The Angus area could be in line for a major renewables industry investment by an Aberdeenshire company.
Raggnar Power is in discussion with Angus Council about a site for its new corporate headquarters.
It is also considering the area for what would be Scotland’s first wind turbine manufacturing plant.
The potential multi-million-pound investment would be on the back of Raggnar’s expansion into Angus with it seeking 12 electricians and heating engineers.
The team would meet the growing demand for localised renewable energy generation systems boosted by government incentives.
Raggnar Power of Insch designs, builds and maintains biomass heating systems and district heating schemes for businesses and off-grid communities.
It will soon offer a wider range of hydro and wind power generation technologies to help customers become self-sufficient on renewable energy.
Nigel Perkins, chief executive, said: “As Raggnar grows and moves beyond biomass to offer complementary forms of localised renewable energy generation, it is vital that we have boots on the ground to install and service these systems.
“Establishing a team in Angus will ensure we can meet growing local demand for clean energy and offer a more responsive service across the rest of Scotland.”
“Businesses with room to grow are seeking to reduce their costs and environmental impact.
“They are looking increasingly to biomass and other forms of localised renewable energy generation to achieve these goals.”
Mr Perkins said Raggnar would be seeking a new corporate headquarters for its planned growth.
“It will be somewhere in the general north-east of Scotland and we have been having discussions about sites with Aberdeenshire and Angus councils,” he said.
“We are also looking to set up a manufacturing plant for wind turbines we design.
“We would like to make up our minds about where to make these investments in the next year to 15 months.
“Our discussions are under way and we are very interested in the possibility of doing this in the Angus area.
“Wherever we put these developments there will be further employment opportunities.”
The 12 Angus jobs would take the number of people employed by the firm in Scotland to 32, and it is recruiting a further 20 sales people across the UK.
Raggnar has opened four sales and service centres and recently acquired rights to supply Hargassner and Binder biomass heating technology.
Last year it announced plans to raise £8 million for 80 commercial biomass heating plants across the UK.