Aberdeen’s campaign to be the base for Great British Energy has received a boost a new claim it’s in a shortlist with Glasgow and Edinburgh.
GB Energy will be a new publicly owned company focused on clean energy that will invest more than £8 billion over the next five years.
The new Labour government has said its headquarters will be in Scotland, but has not named an exact location.
More than 900 leading businesspeople and major companies recently signed an open letter to prime minister Keir Starmer backing Aberdeen’s case.
This included backing from Sir Ian Wood, Martin Gilbert, Wood Group and global financiers SCF Partners and Piper Sandler.
Now a story in The Times claims energy secretary Ed Miliband has narrowed the options for the GB Energy headquarters to Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
This would be a disappointment to the Highlands, which has also put forward a strong case as the location of several major renewables projects .
With no official announcement, The Times article has been dismissed as “idle chit chat” from a Labour source and not from Government briefings.
However, Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce chief executive Russell Borthwick is taking the report as a positive sign the HQ could be coming to Europe’s energy capital.
Case for GB Energy HQ in Aberdeen
Mr Borthwick said there is “no better place” than Aberdeen for the GB Energy HQ.
He said: “We are encouraged at the pace with which the new UK government is taking forward its plans for Great British Energy.
“Aberdeen has been Europe’s major global energy hub for half a century.
“We are home to over a thousand energy supply chain companies and the lion’s share of energy workers who stand ready to deliver the UK’s transition to net zero.
“Over 17GW of floating offshore wind projects will be deployed within 100 nautical miles of our city.
“With the people, skills, strategic infrastructure and future pipeline of projects already in place, the north east of Scotland is ready to lead the way.
“Quite clearly there is no better location for GB Energy than Aberdeen.
“People and businesses right across Scotland already understand why that is the case – and we’re confident that government will find that case similarly compelling.”
GB Energy developments
The first big announcement from GB Energy came earlier this week. It said seabeds owns by the Crown Estate will be used to help build windfarms.
Mr Miliband claimed the initiative would “lead to lower bills” for households.
The government believes it can cut the time it takes to get windfarms producing power by half. It typically takes between 10 and 15 years to build offshore windfarms.
One of the aims of GB Energy is to reduce the UK’s reliance on foreign fossil fuel markets.
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