THE entrepreneur behind Together Energy has revealed he is looking to expand the challenger company beyond its home town of Clydebank.

Paul Richards, the former British Gas executive who launched the firm in 2016, believes the model will work in other “post-industrial” towns. He has built the company, which has around 60,000 customers, on a dual philosophy of recruiting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and driving operational cost efficiency.

Mr Richards said: “We are actively looking for a site in the north Scotland where we can place ourselves and embed ourselves culturally like we have in Clydebank. We just don’t have the right one yet. Dundee is a possibility. There is quite a lot of investment going into Dundee. And we have been looking around the west coast. We’re looking for a rural equivalent of a post-industrial [town].”

Mr Richards said the accounts for the company’s current year will show turnover of around £40 million. He expects turnover to rise to £105m and to make its first profit the year after.

Mulling the outlook for the energy market, Mr Richards sees a “big opportunity” arising from the prospective merger of SSE’s retail business with npower. The deal, which has been given provisional approval by the competition watchdog, would reduce the UK’s big six energy suppliers to a big five.

He said: “The north of Scotland has probably been the most loyal customer base in the UK for a long time. They have a huge connection to the Hydro, particularly in the rural areas where there are apprenticeships and jobs created. The fact that business is becoming a complete standalone business I think will give us a huge opportunity.”