Residents urged to base Hybont feedback on facts, not misinformation

Residents of Brynmenyn and Bryncethin have until Friday 6 January 2023 to submit their feedback on pre-planning application proposals that could see a new green energy Hybont plant developed on land adjacent to Brynmenyn Industrial Estate.

However, council officials and energy experts Marubeni are also appealing for people to base their feedback on the facts around the plans after recent public exhibitions revealed a great deal of rumour and misinformation circulating among the community concerning the size, impact and safety implications of the proposals.

Councillor John Spanswick, Cabinet Member for Communities, said: “Hundreds of residents attended the recent exhibitions, and nearly all needed to be reminded that this is literally a pre-application consultation. Any contractors that may have been spotted at the site are testing ground conditions as part of that process, and are not preparing it for the bulldozers to roll in and start work.

“Due to the sheer amount of misinformation that is out there, many people also had to be assured that the proposed plant would not dominate the skyline or pose a risk to the environment or life itself.

“The fact of the matter is that safe, hydrogen-based technology is already in use across the UK and Europe where it forms part of a move towards tackling climate change by increasing the availability of clean renewable energy, and decarbonising vehicles.

“In London, 22 new hydrogen buses have been introduced – the equivalent of removing 836 petrol cars and saving 1,848 tonnes of CO2 – while in Aberdeen, 15 hydrogen buses have already jointly travelled more than a million miles while saving 1,700 tonnes of emissions.

“With hydrogen-powered waste and recycling trucks being successfully used in areas such as the Wirral, the Bridgend project represents a £31m investment that could ensure we are at the forefront of the increasing use of sustainable energy in everyday life.

“The truth of the matter is that the proposed new plant would be based alongside existing industries within Brynmenyn Industrial Estate where it would occupy a small, extensively landscaped site, and the only by-product it would produce is oxygen. When used, the fuel itself produces water.

“While it is disappointing to see how much rumour and misinformation has already been shared, we want as many people as possible to submit their concerns so that they can receive an official response based on actual information and hard facts.

“Because this is all still at the pre-planning application stage, a great deal of further work and public consultation will need to be carried out, and I hope that people will take the time to find out more about the reality of the plans so that their opinions and feedback can add real value to the process.”

• You can find more information about the proposals and how you can have your say by visiting hybont.co.uk