A technology hub is planned for Ebbw Vale, the largest town of Blaenau Gwent county and right at the heart of the country’s Tech Valleys project. The £20 million research and development centre will be a testbed for digital security innovations focusing on security systems for power stations, the rail industry, water systems, telecoms and traffic control. The first 11 people will start in February, with the centre hopefully being fully operational by 2021. The Tech Valleys project is an initiative started in 2017 by the Welsh government to support job growth with new technologies and advanced manufacturing.