Ciner Glass UK has launched a consultation on its proposed container glass manufacturing facility in Wales, UK.

The facility would be located within the Rassau Industrial Estate, north of Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent, Wales.

Ciner Glass has invited 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 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 £350m investment would create around 600 jobs on a 21.5ha vacant plot within the Rassau Industrial Estate.

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

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

The facility, referred to in the planning documents as Dragon Glass Bottle Manufacturing facility, would consist of a four -part operation for the production of glass containers: melting and forming; the handling of raw materials; inspection and packaging and warehousing. The site occupies a strategic location adjacent to the A465 Heads of the Valleys Road in the heart of the South Wales Valleys.

Ciner Glass is a family-owned business, 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 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: “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 proposals can be viewed via https://ciner-glass-wales.virtual-engage.com

The virtual room contains planning documents, links to videos and more information about the proposed facility, including some videos explaining the company’s ambitions for Wales.

The 28-day public consultation is open for comments until: Thursday 19 August 2021 at 23:59.