By Charlene Wilson

A SMALL Glenrothes firm’s ambitious plans to open a multi- million pound power storage manufacturing unit which could create hundreds of jobs have moved on a stage, with a site being secured at the Fife Energy Park to take the project forward.

Plurion Ltd, which employs only five people at its research laboratory in Southfield Industrial Estate, was awarded a £4.3 million regional selective assistance grant in August last year to develop, create and market a revolutionary low-cost electrical storage device.

At the time the company said it hoped to create up to 430 jobs.

Plurion, an offshoot of California firm Electrochemical Design Associates, has been investigating the development of 40-foot-high batteries which have the potential to store huge amounts of energy at affordable cost.

The firm believes customers could include wind farm operators and electricity providers who would be able to download energy directly to the batteries.

Since the grant was awarded, Plurion bosses have been working in partnership with Scottish Enterprise and product development company, Applied Intellectual Capital (AIC) to find a suitable site for the project and have chosen the Fife Energy Park in Methil due to its growing reputation in the field of renewable energy-related fabrication.

AIC also intends to use the facilities at Glenrothes and Methil to further develop its other electro-chemical technologies.

Significant commercial interest has already been shown in its highly innovative EverClear and RedOx technologies which are used to purify waste material from mines and to convert waste into ethanol and other bio-fuels.

Plurion chairman Mike Woodroffe said, “This continues Plurion’s excellent relationship with Scottish Enterprise, which has done tremendously well to rejuvenate the Methil site so quickly, which now has all the infrastructure and facilities that we could wish for.

“As Plurion accelerates its development and as AIC’s other technologies also attract attention and investment, we believe this will provide a significant boost to the local economy.”

Scottish Enterprise spokesman Willie Johnston said of the decision,“It is a significant endorsement of our decision to commit resources and investment to the site.

“Their technical requirements were pretty stringent, so the fact they have committed to this site is a mark of how well the energy park is perceived to be meeting the needs of today’s growing renewable energy sector.”