A SELKIRK-BASED energy supplier that has doubled turnover to £80 million in the last 12 months, aims to add 50 new employees to its 200-strong workforce as part of the company's expansion plans, the First Minister announced this week.

Spark Energy, which supplies gas and electricity to the residential letting sector, has secured a £200,000 investment from the Scottish Investment Bank, the investment arm of Scottish Enterprise, to help consolidate its position as a leading UK energy supplier.

Of the 15 smaller energy suppliers in the Which? Customer satisfaction survey, Spark Energy is the only firm headquartered in Scotland and outranks all of the Big Six.

Visiting the company’s offices in Selkirk after the Scottish Government’s Cabinet meeting in the town, Alex Salmond said: “The success of Spark Energy is excellent news for the Borders, I am delighted that through the Scottish Investment Bank, we have been able to provide £200,000 to support the continued growth of the company.

“Small suppliers have a critical role to play in improving the choice, service and transparency which has been lacking in the past.

“With the right support, there are tremendous opportunities for smaller suppliers to make real changes to the energy market, which is why to date the Scottish Investment Bank has invested £855,000 in Spark Energy.

“I would also like to congratulate the team at the Selkirk site, who have very recently secured their 100,000th customer, this is a testament to the hard work of all involved here.

“Business growth and investment are at the heart of our policies to secure economic growth. While the Scottish Government will continue to do all we can to help our businesses thrive, with the full fiscal and economic powers of independence we could do even more to support companies, strengthen our economy and create jobs.” Spark Energy is working closely with Scottish Enterprise to grow and expand. In recent years the company has been supported to invest in a range of business improvements to help increase turnover, sales, productivity and employment.

Adrian Gillespie, managing director at Scottish Enterprise said: “We’ve been working closely with Spark Energy in recent years to help the company drive forward its growth ambitions. We’re pleased to be able to further support with this new injection of funding from the Scottish Investment Bank and extremely encouraged by the company’s recent strong turnover performance which underlines the importance of investing in continued business growth and ambition.” Spark Energy Chief Executive Chris Gauld said: “We are thrilled to welcome the First Minister here today, and see his visit and the funding from the Scottish Investment Bank as recognition that we are getting it right - employing over 200 people in an area which has major employment challenges, bettering the Big Six for customer service, breaking the 100,000 customer barrier and showing that there is a very important role for independent suppliers in ensuring real competition in the energy market.”