BETWEEN 50 and 2,000 jobs could be created on the Haven waterway, if the county council enters into negotiation to sell the former RNAD site at Blackbridge.

The 25-acre site, which neighbours around 200 acres of Welsh Government-owned land at Waterston, is currently being eyed up by developers.

So far five developers have put their hats into the ring, with four saying their plans would rely on acquiring all the land, including the Blackbridge site currently owned by Pembrokeshire County Council.

The Welsh Government’s preferred bid is a 350MW biomass plant, which would see the existing jetty refurbished to accept up to 30,000-tonne vessels bringing in feedstock, and is forecast to create around 500 jobs.

The plant would also provide power for a number of sustainable industries, such as a fish farm, prawn farm, cheese factory and aquaponic greenhouses.

Other potential projects include a firm manufacturing components for the energy sector, and parts for tram, marine and rail travel, with the aim of creating more than 500 jobs over four years.

Plans for a 25MW waste to energy facility, which would create 50 jobs and be operational within a year of planning approval, is the only bid to not require the Blackbridge land.

Of the two other bids, both described as ‘not defined’, one is believed to involve offshore renewable energy, while the other is ‘based on a number of concepts around ports, MOD facilities, power generation, a data centre, a solar plant, and manufacturing with rail links’.

The former aims to create around 2,000 jobs ‘over many years’, while the latter plans to create more than 1,000 jobs.

County council cabinet members will decide whether to approve a recommendation to enter into negotiations with the preferred bidder for the disposal of the Blackbridge site at a meeting on Monday, November 3.

A Welsh Government report examining the bids states that the money from any sale is unlikely to be received before 2015.