SPECIALIST energy broker Inenco Direct is creating almost 100 jobs in Liverpool as part of an expansion drive.

Formerly known as Saturn Energy, the firm is based in the Corn Exchange in Fenwick Street and helps small firms to fix their energy price for up to five years and find the most suitable deal.

In the run up to Christmas it recruited 13 new employees and by July aims to have taken on an extra 80 sales and 11 support staff, taking total numbers up to 127.

Inenco has been trading since 1993 and claims to have helped more than 90,000 commercial customers achieve savings of up to 75% on their gas and electricity bills.

Managing director Karen Trepte said: “At a time when significant job cuts are being made in industry as a result of the economic downturn, I am delighted that Inenco Direct is able to create employment opportunities due to its expansion.

“There are vast opportunities open to us within our chosen markets and we look forward to recruiting new members of staff to our business.”

The company is led by a team of energy procurement experts who buy electricity and gas on behalf of tens of thousands of sites across the UK every year, securing major discounts from suppliers.

It is part of the energy division at EnServe, a provider of infrastructure support services in the utility and energy sectors.