Scotland's green energy sector has taken a step forward with the opening of a new biomass plant in Angus.

John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, officially opened Angus Biofuels' new site near Forfar.

The £1.2m plant, employing 20 people, will supply the growing biomass energy market with high-quality dry woodchips manufactured from clean roundwood, harvested from sustainable forests.

Mr Swinney said: "This exciting project is another clean, green energy source which adds to Scotland's renewables mix. The Scottish Government believes renewable energy will give us a vibrant energy sector that makes a significant contribution to Scotland's future wealth and prosperity.


"We are also exploring how we can best exploit technologies to make a real, sustainable and cost-effective contribution to tackling climate change, including the role of biomass. This is a very impressive facility and I wish everyone at Angus Biofuels success in supplying the growing biomass energy market."

The Scottish Government is committed to encouraging a diverse mix of renewable technologies.

The Angus Biofuels projects (for several boiler installation and for the biomass plant) have received £800,000 grant funding from the Scottish Biomass Support Scheme.

This Scotland-wide scheme provided grants totalling £7.5m funding over the financial year 2007-08. It supported supply chain, heat, and CHP installations. It was open to a range of organisations from producer groups to businesses.

(GK)