The Highland Council has said its commitment to use biomass as a heat source has allowed a Lochaber-based green energy firm to employ two new apprentices.

The roles will assist in helping service a four-year, £1.2m per year contract with the local authority.

Biomass heat specialists, HWEnergy, have an in-house team of more than 50 who install, maintain and service biomass boilers, in addition to supplying wood chips and pellets.

Through switching to renewable heat sources at more than 60 sites across the Highlands, the Council has shown its commitment to providing cleaner, greener energy.

The new contact will produce 40% savings on heating fuels. In addition, the scheme will be a combined carbon saving on 7,500 tonnes per annum.

Leader of the Highland Council, Councillor Drew Hendry, welcomed the news that not only was the authority saving money and reducing its carbon emissions, but that two apprentices had been employed as a direct result of the contract.

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The company's two newly-appointed apprentices are Donald Livingstone and Wallace Hastings, who are both 19 and from Fort William.

Mr Livingston is studying a Service and Maintenance SVQ at North Glasgow College and Wallace is studying for an Electrical Apprenticeship at Inverness College UHI.

Mr Hendry continued: "The contract with HWEnergy to fully manage and operate the network of 65 biomass boilers really consolidates our commitment to providing a renewable source of heat to our sites, including schools, leisure centres and care homes, both now and long into the future.

"Biomass heat allows us to generate significant cost savings against oil which we can use to support other services in the area, it creates huge carbon savings which helps the environment and indirectly through local fuel supply it helps stimulate jobs and the local economy. It's a win win situation all round."

Bruno Berardelli, Managing Director of HWEnergy added: "We are committed to helping young people learn a trade and Donald and Wallace are very welcome new additions to the company as we see more and more organisations realise the real benefits of renewable energy.

"Biomass heat can now be supplied in exactly the same way as any other energy contract with us providing a fully managed service that gives customers certainty on performance, on price and on cost and carbon savings."

(JP/IT)