Britain's native red squirrels could be wiped out by wind farm - 'We can't risk losing them!'
GB News|Sophie Little|Oct 9, 2025
A population of Britain's native red squirrels is under threat from plans to build a sprawling wind farm. A wildlife charity is fighting the proposals, saying it would increase the chances of the species' local extinction in mid Wales.
A population of Britain's native red squirrels is under threat from plans to build a sprawling wind farm. A wildlife charity is fighting the proposals, saying it would increase the chances of the species' local extinction in mid Wales.
The red squirrel population has lived in a Welsh forest for thousands of years - but the green energy push could force it to extinction
A population of Britain's native red squirrels is under threat from plans to build a sprawling wind farm.
A wildlife charity is fighting the proposals, saying it would increase the chances of the species' local extinction in mid Wales.
The construction of 19 turbines in a forest east of Lampeter, Ceredigion, has been put forward by renewable energy firm Galileo Empower.
But the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales (WTSWW) said the Bryn Arau Duon Forest in Carmarthenshire, which offered a "rare refuge" for red squirrels, would also be affected by the plans.
The WTSWW now leads the Mid Wales Red Squirrel …
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]The red squirrel population has lived in a Welsh forest for thousands of years - but the green energy push could force it to extinction
A population of Britain's native red squirrels is under threat from plans to build a sprawling wind farm.
A wildlife charity is fighting the proposals, saying it would increase the chances of the species' local extinction in mid Wales.
The construction of 19 turbines in a forest east of Lampeter, Ceredigion, has been put forward by renewable energy firm Galileo Empower.
But the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales (WTSWW) said the Bryn Arau Duon Forest in Carmarthenshire, which offered a "rare refuge" for red squirrels, would also be affected by the plans.
The WTSWW now leads the Mid Wales Red Squirrel Partnership (MWRSP) which has been committed to protecting the red squirrel population for more than 20 years in the forest - which is devoid of invasive grey squirrels.
It is thought that the mid Wales colony is one of only three colonies of red squirrels in Wales, with the other two both being in north Wales.
Galileo Empower has claimed its planned 89 acre (36 hectare) site, known as Bryn Cadwgan Energy Park, was already a commercial forestry plantation where felling and extraction are present.
Alongside the 230-metre-tall wind turbines, the site would feature solar panels, a substation and battery storage.