It is considered one of the most majestic waterfalls in north Wales, a mist-shrouded torrent that has inspired storytellers and artists for centuries.
But a fierce row has broken out over a scheme to harness the force of Rhaeadr y Cwm to generate electricity, with one of Wales’s foremost naturalists, Iolo Williams, the latest to step into a growing row over the project.
Williams, also a popular broadcaster, has added his voice to 1,000 protesters who have expressed fears that if the scheme goes ahead it will damage one of the most wonderful sights in Eryri (Snowdonia) and harm an important habitat for precious ferns and mosses.
The rugged landscape around Rhaeadr y Cwm, near the village of Llan Ffestiniog, is associated with the Mabinogi, a medieval masterpiece and one of Britain’s earliest examples of prose, and was painted by David Cox, one of England’s greatest landscape painters of the 19th century.
Three brothers behind the project, who farm the land, say the Cwm Cynfal project will provide power for 700 households and will not harm the landscape but “dissolve into” it.
Their idea is to abstract water at the top of the gorge above the falls, which is more than 100 metres tall, and carry it in a buried pipe to a turbine at the bottom, where the water would be returned to the river. A cable would carry the electricity up the side of the valley to join the National Grid.
The brothers say abstraction would happen only when there was enough water in the river to maintain an “adequate flow” and no more than 70% of the extra flow would be taken.
Critics are unconvinced. Williams said: “The path down to the waterfall takes you to a really special place where the rocks, the tree trunks and fallen branches are festooned in mosses, ferns and lichen. It has a primeval feel to it, as if, at any time, I could catch a glimpse of a wolf or wild boar.
“A draw of nearly 70% of the water would be extremely harmful to the rare ferns and mosses. I’m very supportive of social green energy but not when it means destroying the natural beauty of Wales.”
A consultation closed at the end of September, and more than 1,000 objections were submitted. Many did so through an e-action webpage set up by the Snowdonia Society, Save Our Rivers, the North Wales Wildlife Trust and Buglife. The protesters said more than 500 of the objectors were local to north Wales.
Dan Yates of Save Our Rivers said: “The constant impact of development on our rivers and streams over the last few decades has led to the UK having one of the most degraded river systems in the world.”
The brothers, Dafydd Elis, Elis Dafydd and Moi Dafydd, insisted there was “strong support” for the project locally and said there had been an orchestrated “clickbait” campaign against it.
They said: “We understand how special the area is and the last thing we would want to do is ruin this. We are confident that the scheme will dissolve into the landscape once finished. Eryri national park is a place where people live and work, and not just a place for people to visit.”
Mabon ap Gwynfor, a Plaid MS, who is backing the project, said: “The climate emergency is the biggest challenge facing humanity and the target of achieving net zero by 2050 is fast approaching. It will be almost impossible to reach the target without schemes like this.”
A spokesperson for the national park said: “A planning application for the development of a hydroelectric scheme has been registered. Planning officers are currently assessing the application, which will be presented to the planning and access committee in due course.”
