A fuel storage and distribution terminal in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, is to close after operator Impala was unable to secure a contract strong enough to keep the facility open.
Commercial operations at the plant, which employs 43 people, will end in December this year, after which a small group of staff will remain on board to decommission the facility, a project that is expected to take between 18 and 24 months.
The terminal began life as the Milford Haven refinery in 1973 before refining operations ceased in 2014 and the site became a fuel storage and distribution terminal for petrol, diesel, aviation and other fuels.
Thereafter the facility was known as the Puma Terminal, but it was taken over by Impala in 2022 following a restructuring of Singaporean commodities giant Trafigura, which controls both Puma and Impala.
A statement released by Impala says: “We can confirm that commercial operations at Milford Haven terminal will cease at the end of December, 2026, despite extensive but ultimately unsuccessful efforts to secure a new contract.
“We have worked hard to avoid this, but sadly there is no economic alternative.
“The decision reflects the wider global geopolitical backdrop, fuel market economics, and customer demands.”
Impala says that “a core number of employees” will continue working on the site as it is decommissioned, adding:
“We are conscious of the history of the site and have launched a review to assess future uses for it – whilst this does not solve the present issue, it aims to preserve the site’s legacy for future generations.”
Trafigura, meanwhile, is pressing ahead with its West Wales Hydrogen project, which will see subsidiary Morgen build a £50m production facility for the gas at the same site, with a target to generate 2,000 tonnes of hydrogen a year for use in heating, manufacturing and chemical feedstocks.
