OREANDA-NEWS. The First Minister opened SWALEC’s flagship Smart Energy Centre in Treforest near Pontypridd.

The state-of-the-art facility embodies the commitment of SSE (parent company of SWALEC) to Wales as one of the nation’s fastest-growing companies, employing 2,000 staff in Wales, over 1,100 of whom have been recruited in last five years. The centre will create a further 280 new Welsh green jobs in its first four years, as well as providing training for a further 555 staff.

Jobs being created at the site include opportunities for domestic appliance installation staff, as well as locally recruited energy efficiency agents, who visit customers by appointment to offer advice and helpful tips on how to save energy and reduce bills.

One of the greenest facilities ever to be built in Wales, the Smart Energy Centre features innovative technology such as solar PV panels, LED lighting throughout and an electric vehicle charging point. The building also boasts a prototype Transpired Solar Collector, which heats the building using air from an external steel wall.

On-site roofing and meter mock-ups are also in place to help those learning new skills for green jobs to receive practical tuition and assessment. 472 staff in Wales have already accessed courses through Skills Growth Wales funding provided by the Welsh Government. The training delivered has covered domestic energy efficiency measures, as well as the installation of environmental technologies including micro-renewable energy and water conservation.

The centre will house SSE’s green businesses in Wales, including the Smart Meter rollout team, Smart Services Advisors, and installers of domestic renewable energy technologies.

As well as seeing the new facilities first-hand, at today’s opening ceremony, the First Minister was treated to the debut performance of SWALEC’s newly formed workplace choir.

The First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, said: “The Welsh Government’s significant investment in the Smart Energy Centre is a marker of our commitment to creating jobs and training opportunities during these tough economic times. SSE’s long-term investment and contribution to the Welsh economy is greatly valued, and I’m delighted that hundreds of people will benefit from gaining sustainable jobs as well as apprenticeships that will allow young people to learn the skills they need for successful careers."

Ian Marchant, Chief Executive of SSE, said: “The SWALEC Smart Energy Centre is an important symbol of SSE’s commitment to Wales and to the green economy. The state-of-the-art facility will not only create new green jobs for Wales, but will develop the skills of hundreds more staff and apprentices in the renewable and energy efficiency sectors which will serve both SWALEC and Wales well in the years to come.”