TWO giant wind turbines could soon be built next to the M4 between Pucklechurch and Westerleigh.
The turbines would help power the nearby Bristol and Bath Science Park, including the Isambard AI supercomputer being built there.
The wind turbines would be set up by the Bristol Energy Network, with a grant from the West of England Combined Authority.
As well as the turbines, the 228-acre Leigh Farm, which is north of Pucklechurch between the M4 and Westerleigh Crematorium, would be used for planting a new woodland and creating plots for Gypsy and traveller caravans.
South Gloucestershire Council’s cabinet is expected to sign off the plans on Monday.
The field is to the east of the Westerleigh fuel depot and close to an area proposed for more than 2,000 homes under the South Gloucestershire Local Plan.
The development, provisionally named North Lyde Ecotech Village, would also include 18 hectares of employment land, extending the Bristol & Bath Science Park to the south of Henfield and the Kendleshire golf club.
Much of it is currently farmland but it also includes the Windmill Leisure Golf and Activity Centre, Windmill Fishery, South Gloucestershire Showground and Tulip abattoir.
A cabinet report on the turbines sets out the details, including problems connecting to the National Grid, which mean the turbines would not be able to supply electricity to homes in the area for the next 11 years.
The report said: “The significant difference between BEN’s proposals and that of a commercial energy company is that the benefit is routed back into communities. The local community would benefit from the surplus income generated from the turbines. Current proposals are to construct two turbines with a capacity of 4.26 megawatts each.
“Due to many constraints, including the availability of grid connection, opportunities for new renewable electricity generation and storage are limited within South Gloucestershire.
“The grid operator generally suggests post 2036–7 for connection where capacity currently does not exist.
“Recognising the widespread challenges of achieving a grid connection, for the energy produced by wind turbines at Leigh Farm an off-taker for a private wire is being evaluated for delivering power to the Bristol and Bath Science Park with a proposal to supply the Isambard AI facility.
“This private wire option is likely to be required given grid connection timescales.”
Across the country, a lack of grid capacity is hampering the roll-out of new renewable energy. Developers wanting to build solar farms or wind turbines face huge obstacles, as the existing electricity network cannot handle the extra energy flowing through its cables and power lines.
The delays are slowing down how fast the country can switch to using renewable energy and away from fossil fuels.
In the meantime, a “private wire” could send renewable energy generated by the turbines straight to the science park, which is home to the new power-hungry supercomputer being used for artificial intelligence research by Bristol University.
It’s unclear at the moment when construction of the turbines would begin and when they would start operating.
A new 30-hectare woodland is also planned for Leigh Farm, running alongside the motorway as a buffer. This will include a wildflower meadow, and public rights of way for people to access the woods.
Part of the land could also become six Gypsy and traveller plots.
By Alex Seabrook, Local Democracy Reporting Service