Residents in the dark about when huge power station ash mound will be removed

Ted Peskett, local democracy reporter

Residents living in the shadow of Wales’ last coal-fired power station are still in the dark as to when a mound of ash that used to cover their homes in dust will be removed.

Aberthaw Power Station in the Vale of Glamorgan closed in 2020 and is currently being demolished to make way for a new renewable energy park.

Update

Cardiff Capital Region Energy (CCR Energy), the company behind the new energy park, used to update residents about the project on a quarterly according to members of a residents’ liaison group.

However one member said their last meeting was in March 2025. The ash mound at Aberthaw Power Station will be dismantled as part of the wider plan for the site but those who live nearby are worried about the impact this will have.

A spokesman for CCR Energy said: “CCR Energy has taken initial samples from the pulverised fuel ash (PFA) mound and the process of full testing has yet to begin.

“No decisions will be made about the mound until those results are available and have been robustly assessed.

“The findings will guide any potential future use and help shape next steps.

“We recognise the high level of local interest and concern around the ash mound.

“We remain in contact with residents and respond directly to any questions raised.

“We are committed to keeping the community informed through updates and mail drops when there is progress to share.

“While there is no new progress to report at this stage we want to reassure the community that we will provide full updates as the project develops.”

Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) asked residents in villages near Aberthaw Power Station, like East Aberthaw, about plans to demolish the site earlier this year.

The demolition of Aberthaw Power Station is expected to be completed by 2027.

However removing the mound of ash could take a lot longer.

30 years

Celtic Minerals, the company in line to process the ash mound, states on its website that it plans to process 600,000 tonnes of waste ash per year.

The company’s website also states that it is a project which could last 30 years.

Many residents in East Aberthaw recalled clouds of dust covering their homes and property when the power station was still in operation and PFA was being dumped on the mound.

With 17m tonnes of compacted waste ash waiting to be disturbed many are fearful that their communities could be affected again.

In July residents in Font-y-Gary and Fonmon were reminded of what life next to Aberthaw Power Station used to be like when clouds of dust blew over their homes from Aberthaw Quarry.

At the time global energy company RWE was removing PFA from the site so it could be returned to agricultural use.

Residents said they had major concerns about the future of the Aberthaw Power Station ash mound after what happened during the quarry works.

Concern over the future of Aberthaw Power Station was heightened after Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) was taken to court over how it awarded a contract for the site’s demolition.

Demolition company Erith was awarded a £30m contract to demolish the power station.

However losing bidders Brown and Mason Group lodged a successful legal challenge over the awarding of the contract.

The city region abandoned its defence and settled with the company at the cost of £5.25m.