The Welsh government have turned down Powys Council’s requests to pause wind farm development applications.

In a letter sent to the council chair, Welsh government said an independent advisory group would seek appropriate solutions for electricity transmission infrastructure, but did not directly address the request to pause the open call for wind farm development applications until the infrastructure was considered.

It comes one month after the council voted unanimously to call on the government to pause its open invitation for wind farms proposals in Powys over concerns about the significant number of proposals being considered simultaneously and their impact on residents, wildlife and infrastructure.

Llanidloes Councillor Glyn Preston branded the government’s response as “turning a blind eye to pylon concerns in Powys”.

The Lib Dem Senedd Candidate for Gwynedd Maldwyn said: “The Welsh Labour government’s reply is simply not good enough.

“Powys residents are facing an unprecedented wave of windfarm and pylon proposals, yet ministers have failed to provide even the most basic assurances about how these developments will be coordinated, assessed, or delivered.

“Communities feel overwhelmed, and the government’s response only reinforces the sense that their concerns are being ignored.

“We asked for a clear strategy to manage cumulative impacts; instead, we were given generic statements and no answers.

“Powys supports renewable energy, but it must be done properly.

“When companies say the undergrounding of pylons is too expensive, what they really mean is that it takes money out of their bottom line.

“Make no mistake: these are large corporations backed by very wealthy investors and banks.

“The government must stop turning a blind eye to the real concerns of rural communities and start engaging meaningfully, rather than protecting the profits of large companies seeking to extract wealth from Wales while offering little to no benefit to local people.”

The council wrote to the MS Rebecca Evans, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, calling to pause applications until the government had “set out how it will ensure cumulative impact across all outstanding applications is properly managed and considered”, stating that the existing case-by-case approach couldn’t “keep pace” with the rate of competing applications.

It called for a clear plan for upgrading power networks, and requested not to permit more energy parks until there is evidence that they can be connected to the grid.

Last week MS Evans replied, reiterating policies in place to favour wind farm projects in Pre-Assessed Areas, stating that qualifying proposals are required to justify the plans so that communities, habitats and species are protected from “adverse impacts”.

In the letter, she added: “The Welsh government has set up the Independent Advisory Group for Future Electricity Grid for Wales to develop a better understanding of the possible approaches to delivering electricity transmission infrastructure, including consideration of pylons and undergrounding of electricity cables.

“This work will seek the most appropriate solutions for Wales.

“The Advisory Group will report back in due course, and its outcomes will help inform the Welsh government’s position going forward.”