- Prime Minister confirms Great British Energy will be headquartered in Aberdeen, a world-leader in engineering and infrastructure
- Edinburgh and Glasgow will host 2 smaller sites, maximising skills and expertise across Scotland
- the move will kickstart plans for the new publicly-owned company to drive investment in clean home-grown energy, creating jobs and supporting growth across the UK
Aberdeen has today (24 September) been named the new home of Great British Energy, drawing on the city’s world-leading engineering expertise to kickstart a UK-wide clean energy revolution.
As the location of the new headquarters, Aberdeen will be at the heart of the company’s plans to scale up clean homegrown power to boost energy independence, create skilled jobs across the UK and to support economic growth.
Two additional sites will open in Edinburgh and Glasgow, once Great British Energy is up and running, to benefit from local skills and expertise. The company will be initially located in government buildings across the cities, while permanent bases are established.
This marks the next step to kickstart Great British Energy, as part of its mission to become a clean energy superpower. An interim Chief Executive will soon to be appointed to take the lead on launching the new company and building its Aberdeen base – along with the start-up Chair Juergen Maier, former CEO of Siemens UK.
Within the first weeks of the new government, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband took immediate action to introduce the Great British Energy Bill to Parliament and – along with the Prime Minister – confirm a new partnership with The Crown Estate, to help accelerate new offshore wind farms. The company – owned by the British people, for the British people – will attract private investment in the UK’s clean homegrown power, backed by £8.3 billion in government funding over this Parliament.
The move forms part of the government’s plans to support clean energy in the North Sea, ensuring Aberdeen continues to thrive as Scotland’s clean energy capital. The government recently announced the biggest ever investment in offshore wind and continues to progress technologies like carbon capture and storage and hydrogen – as well as ensuring that oil and gas is used for decades to come as part of a fair and balanced transition away from fossil fuels.
Notes to editors
On 25 July, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero published the founding statement for Great British Energy.