AN IRISH energy firm is to create 10 jobs when it locates its UK headquarters to the Energy Innovation Centre at Capenhurst.

FMC-Tech, which is based in Shannon, County Clare, believes its Cheshire base will enable it to better service the UK energy market. The company has developed a management system for medium-voltage overhead electricity networks.

Its system – which took four years to develop and has eight granted patents – combines line- mounted sensors and software to help in the rapid location of faults and increase the capacity of conductors.

Its features improve efficiency and reduce carbon levels, which the company says are key components of the smart grid due to be implemented throughout Europe and the US.

Mike McCormack, managing director of FMC-Tech, said: “We are making networks more intelligent and under this project with the Energy Innovation Centre we are dramatically reducing the cost of doing that, which is great.

“As one of our key markets is the UK, we are going to put in marketing, sales and engineering support at Capenhurst, Cheshire, to service the UK market.”

FMC-Tech is currently reducing the cost and size of the system to commercialise the product with the support of the Energy Innovation Centre’s team and its partner organisations.

The centre was instrumental in securing a £300,000 industry grant, via the Innovation Funding Incentive, to assist FMC-Tech in this process.

Denise Massey, director of the Energy Innovation Centre, said: “FMC-Tech is going from strength to strength and we look forward to welcoming their new UK team to our Incubator facility at Capenhurst later in the year.”