WORCESTERSHIRE automotive companies are being helped to tackle the issue of energy use thanks to a pioneering £1.1 million project.

Accelerate, the West Midlands automotive supply chain, has launched intelligent energy, an EU-backed initiative designed to educate businesses on how to reduce costs and improve profitability by embracing the latest industry knowledge.

More than 22 partners from seven EU regions are involved in the programme, with each individual member being responsible for sharing best practice in a bid to develop a sustainable approach to a subject that is costing manufacturing millions of pounds every year.

Funded by the Intelligent Energy Europe Agency, the project is looking to use the West Midlands' automotive cluster as a starting point for its activities, which will eventually grow to encompass metal processing, wood and furniture, healthcare and tourism.

At the heart of this will be a specially designed energy audit tool which by the end of the 33-month project, will be completed by more than 220 companies.

Kishor Pala, of the Accelerate-led Network of European Automotive Com-petence (NEAC) partnership, who was instrumental in developing the bid, said: "Worcestershire has a fantastic opportunity to be at the forefront of efficient energy usage and this will not only give immediate performance benefits, but also place us in a great position going forward.

"Bearing in mind the European nature of the programme, the first task is to find out exactly how each different country deals with the energy problem and then compile the best bits in an action plan going forward."

Mr Pala said the first part of the scheme would be a module-based training programme which would eventually equip 25 business advisers with the skills needed to add specialist energy efficient support to their existing areas of expertise. "Raising energy awareness, saving energy, increasing efficiency of its use and the share of renewables, reducing emissions, fostering investments in sustainable energy methodologies and sustainable development - all these issues are starting points of the project," he said.