Baglan Bay

Baglan Bay is a part of the Swansea Bay coastline and a district of Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales. The area currently has no inhabitants and is entirely occupied by industrial and commercial developments. Baglan Bay is also the name of a local government community coterminous with the Baglan Bay district. However, Baglan Bay does not have its own community council.

History

In the 19th century, coal, tinplate and pottery were exported from Baglan Pill. [The Welsh Academy Encyclopedia of Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press 2008] In 1963 BP opened a petrochemical plant at Baglan Bay, partly to benefit from the proximity of the BP Oil Refinery at Llandarcy, which could supply feedstocks. By 1968, BP Baglan Bay was one of the largest petrochemical sites in Europe, employing 2500 workers at its peak in 1974. However, market changes led to the gradual closure of the facility between 1994 and 2004. [ [http://www.bpchemicals.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=198&contentId=2016585 BP Closes Final Manufacturing Plant at Baglan Bay ] ]

Baglan Energy Park

Following the final closure of BP's Baglan Bay plant in 2004, the site was re-developed by BP, the Welsh Development Agency (WDA) and Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council. Baglan Bay power station, a 500 MW combined cycle gas turbine power plant operated by GE Power Systems was built and the remainder of the land was earmarked for a convert|180|acre|km2|sing=on business park, the Baglan Energy Park. Businesses locating at the park benefit from low cost electrical energy from the power station. [ [http://www.wda.co.uk/index.cfm/swansea_bay_partnership_/sites/baglan_energy_park/en4402 Baglan Energy Park ] ] Several plots are now developed with tenants or with speculative office and industrial premises available to let. A paper mill, Intertissue, part of the Italian paper tissue manufacturing company Sofidel Group, was completed in September 2006. The Energy Park is also home to the Sustainable Technologies Technium, part of a network of business incubation centres across Wales; [ [http://www.wda.co.uk/index.cfm/technium/technium_centres/sustainable_technologies_technium/en4518 Technium Sustainable Technologies ] ] Hi-Lex Cable System Ltd; Remploy Ltd; Montagne Jeunesse; [ [http://www.npt.gov.uk/baglanenergypark/existing.cfm Baglan Energy Park - Existing Businesses ] ] and headquarters for Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council's service response centre. [ [http://www.neath-porttalbot.gov.uk/pressreleases/pressrelease.cfm?id=2322 Press Releases - 26 Apr 2007 ] ]

New facilities are under construction for Shield Medicare Ltd (a subsidiary of US sanitation supply company Ecolab) and the University of Glamorgan’s Hydrogen research and demonstration centre. [ [http://www.npt.gov.uk/baglanenergypark/projects.cfm Baglan Energy Park - Projects Under Construction ] ] Developer TCN UK is planning to develop a 57,000 sq.ft. development called The Exchange which is expected to provide office space for 400 workers. [ [http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business-in-wales/business-news/2008/08/05/400-job-office-development-scheme-for-port-talbot-91466-21466505/ 400 job office development scheme for Port Talbot - Wales Online 5 August 2008] ]

Future plans

A wholly owned BP company, Abernedd Power Ltd, has proposed a further two Natural Gas fired power stations with a total generation capacity of 870 MW of electricity. The scheme has reached the planning stage. Construction is due to start within two years to meet a projected shortfall in power generation capacity in the UK and Wales within the next 5 to 7 years. [http://www.Aberneddpowerplant.co.uk]

Notes

ee also

*Baglan
*Baglan Bay power station
*

External links

* [http://www.npt.gov.uk/baglanenergypark/ Baglan Energy Park]
* [http://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=2742371 www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Baglan Bay and surrounding area]