A GENERATOR firm backed by the Pirrie brothers has won a contract to provide the biggest stand-by power system ever to be installed in Scotland for the giant New South Glasgow Hospital.

Dieselec has been appointed to supply generators that should ensure there is no disruption to the power supply in a facility where any outage could mean the difference between life and death to patients.

Alan Seabourne, project director at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said: "While power outages at hospitals are rare, they do happen and the stand-by power provision at NSGH is more than adequate to match the hospital's size and acute services requirements."

Under a contract worth around £5 million, Glasgow-based Dieselec Thistle will install 10 generators capable of providing all the power the 1109-bed hospital will need. The system designed by Dieselec will use kit made by FG Wilson to generate enough electricity to power thousands of homes.

The contract will provide a big boost to turnover at Dieselec, in which the Pirrie brothers' Nevis Capital owns a significant stake.

Nevis Capital was formed in 2007 to invest some of the proceeds of the £62m sale of the Pirries' LCH Generators business to Speedy Hire.

The award shows parts of the public sector are a valuable source of business for private firms. Dieselec has been a big beneficiary of continued investment in National Health Service facilities.

Paul Moore, managing director of Dieselec, said the project follows previous "successful, high-profile" stand-by generator projects for Forth Valley and Fife Victoria hospitals.

John Pirrie said the recent performance of Dieselec vindicated Nevis'sib decision to invest in the firm. Nevis acquired a stake in September 2010 in a multi-million pound deal. The investment firm then backed the acquisition of the Thistle Generators business out of administration by Dieselec.

Thistle brought a valuable supply of higher margin repair and maintenance work and a big customer base.

Corporate financier Brian Aitken, a partner in Nevis, noted that the enlarged Dieselec Thistle operation has increased turnover by £4m annually since the businesses joined its portfolio.

Dieselec has made the most of the fact that it operates in a lucrative niche in which demand is not as dependent on the broader economy as in many industries. It sells to customers that need a secure power supply at all times.

Since opening a depot in London in 2010, the company has won big contracts from financial services firms, including Bank of China. Mr Pirrie said data centres have generated lots of business.

Mr Aitken believes Dieselec could increase turnover from around £20m to £40m over the next three years. The firm is looking to open a depot in the Midlands to give it broader geographic coverage.

He said Nevis is ready to use its firepower to back acquisitions to help accelerate the growth of its investee companies. Nevis will also consider adding new businesses to its portfolio.

Dieselec Thistle has been subcontracted to design, supply and install the generator system for the South Glasgow hospital by Mercury Engineering.