A Suffolk communications agency has been named by energy giant ScottishPower as one of its leading SME suppliers.

Pier PR & Marketing is based in Felixstowe and includes among its clients ScottishPower Renewables, which is currently working on the development of the East Anglia One offshore wind farm.

During a ceremony at its new headquarters in Glasgow, ScottishPower handed out 16 special recognition awards to SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises) and workers in its supply chain who have been helping it deliver projects around the UK.

Kate Bowden Smith, managing director at Pier, said: “We’re delighted to have been recognised at these prestigious awards. ScottishPower Renewables are investing significantly in the East Anglia region and we’re proud to be part of the supply chain helping to deliver clean green energy to the UK.”

During the ceremony, ScottishPower revealed that it has placed around £5bn worth of contracts in the last two years as part of its largest ever investment phase, supporting more than 80,000 jobs with more than 3,500 businesses across its supply chain.

Keith Anderson, chief corporate officer at ScottishPower, said: “To deliver some of our most ambitious projects ever, we are working with a wide range of specialist companies, and supporting tens of thousands of jobs.

“Pier has provided invaluable support to our East Anglia One project, displaying a wealth of creativity and hard work to help keep communities and stakeholders informed about our single largest investment scheme currently underway in the UK. We are delighted to recognise Pier for all of their excellent work.”

He added: “It has been a year of uncertainty politically in the UK, with choppy waters still to be navigated in the years ahead. However, if the Government continues to provide stable regulation and presses ahead with the ambitious clean energy and industrial strategy policies, then companies like ScottishPower will continue to invest billions of pounds and support quality jobs.”