A NEW welding and fabrication facility has opened in Ellesmere Port which is expected to lead to the creation of up to 75 jobs by the end of the year.

Fortress Energy, a global business which specialises in the provision of pipeline, process and engineering services, has set up a base at Rossmore Industrial Estate.

The Ellesmere Port site will deliver pressure part welding and fabrication site services for the UK and beyond.

Martin Atkinson, Fortress Energy founder and MD, said: "This new facility will provide an important springboard from which we will be able to broaden our service offering in both UK and overseas pressure part markets.

"We are excited that integration between our machining and pressure parts division will come in-house, thus minimising the point of contact responsibility to our clients and facilitating an even more streamlined, responsive service."

Craig Gerrard, head of the engineering, fabrication, welding and construction division, added: “By creating this new facet to what we do, we will be able to augment relationships with existing clients and seek to grow our client base with new customers.

"The scope of this new base will allow us to do that in an organic way which marries with our distinctive approach to developing our business.” 

The company was established to fill a gap in the market to deliver cost-effective, specialist pipeline and process services at a local level, initially in Kazakhstan and Russia.