Provan Gas Works

Provan Gas Works is an industrial gas holding plant in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. The plant, resides in the Provanmill area of the city, and was built by Glasgow Corporation in 1904. It later became part of British Gas, and subsequently Transco, who operate it today.

Originally the plant was a gasworks, manufacturing town gas via the coking of coal. In 1972, supplies of inexpensive natural gas from North Sea oilfields became available. The gasworks was downsized significantly in the 1980s in response to changing economic conditions arising as the British gas industry was privatised under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Today the plant is largely unmanned, used solely for gas storage and distribution.

The plant has become significant for its two massive gasometers which have become an iconic industrial landmark in Glasgow's East End. Among the largest of their kind in the UK, each of the towers can hold convert|283000|m3|-3|sigfig=2|abbr=on of gas. Their combined storage capacity is a massive convert|566000|m3|-3|sigfig=3|abbr=on - enough to supply a city the size of York for an entire day each.

Since the construction of the M8 and M80 motorways in the 1970s & 1980s, which run directly next to the plant, the twin gasholders have become an unofficial portal into the city's central area for drivers from Edinburgh and the north.

The towers have also gained an affectionate following among locals since they are often used to display huge placards showcasing the various promotional slogans for the city, the most memorable being the "Glasgow's Miles Better" and "Everyone's Glasgowing On" campaigns.

The future of the plant is under discussion - Glasgow City Council have proposed plans for decontaminating the unused land on the brownfield site and redeveloping it for commercial use. The twin gasholder towers are expected to remain in use for the foreseeable future.

References

* [http://www.nationalgrid.com/property/pdfs/Gasholder.pdf Brochure about methods of removing old gasometers, if necessary, describing the ones at Provan Gas Works as two of the biggest in Scotland] (PDF requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)