Ark Energy Consulting Limited has announced that it is to expand its Italian operations to a new Irish location in Longford town creating 10 new jobs over the next three years.

The jobs have been created with the company through ConnectIreland, under the Succeed in Ireland initiative, which is part of the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs.  The programme managed by IDA Ireland and implemented by ConnectIreland has already impacted on a number of towns in Ireland that have benefited from employment as a direct result of a referral to ConnectIreland.

During the announcement on Friday July 19th, The Taoiseach Enda Kenny said:

"It is great to be here today to announce 10 jobs at Ark Energy in Longford town.  This is a very welcome boost for the local community.  Every job that is created through ConnectIreland, under the Succeed in Ireland Initiative, is a job that may not have come to Ireland without the intervention of a ‘Connector’.  Whether it is individual connections like this or wider Government strategy, our message is: Ireland is open for business and a great location for inward investment."

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton said “This is very positive news for Longford and I welcome the investment to the town.  I’m sure the people of Longford will offer a warm welcome to the company, and businesses will also welcome Ark Energy Consulting into the local business community.

“This is yet another project under the ConnectIreland programme that has produced jobs for a rural community - where every single job makes a difference.  This initiative is working hard to bring jobs to Ireland through individuals’ connections and we can now see the results of this smart approach to job creation.”

Ark Energy Consulting parent company, ARK Srl is a privately-owned company based in Genoa, Italy, which specialises in providing consulting services to the ETRM (Energy Trading Risk Management) sector.

The primary function of an ETRM system is to act as the source of energy trading transactional data which then makes it possible to perform portfolio valuation and risk calculation.

The company was founded in 2010 by Francesco Arci and Charlotte Bird.  ARK Srl started as a consultancy practice focused on providing IT services to the ETRM clients.  It saw the opportunity to capitalise on knowledge and skills acquired in consultancy engagements and to develop a new cloud-based SaaS offering to compete with more expensive and complex offerings on the market.

Mr Arci said “This project will require software development skills and, as this work can be carried out independently of the location of its clients, the company has chosen to base the project in Ireland.  I am delighted to be moving to Longford where recruitment for positions has already begun.  I look forward to growing the business there over the coming years.”