1000 jobs on track
Factory will build trains
A train manufacturer is to create 1000 new jobs in Forth Valley after opting to build a plant on the site of the former Longannet power station.
Spanish firm Talgo last month announced a shortlist of potential sites for its new factory and this week confirmed Longannet had been selected.
Madrid–based Talgo, which specialises in the production of high–speed trains, embarked on an 18 month long assessment of 30 different sites.
Company bosses say the Longannet factory site will initially occupy an area of more than 70,000 square metres. Construction of a factory is likely to take 18 months, during which additional planning and construction jobs could be created.
Reasons given for the selection of Longannet included its ‘excellent connectivity’ by sea, rail and road, the availability of skilled workers and the ability to create a ‘pipeline’ of engineers and innovators to grow capability.
A second preferred site, at Chesterfield, will serve as an innovation centre, and be a focus from which a new ‘all Britain’ strategy, aimed at protecting and growing the supply-chain will be developed.
Longannet was Scotland’s last coal–fired power station when it closed in March, 2016, after failing to win a contract from National Grid.
It brought to an end a period of operation which began in 1973 when it was opened and operated by the South of Scotland Electricity Board.
In 1990, Scottish Power took over the running of the site following privatisation. Over 230 workers were based at Longannet at the time of its closure.
Coal stock towers at the site were successfully brought down in a controlled explosion last week.
Although there will be a central factory location, key elements are expected to be made elsewhere in the UK, and integrated into the final build at the facility in Longannet.
The site at Longannet has great connectivity, would receive a major boost from job creation, and has the potential to supply people that can be skilled-up to meet the needs of building trains that can run at up to 235mph.
Carlos de Palacio, president of Talgo said: “The establishment of a manufacturing facility at Longannet is a significant part of Talgo’s future strategy.
“Talgo’s aim is to establish true UK manufacturing – rather than assembling from parts made elsewhere. This will be a team effort, requiring the ‘Best of British’.”