Efforts to find an office for Labour’s new GB Energy headquarters in Aberdeen are under way, Energy Voice sister publication the P&J can reveal.
It’s understood potential locations being scouted out include space at Marischal Square at Broad Street, according to industry sources.
Separate smaller offices for Glasgow and Edinburgh are also said to be under consideration.
The development comes despite the UK Government’s continued refusal to confirm widespread reports that Aberdeen has been chosen to host the long-promised energy company.
Labour says it will fund cleaner energy technology and renewable projects, as part of the shift away from reliance on fossil fuels.
Scottish Secretary Ian Murray, at a briefing in London, said GB Energy will give the economy a boost and help transform the energy sector.
He criticised the SNP and previous Tory governments for missing opportunities.
‘Saudi Arabia of renewables’
“It wasn’t that long ago Alex Salmond was talking about the Saudia Arabia of renewables,” he said.
“And the Tory government really believe in public ownership of energy, just not the UK public.
© Tejas Sandhu/PA Wire“That’s why GB Energy is being set up, headquartered in Scotland.”
He stopped short of saying where.
Earlier in the week, Sir Keir Starmer also refused to name Aberdeen despite widespread reporting.
Asked to name the location, he would only tell the P&J it will be in Scotland and will create “jobs for generations to come.”
Reacting to a BBC report last week that Aberdeen will be the base, business leader Sir Ian Wood said: “The case for locating the company in the north-east of Scotland is irresistible given it is home to the largest cluster of energy supply chain companies in the UK and in close proximity to a massive pipeline of renewable projects spanning offshore wind, green hydrogen and carbon capture and storage.”
A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said: “We do not comment on speculation. Decisions on Great British Energy’s location will be announced in due course.”
The Scottish Government meanwhile published its new green industrial strategy on Wednesday, promising investment in sectors such as hydrogen, wind and “green” financial services.
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