The schemes would intend to contribute towards the council’s goal of increasing renewable energy generation, as well as its wider climate change commitments that are set out in the Corporate Plan (2024-2030).
Cllr Christina Leyshon, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council's cabinet member with responsibility for climate change, said: "These proposals for the Treforest Weir and Dare Valley Country Park demonstrate the council’s innovative approach to carbon reduction and producing cleaner energy. In simple terms, they each propose to use naturally flowing water to generate electricity, that will then be used to power council assets. In this regard, it is similar to the Taff’s Well Thermal Spring, which uses naturally-produced warm water and converts it into energy for a primary school teaching block nearby.
"The council is very committed to its climate change goals and responsibilities – our Corporate Plan acknowledges that delivering upon these is our greatest challenge as an organisation, while a Corporate Decarbonisation Strategy was formally adopted by the Climate Change Cabinet sub-Committee in 2023. To achieve our ambitious targets we must invest in clean energy generation, which is why the Treforest and Aberdare projects have been in development."
She added: "With the planning submissions now completed for both projects, I’d urge interested residents to access more information on the council’s Planning Portal – including project overviews and key documents. All feedback that is received will then be considered when the respective applications are formally considered at a future meeting of the planning and development committee."
