£685m Milford Haven energy investment to bring 560 jobs

A £685m investment could create 560 jobs at a new renewable energy facility in Pembrokeshire.

Cypriot-owned Egnedol has bought the former Gulf refinery at Waterston and the RNAD Blackbridge site in Milford Haven.

It plans to produce green electricity and green liquid fuels from biomass from the base.

A public exhibition is planned for October ahead of a planning application being submitted to the council.

If consent is given and the site proves to be profitable, the company said it will increase investment to up to £1.6bn over the next five years.

Fuel is created by subjecting organic materials, such as wood, to high heat in an oxygen free environment.

The renewable energy facility would see biomass converted into a biogas, which would be used to produce green electricity or green liquid fuels.

It is also hoped that heat captured from this process could be used in food production businesses at the site.

The company's spokesman Phil Johns said: "We believe our proposal for a clean energy facility at Blackbridge and Waterston has the potential to place Milford Haven at the heart of one of the most exciting growth industries in the world - renewables - bringing much needed jobs and inward investment to Pembrokeshire."

The company also hopes to partner with Welsh universities to create a research and development facility on the site.