The UK Government is set to relocate 200 civil servants from its energy security department DESNZ to Aberdeen.
Trailed in the FT, the plans are reportedly to be unveiled next week by deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden as part of a wider announcement on moving civil servants out of London.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has a presence in Aberdeen via the environmental operator OPRED.
Aberdeen also plays home to the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) and Net Zero Technology Centre (NZTC), the latter being backed by UK Government and Scottish Government funding.
The Cabinet Office had no comment, DESNZ has been approached for comment.
Aberdeen has around 45,000 people employed through the offshore energy sector.
It comes amid a push to move the UK energy department to Aberdeen, with calls from the chamber of commerce in March ahead of the Spring Budget as part of the UK’s “levelling up” agenda.
Meanwhile Labour’s Ed Miliband said Aberdeen has a “strong claim” to host his party’s “GB Energy” proposal, should Labour win the next election.
Policy director at the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce Ryan Crichton said: “We have been pressing the Prime Minister, the Chancellor and the UK Government to locate more civil service jobs in Aberdeen, so this is fantastic news for the region and a big victory for the Chamber.
“By bringing the headquarters of DESNZ to Aberdeen it will sit alongside other key institutions, such as the North Sea Transition Authority, Net Zero Technology Centre, Energy Transition Zone and the two universities leading on research and new technology to achieve net zero.
“Furthermore, it will place the department in proximity to an industry undergoing an exciting, yet nevertheless challenging transition — a transition that is critical we get right.”
It comes as Rishi Sunak has pledged annual licensing rounds for the North Sea, and as both major parties have ramped up rhetoric around the industry ahead of the looming general election.
The PM has come under fire for rolling back green policies, including delaying the ban on petrol and diesel cars.
Greenpeace said Aberdeen needs an “urgent plan” to move towards green energy but claimed Sunak’s record so far signals “the exact opposite”.
The FT said Oliver Dowden is also expected to shift civil servants to Wales and enlarge the business department in Darlington in north-east England.
Recommended for you
