Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

It’s got to be Aberdeen or Inverness for GB Energy

Competing campaigns from the north and north-east have equal merit.

GB Energy logo on Aberdeen/Inverness background
Where to for GB Energy? Aberdeen and Inverness. are obvious choices. Image: DCT Media

GB Energy will be headquartered in Scotland but where?

The race is on north of the border to win the prize and all its benefits.

And the runners and riders jockeying for pole position include Aberdeen and Inverness.

Business and civic leaders are lining up to highlight the case for their regions to the new team running the show at Westminster.

What is GB Energy?

GB Energy will be a new publicly owned company focused on clean energy.

It was a key plank of Labour’s manifesto going into this month’s general election.

The new government says it will “harness the power of Britain’s sun, wind, and waves to cut energy bills and deliver energy security for our country”.

There is a good case for it to be based in the north-east, thanks to the region’s many decades of expertise as a leading global energy hub.

Big hitters in north-east campaign for GB Energy to come to Aberdeen

Aberdeen view
North-east business chiefs want GB Energy to come to Aberdeen. Image Frame

For many people, Aberdeen’s proud history of being the epicentre of North Sea oil and gas production make the Granite City the obvious choice when it comes to GB Energy.

They can argue that no-one knows the ins and outs of energy transition better than all those north-east businesses focused on Scottish and UK-wide efforts to reach net-zero.

More than 700 north-east business leaders – including billionaire North Sea energy veteran Sir Ian Wood, Martin Gilbert and Douglas Craig – have already lined up to call for GB Energy to come to Aberdeen.

Sir Ian Wood
Sir Ian Wood, one of the big hitters in the north-east campaign. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson.

According to Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce chief executive Russell Borthwick, choosing the Granite City will “send a clear message that the city region will remain a globally recognised energy hub and the engine room for a green transition”.

More than 200 companies from across the hospitality, transport, and property sectors are backing the north-east campaign.

They say an Aberdeen-based GB Energy will benefit from invaluable local industry expertise. And they believe it will also help to protect thousands of jobs as the north-east economy transitions from its dependency on fossil fuels.

Business chiefs in Highlands make strong case for GB Energy to come north

But there is an equally strong argument for GB Energy to be based in the Highlands.

Business and civic leaders including Inverness Chamber of Commerce chief executive Colin Marr, Highland Council CEO Derek Brown, Highlands and Islands CEO Stuart Black, University of the Highlands and Islands director Alison Wilson and Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport (ICFGF) CEO Calum MacPherson have written to new Energy Secretary Ed Miliband calling for GB Energy to come north.

The Highlands and Islands are already home to one of two Scottish green freeports.

Port of Nigg, part of Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport.
Port of Nigg, part of Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport. Image: Morrison Media

ICFGF is widely expected to transform the region into one of Europe’s leading green energy hubs, creating thousands of new jobs.

In future, much of the UK’s wind power, both on and offshore, and the majority of pumped hydro storage schemes will be located in the Highlands.

Those campaigning for GB Energy to be based in the north also point to the region’s “unique” geography, making it an ideal location for steering the UK’s energy transition.

Having GB Energy in Inverness would be a “powerful statement” for how central government can benefit the whole UK in terms of spend and employment, they say.

There is no other part of Scotland with as strong a case as either of these two regions.”

To my mind, the competing campaigns from the north and north-east have equal merit.

I also believe there is no other part of Scotland with as strong a case as either of these two regions.

Choosing Aberdeen or Inverness would deliver a strong message about the new government’s intentions for creating economic growth and prosperity across the UK.

Conversation