Blyth was once a thriving
coal-exporting, fishing port and, in WW2, a submarine base. Times
have changed and once the coal-fired power station closed it came
to rely on the import of Bauxite for the local Aluminium Smelter.
However the smelter at Lynemouth closed in 2012. Bauxite is still imported
and transported by rail to Fort William in Scotland. In 2003 the quay
was restored and coal was for a time
imported from Eastern
Europe and the USA, to the converted Battleship Wharf. Research
and development of wind turbines is breathing new life to the port.
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