Hundreds of residents, farmers, and business owners have contacted Powys County Councillor Iain McIntosh over the past few months to express concern about the growing number of wind farm proposals across the county.

The Reform UK councillor, who represents Yscir with Honddu Isaf and Llanddew, said he had been inundated with correspondence from people worried about the size, location, and impact of the projects, which he said would fundamentally change the landscape and local communities.

Two developments in particular have drawn intense scrutiny recently. Bute Energy’s Garreg Fawr Energy Park, planned approximately nine kilometres northwest of Brecon, would see up to 22 turbines constructed, each with blades reaching 220 metres in height. Wind2’s Parc Ynni Banc y Celyn, near Upper Chapel and Gwenddwr, proposes 27 turbines of up to 200 metres, alongside a solar farm and battery storage facilities. Both projects lie close to the Ministry of Defence’s Sennybridge Training Area (SENTA), a live military facility used for low-flying aircraft exercises, parachute drops, and drone operations.

Cllr McIntosh has written to the Secretary of State for Defence raising concerns about the suitability of placing turbines of this scale next to an active training zone. The MOD responded that its Safeguarding Team had flagged serious risks to low-flying training and SENTA’s operational capability. The councillor said the response, while welcome, did not explain why developers were being encouraged to bring forward projects in such sensitive locations.

Environmental and infrastructure issues are also at the forefront. Cllr McIntosh warned that each turbine base could require around 200,000 litres of water, raising concerns for residents reliant on private wells and springs.

"We live in an area where many properties are not connected to the mains, and any reduction or contamination of the groundwater could have devastating and long lasting effects," he said.

"Borehole yields are highly sensitive to local changes in the water table. Large scale excavation, road building, and concrete pouring on this scale risks permanently altering groundwater movement and reducing flow to private wells and springs. I have seen no evidence that the developers or the Welsh Government have carried out any serious assessment of these risks."

The councillor also warned about the impact on local infrastructure. Narrow rural roads through Sennybridge, Llanfihangel Nant Bran, and Upper Chapel are not built to accommodate abnormal loads or sustained construction traffic, raising concerns about safety, access, and road damage.

Peatland damage is another major concern, as damage to peat could release stored carbon into the atmosphere and alter natural water flow, increasing flood risks for communities downstream.

"Equally worrying is the cumulative impact on our landscape and tourism economy," said Cllr McIntosh.

"These hills form part of the natural backdrop to the Brecon Beacons National Park, which attracts thousands of visitors every year. The introduction of 220-metre industrial turbines across this skyline would permanently scar one of Wales’s most iconic views, undermining both the tranquillity and the economic value of this area."

The councillor stressed that he was "not opposed to cleaner forms of energy" but said he did not believe that onshore or offshore wind should play any part in our "future energy mix”.

"Instead, we should be investing in proven and dependable sources such as clean gas, new nuclear, tidal, hydro, and other technologies that provide secure, affordable, and continuous power. These can be developed sensibly, without industrialising rural Wales or threatening essential assets such as Sennybridge Training Area," he said.

He called for a pause on new large-scale projects, saying: “Powys has already contributed significantly to Wales’s renewable targets. It is now time for a pause, a moratorium, on all new large scale onshore wind projects in Mid Wales until a full review is carried out on their cumulative impact, their environmental footprint, and their compatibility with vital national assets such as SENTA."

"I want to make it absolutely clear that I will continue to oppose these proposals for as long as they threaten the safety of military training, the integrity of our environment, and the wellbeing of local communities," said Cllr McIntosh.

"I will continue to stand with residents, businesses, farmers, and the many community groups now forming across Mid Wales to oppose these developments, to protect our landscapes, and to demand that both the UK and Welsh Governments start listening to the people who actually live here."