What's left of Baglan Bay Power Station(Image: John Myers)

The lone tower that still stands at the site of a disused power station

The site was once a thriving centre of industry

by · Wales Online

This is the sad sight of a lone tower that still stands at a former power station which cost hundreds of millions of pounds to build and has been hit by a spate of arson attacks in recent years.

Baglan Bay Power Station near Port Talbot opened in 2003. It was constructed on the site of the former Isopropanol BP chemicals plant at a cost of around £300m. At the time it was considered the most advanced facility of its kind.

The site has been mostly decommissioned after the Baglan Group entered administration in the summer of 2020 when the power station stopped generating electricity. The group of companies then entered compulsory liquidation on March 24, 2021, and an official receiver was appointed to ensure a safe ‘wind-down’ of operations. For the latest Welsh news delivered to your inbox sign up to our newsletter.

There have been several arson attacks on the land in recent times and back in May 2023 the fire service issued a stark warning to those responsible, reminding them of the dangers they pose to themselves and to others, with some sections of the site considered unsafe.

However, just three months later in August 2023 a huge fire was started at the site which burned for more than 40 hours. Around 30 firefighters and specialist personnel were called to the scene to deal with the incident, with members of the public reporting that the former plant was “fully on fire” with flames extending to around 40ft into the air.

Today the site is empty and unused, as the pictures below - taken this week - show. The energy plant - and the chemical plant before it - was in full working order for decades, employing thousands of people over the years.

General/non-specific In Your Area Widget

The site has been largely empty since the summer of 2020(Image: John Myers)
A few buildings near the main tower remain(Image: John Myers)
But the area is quiet today when in previous years it would have been a hive of activity(Image: John Myers)
A lonely and quirt road at the site(Image: John Myers)
Rubble left at the disused site(Image: John Myers)