A consultation on proposals to construct and operate a glass container manufacturing facility which uses recycled glass has being launched by CiNER Glass.

The facility, referred to in the planning documents as “Dragon Glass Bottle Manufacturing Facility”, would be located within the Rassau Industrial Estate, to the north of Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent, South Wales.

CiNER Glass are inviting interested parties to view their proposals as part of a 28-day Pre- Application Consultation (PAC) process.

This comes ahead of a planning application to be submitted later in the year to Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council (BGCBC), seeking permission to build the facility. If the project receives the necessary approval, CiNER Glass intends to supply glass bottles to UK food and beverage producers.

The intended £350m investment would create around 600 highly skilled jobs on a 21.5ha vacant plot within the Rassau Industrial Estate.

The hope is that the size and scale of this project can act as a catalyst for economic regeneration, helping increase investment in the circular economy in Wales.

The project would also create significant supply chain opportunities, with 400–500 jobs created during the construction phase, with several hundred people working on site during the peak of construction.

CiNER Glass is a family-owned business which is headquartered in the UK. It is part of CiNER Group, a major international conglomerate based in Turkey. Mrs Didem Ciner, Executive Board Member, CiNER Glass Ltd said: “Our vision is to build a centre of engineering excellence in glass technology in Wales, which can compete with the best in the world for generations to come.”

Mrs Ciner added that “South Wales is well positioned to serve the existing UK operations of our customers. Good access to road and port infrastructure and a skilled local workforce makes Wales an obvious choice for CiNER’s expansion. Our intention is to get as close to our customers as possible to cut the economic and environmental costs of transporting glass.”

The July/August issue of Glass Worldwide includes an exclusive interview with Didem Ciner: https://www.glassworldwide.co.uk/Articles/exclusive-ciner-glass-article

www.ciner-glass-wales.virtual-engage.com

Image: CiNER Glass begins the consultation on Dragon Glass Manufacturing Facility, Blaenau Gwent