Valero submit £100m Pembroke oil refinery plans to 'secure jobs'

Pembrokeshire oil refinery owners Valero have submitted £100m investment plans for the site.

The company said its proposals for a combined heat and power generation unit would "secure future jobs" and maintain the "viability" of the plant.

It would provide power to the refinery, as well as supplementing its steam demand.

Valero said it was in the "early stages" of the proposal and would not make a final decision until next year.

Pembrokeshire council's cabinet member for the economy, Keith Lewis, said: "We've gone through a period of losing jobs and this is really good news for the economy of Pembrokeshire and for the people who work in Valero."

The Texas-based company bought Pembroke refinery in 2011 in a £447m deal.

'Vote of confidence'

Valero vice president and general manager Ed Tomp said the plans, submitted to Planning Inspectorate Wales, would be a "significant investment".

He said they "demonstrate a huge vote of confidence in what the workforce has achieved since the company acquired the plant".

Mr Tomp added: "This project is at the heart of our plans to maintain the refinery's viability for the long term and help secure future jobs in the refining sector in Pembrokeshire and west Wales."