ICI Ardeer Power Station

Ardeer, located on Scotland's west coast in Ayrshire, was home to the UK's first dynamite factory, established by Alfred B. Nobel. This facility grew to become the largest explosives factory in the world and played a significant role in the development of the surrounding Ayrshire towns, including Stevenston, Irvine, Saltcoats, and Ardrossan, particularly after becoming part of ICI in 1926.

The factory was crucial not only for Nobel's Explosives but also for ICI as a whole. It pioneered a variety of high explosives that transformed the mining and engineering sectors, facilitating the extraction of vital minerals and supporting major infrastructure projects like harbors, canals, railways, roads, and utilities. Additionally, Ardeer became a key research hub for ICI, leading to the creation of numerous non-explosive products and the establishment of new company divisions.

However, by the 1990s, Ardeer's prosperity waned, largely due to the decline of the British deep coal mining industry. Shifts in global trade patterns for high explosives and rising competition from alternative products resulted in the downsizing and eventual closure of significant portions of the factory. The expansive 2000-acre site was subsequently sold off. Today, much of the original 1871 factory and its later expansions have been cleared.

In 2006, ICI Chemicals and Polymers sold 1671 acres of the original site to NPL Group, marking it as one of Scotland's largest brownfield regeneration projects. The current plans for the site include developing 918 acres for leisure activities, residential housing, a power plant, and mineral extraction.