AN £11m South Wales call centre is engaged for business. The centre, which will have the capacity for 650 workers, has taken over 350 staff from the former SWALEC call centre at St Mellons near Newport.

The new centre at Cardiff Gate has been built for Scottish and Southern Energy for their SWALEC call centre operation.

Currently there are 250 staff working at the building dealing with SWALEC gas customers but this will be swelled to 600 when all the staff are transferred from St Mellons.

The 50,000 sq ft new building, called Ty Meridian, will also house staff dealing with SWALEC electricity customers when they move over and will use new computer systems.

The systems are the same as used at other Scottish and Southern call centres at Perth (Scotland), Portsmouth and Basingstoke.

The building which was built and completed by beleaguered construction form Brunswick just days before it went into administrative receivership took 19 weeks to complete. The building and facility, including fitting and IT facilities, cost Scottish and Southern Energy £11 million.

First Minister Rhodri Morgan who formally opened the new facility said: "This project is an excellent example of what can be achieved by effective collaboration between private and public sectors.

"I an delighted that the assembly government has been able to assist Scottish and Southern Energy by providing grant support via the regional selective assistance grant scheme.

"Hi-tech service industries, the financial sector and customer contact centres have played a significant part of the recent investment pattern inn Wales and we will continue to encourage the diversification of the Welsh economy.

"Scottish and Southern Energy has shown every confidence in the Welsh workforce by retaining the SWALEC operation in Wales.

"On behalf of the Assembly and the people of Wales I would like to wish the company, and this splendid new facility, every success for the future."

Scottish and Southern Energy chief executive Jim Forbes said: "We are delighted to have made this commitment to Wales by locating our SWALEC call centre at this prestigious Cardiff development.

"The building was built to our specification and provides our staff with an open plan working environment.

"This will play a central in continuing to grope our SWALEC brand name as part of Scottish and Southern Energy's supply business which now has five million energy customers throughout the United Kingdom."

*SCOTTISH and Southern Energy (SSE) is the fourth largest energy company in the UK and serves five million people. SSE manages the largest electricity distribution network in the UK with more than 120,000 kms of overhead lines and underground cables.

*PICTURED: Rhodri Morgan unveils a plaque at the opening of the call centre. With him is chief executive Jim Forbes.