Twenty engineering jobs are to be created by renewable energy firm Natural Power, with the opening of its first Irish office. The firm will be looking for locally available engineers for the office in Dublin. Natural Power is a renewable energy consultancy firm with a full range of construction services. It also provides access to the full lifecycle range of services available through the company across the onshore wind, offshore wind, wave, tidal, biomass, solar photovoltaics and hydro sectors. The company has constructed over 50 wind farms in Europe and North America and the Dublin office will focus on construction projects. Natural Power’s construction director Ralph Spernagel said the Irish office would provide high-quality construction management and consultancy services to clients within the Irish renewable market from a permanent base. “Within the team, we have a large number of well-qualified Irish engineers who, as well as having local knowledge, have been developing their construction management skills within the buoyant UK renewable energy sector over the past number of years,” added Spernagel. “It’s a natural progression for us to relocate their skill set back to a reinvigorated market in Ireland and we’ll be seeking to supplement our business with talented engineers that are available locally to the new office in Dublin.” Energy Minister Pat Rabbitte officially opened Natural Energy’s new Irish headquarters on 27 March. This investment is supported by Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through IDA Ireland. Speaking prior to the Irish Wind Energy Association Annual Conference, Minister Rabbitte said, "The Irish coast line has an abundance of renewable energy, in the offshore wind sector and it’s vital that we continue to appropriately exploit this natural resource to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels, which has a negative effect on our environment." Natural Power operates globally with offices in the UK, Europe and North America. Dublin is the company’s first office in Ireland and 13th internationally. It is based in Sandyford, Dublin 18.