Renewable energy company Raggnar Power has chosen the Aberdeenshire village of Insch as its new manufacturing centre for the north east.
Founded two years ago, Raggnar has paved the way for its move into renewables by installing tailor-made, pellet-burning biomass boilers at farms, hotels and country estates across the UK.
The company said yesterday it will move ten of its 12 north-east-based staff into its new digs at the Insch Business Park next month, having signed a six-year lease on the office space and depot.
Currently based on a farm in Alford, the company is growing at a fast rate of knots. It plans to swell staff numbers in the north east to 30 by the end of the year.
The firm employs a total of 20 people throughout the UK, and has manufacturing facilities in King’s Lynn, Swindon and Broadstairs in Kent.
It hopes to have eight UK service centres up and running operation by the end of 2015.
Raggnar Group chief executive Nigel Perkins, said: “With Raggnar expanding rapidly our move to Insch provides more capacity and a convenient location from which to service our customers across northeast Scotland.
“It adds to our growing footprint of Raggnar Hubs across the UK, which offer the expert installation and service capabilities required to satisfy growing demand for renewable energy systems.”
Raggnar is also in talks to secure a land agreement for the construction of new corporate headquarters in the north east, a company spokesman said.
Plans have already been drawn up for the new base, which will house facilities for developing solar, wind and geothermal energy technology.
In December Raggnar put out a call for investors to help raise £8million as it looks to amass a portfolio of 80 biomass heating plants in Britain over the next 18 months.
It will supply the systems for commercial and public sector bodies for free, and in return it will get investment from the government’s Renewable Heat Incentive scheme.
Raggnar said investors would have a wide range of exit options to choose from, including selling the whole portfolio to “yield-hungry investment funds”.