Firm secures grant for solar panels

California-based Zoom Diversified has received the money from the Scottish Government as part of its Regional Selective Assistance programme, which will see it move to a giant building originally constructed for Hyundai more than a decade ago.

Working at the site as Kingdom Solar Limited, Zoom has pledged to create 372 jobs as part of the new project after talks to obtain research and development funds paid dividends.

To complete the move Zoom must secure the sale of the premises, which is currently owned by US firm Freescale.

As a result the government funding will not be secured until the factory's sale goes ahead, but Freescale confirmed that it still owns the huge plant and is negotiating a possible sale with "a third party".

The impressive building was created as part of a £3 billion investment in Scotland by Hyundai, but an economic crisis in South Korea meant the company was forced to pull out in 1997.

At the time it was one of the biggest inward investment projects in Scotland and the local council expected it to create thousands of jobs in the service industries.

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