A BRIGHT future is predicted by Dr Dermot Roddy, recently appointed chief executive of Renew Tees Valley, the company at the forefront of new ideas for renewable energy and recycling.

Dr Roddy expects the launch of exciting projects in the near future, including pioneering work in the use of hydrogen and biofuel technology.

Renew Tees Valley was established to take advantage of opportunities in the rapidly expanding renewable energy and recycling fields, with backing from the regional development agency One North-East, the Tees Valley partnership and many other agencies, including the area's local authorities, led by Redcar and Cleveland.

Dr Roddy was born in Northern Ireland and educated at Queen's University, Belfast. He has been involved in the chemicals industry for the past 17 years, much of that time on Teesside, including working as site director for the Petroplus refinery at Seal Sands. Recently he has been a consultant on the Tees Valley hydrogen project.

Based at the South Tees Business Centre, Renew Tees Valley will have a small team providing technical and business support and Dr Roddy stresses that their main aim will be to help encourage the creation of as many new businesses - and jobs - as possible.

"It might come as something of a surprise that already in the Tees Valley we have about 180 companies involved in the environmental sector, employing almost 5,000 people and with an annual turnover of more than £200m," he said.

"However, that's just a fraction of the potential business which I believe we can attract to the area over the next few years. Environmental, economic and legislative pressures mean that renewable energy and recycling are among the fastest growing business sectors and we must ensure that we build on the unique advantages which already exist in the Tees Valley."

He cites the development of hydrogen as a fuel of the future. "In this area, large supplies of hydrogen are readily accessible and within the next few months I confidently expect the Tees Valley will lead the country in having a number of projects involving hydrogen fuel cells up and running.

"Similarly, in the development of biofuel plants and wind turbines, many of the skills developed through Tees Valley companies' involvement in the traditional power fields, such as oil and gas, can transfer to the renewable energy sector.

"In the recycling fields we also have expertise in important aspects of waste management - for example the use of recycled plastics - together with sites we can develop, tailor-made for companies involved in the environmental industries."

Neil Etherington, chairman of the board of Renew Tees Valley, said that the company's role, working with partners such as the Northern Energy Initiative and the Centre for Process Innovation, was to promote the message that the area offered the facilities and the support to persuade new and existing companies to base their operations there.