Powering schools, charities and communities across RCT and Merthyr

Five organisations across Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil are set to benefit from more than £1.37 million through the latest round of Ynni Cymru funding, helping schools, community organisations, charities and businesses reduce energy costs and invest more in the people and services they support.

The projects are among 24 organisations across Wales set to receive a share of £8.27 million through the programme's third round of funding.

One of the projects receiving funding is The Merthyr Tydfil Institute For The Blind, which has been awarded £388,840 through the Ynni Cymru programme. The organisation employs 52 people, with more than three-quarters of staff living with disabilities, visual impairments or other barriers to work. Funding will be used to install solar panels, battery storage, heat pumps and electric vehicle charging points. By reducing energy bills, the project could generate savings worth the cost of employing an additional full-time member of staff, helping support jobs and the organisation's future work.

The five projects receiving funding across Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil are:

• Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council, Rhondda Cynon Taf - local authority project at Ysgol Nantgwyn supporting education and community energy
• A Strings Limited, Treforest - specialist retail business
• Cambrian Village Trust LTD, Clydach Vale - community organisation supporting local people and activities
• The Merthyr Tydfil Institute For The Blind, Merthyr Tydfil - charity and employer supporting disabled and visually impaired people
• Business in Focus Limited, Dowlais - social enterprise supporting local businesses and entrepreneurs

Ynni Cymru is a Welsh Government programme that helps communities, businesses and public services create and use their own clean energy. It supports projects that generate renewable energy, reduce energy bills and bring benefits to local areas.

Since launching in 2023, the programme has supported more than 80 projects across Wales. This third round of funding will provide £8.27 million to 24 organisations, including five projects across Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil, bringing total investment through Ynni Cymru to more than £31 million.

Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy, Adam Price, said:

“I'm delighted that organisations across Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil are benefiting from this latest round of Ynni Cymru funding.

“From schools and community organisations to charities and local businesses, these projects will help reduce energy costs and direct more resources towards supporting local people.

“Ynni Cymru is delivering the Welsh Government's vision for greener, cheaper energy, owned and used by people and communities across Wales.”