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Longannet was Scotland’s last coal-fired power station until it was closed in 2016
Plans for a new £40m train factory on the site of Scotland’s last coal-fired power station look set to move forward.
Fife councillors are deciding whether to grant outline planning permission for the redevelopment of Longannet, which was closed in 2016.
The site has been chosen by Spanish train maker Talgo as the base for a new factory, employing 1,000 people and supporting a further 5,000 jobs.
Fife Council officials are recommending approval of the plans.
It was initially thought Talgo would only proceed if it won a major train-building contract for the HS2 high speed rail line between London and the north of England.
But Talgo UK’s managing director Jon Veitch told BBC Scotland the plans for the 80,000 sq m facility near Kincardine did not depend on securing that deal.
He said: “There are other options. We are looking at major contracts that are available to us.
“There are growing markets, particularly in Europe right now, particularly with the drive for decarbonisation and the modal shift from airlines to railway transit modes.”
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Talgo
Talgo specialises in designing and making fast lightweight trains
Talgo specialises in designing and making fast lightweight trains. Its trains currently operate in 28 countries including Germany, the USA and Saudi Arabia.
Mr Veitch added: “Gaining the outline planning consent is a major milestone for us, which then enables us to make sure in the final stages all our plans are ready for contract award.
“For that, we are looking at 18 to 20 months for construction of the facility and then we obviously have a transfer of technologies and training commitment as we start to recruit upwards to 2023.”
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ScottishPower has been dismantling the site, carrying out a series of controlled explosions in recent weeks. Demolition work is set to continue into next year.
Paul Lewis, managing director of Scottish Development International, which looks to attract overseas investors to Scotland, said: “Longannet has played a really important role in the Scottish economy historically, and we see it playing an equally important role in the future.
“Our plans are to use the asset that Longannet represents to create a really leading high-value manufacturing site, where companies from Scotland, from other parts of the world, can come and make high-value manufacturing products for the world.”
