and will provide a technical response to each application registered to be considered by the Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW).”

Cllr Berriman stressed that Powys County Council is not the decision maker for large-scale applications, which is the role of Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW).

He said: “As a council we have already called on Welsh Government to pause its open invitation for major onshore windfarm applications in Powys reflecting residents’ concern about specific and cumulative impact and lack of national grid capacity which denies our communities access to the energy being generated here in the county.

“But should future applications be approved we are calling for a voluntary five percent profit share to benefit and a change in governance to the community benefit funds to ensure greater reach across all of Powys to provide a tangible lasting legacy for future generations.”

The proposal has been criticised by Reform UK group leader on the council, Iain McIntosh, who said the announcement shows “a remarkable level of naivety about how major energy developers operate”.

“No serious developer is going to give away a stake in their business on that basis, particularly in the current economic climate,” he said.

“Communities across Powys are already deeply worried about the unprecedented scale of wind farm proposals, the cumulative impact on our landscapes, and the absence of meaningful local benefit.”

“Rather than focusing on the genuine planning, safeguarding and environmental concerns raised by residents, the Cabinet appears more interested in pitching itself as a future business partner to the very companies whose developments communities are fighting against,” said Cllr McIntosh.

He also warned of a potential conflict of interest, saying the Cabinet “cannot present itself as an impartial voice for Powys residents while simultaneously chasing a slice of the profits” from projects it is meant to scrutinise as a statutory consultee.