One of Wales’ largest companies has made a significant investment in solar technology, enabling it to run its entire head office operation on renewable energy.

Newport-based timber and panel importer Premier Forest Group has installed a 200KW solar array which will meet the power needs of its main office, warehouse and all the machinery associated with its timber business, with any remaining power being transferred to Western Grid.

As well as the positive environmental impact, Premier believes that by no longer relying on the national grid for their energy needs, it will be able to make significant financial savings every year, effectively recouping their initial investment in as little as seven years.

Dilwyn Howells, director and co-founder of Premier, said: “This is something that we have been considering for a while and we’re very pleased that the system is up and running and, more importantly, delivering the hoped for results.

“The timber industry has rightly become increasingly environmentally conscious in the past few years and we are keen to take any steps we can to fit in with this ethos. In the longer term, we also hope to install solar panels at our mill in Croespenmaen to further improve our environmental credentials.”

To further underpin their commitment to renewable energy, the company has also invested in three electric fork lift trucks, reducing the business’ reliance on diesel.

Dilwyn said: “The electric fork lifts are a smaller part of our wider environmental strategy, but with fuel prices likely to rise again this year, we hope that by looking at electric alternatives, we will be able to avoid increasing fuel costs and decrease our CO² emissions.”

Established in 1993 by directors Dilwyn Howells, Nigel Williams and Terry Edgell, Premier Forest Group is one of the UK’s leading independent importers and distributors of timber and panel products. Based in Newport, the company has operations in Birmingham, Bristol, Uxbridge and the Republic of Ireland.