Energy technology expert Stopford Projects Ltd has secured £1million in funding to help drive forward its expansion plans.

Energy technology expert Stopford Projects Ltd has secured £1million in funding to help drive forward its expansion plans.

The industry-leading consultancy, with bases in Ellesmere Port and at Lancaster University's Environment Centre, will use the breakthrough investment to develop its business strategy in both the UK and overseas markets.

Over the last 32 years, Stopford has grown a multi-national client base including major corporates, such as Shell, BP, Unilever, BASF and Tata, alongside other leading players like BAE Systems, Yorkshire Water and URENCO.

The company works on a broad range of R&D, process technology, multi-disciplinary engineering and knowledge transfer projects across the energy, environment and process sectors globally.

Stopford is just about to sign a ground-breaking joint venture deal in Abu Dhabi to create a cutting-edge Centre of Excellence which will focus on energy and other sectors, in the United Arab Emirates.

Part of the investment will be used to support this new initiative, which will offer leading services across a range of green technology, training and multi-disciplinary consultancy sectors to organisations across the Middle East and North Africa.

The company will also use part of the investment from The North West Fund to support new projects and initiatives in China centred on delivering technology-driven solutions across the energy from waste, commodity recovery and remediation sectors.

Stopford Asia Pacific, a Hong Kong-based subsidiary, will be the vehicle for project development in China and also the company through which Stopford's UK consulting and training solutions will be delivered into the region.

Stopford's newly-developed Innovation Centre, in Ellesmere Port, will serve as a UK hub to facilitate global business activity through the provision of bespoke training and technology demonstration to overseas delegations.

The finance has been awarded to Stopford by The North West Fund for Energy and Environmental projects, which is managed by 350 Investment Partners.

The North West Fund provides funding to support growth, ranging from £50,000 to £2million, for businesses based in or relocating to the region to start, develop or expand.

Stopford managing director Prith Rajendran said: "We are absolutely delighted to be able to announce the £1million investment by the North West Fund to enable us to expand our business internationally.

"It will allow us to further develop our projects in the Middle East and China, as well as supporting our cutting-edge development R&D activities across the process, energy and environmental sectors.

"It is a major breakthrough for our business and enables us to expand further and faster in parts of the world we see as vastly important to our future development.

"Our focus remains to accelerate growth and the delivery of best practice across all the sectors we operate in."