THE UK Government is facing questions over whether there are any GB Energy employees working in Aberdeen, as it emerged it still does not have its own headquarters.
The National can reveal that GB Energy still has no headquarters seven months on from the General Election, as Labour’s £8.3 billion investment pledge is being cast into doubt.
There is also increasing uncertainty over whether GB Energy has any staff currently employed in Aberdeen, as the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) refused to provide an exact figure.
In November, we told how GB Energy would be based in existing UK Government office space in Aberdeen.
The building on Huntly Street is made up of three floors of office space, which the department shares with other occupants including oil and gas giants Shell and Dana Petroleum. According to a statement from the UK Government's Energy Minister Michael Shanks to the Commons in October, DESNZ has a total of 62 desks in the building.
A spokesperson for DESNZ confirmed that GB Energy is still based in this building, with plans to relocate to its own office “in due course”. They did not provide a timeframe for this move when asked.
The department also refused to provide the exact number of staff currently working on GB Energy in Aberdeen, saying: “We will not be providing a running commentary on this and have nothing more to add.”
GB Energy staff have been hired at various other locations in the UK since the General Election – such as Manchester, London and Edinburgh. However, The National did not find anyone who had been hired in Aberdeen.
A spokesperson for DESNZ said that GB Energy’s workforce planning is “still underway”, with the exact number of staff set to be determined by “organisational structures and priorities”.
Over the next five years, the UK Government hopes up to 300 people will be employed at what will be GB Energy’s Aberdeen HQ, with the hope of building up to “the size and scale of the world’s leading publicly owned energy companies”.
Those set to be based in Aberdeen include the permanent CEO of GB Energy and “most” of the senior executive team. Of the three permanent director-level positions advertised so far, two are expected to be based in Aberdeen.
Jürgen Maier – the chair of GB Energy based in Manchester – previously said that Labour’s General Election pledge to create 1000 new energy jobs in Scotland could take as long as “20 years”.
Meanwhile, Dan McGrail was appointed as the interim CEO of GB Energy last week and is expected to be based in Aberdeen.
A DESNZ spokesperson said: “Our aim is to build Great British Energy up to the size and scale of the world’s leading publicly owned energy companies. This won’t happen overnight, but our ambition is clear.
“We are already seeing the benefits in Aberdeen – Sarens PSG said Great British Energy's presence was a ‘game changer’ in making the city the ‘ideal location’ for their £1.6m training centre for wind farm workers.”
‘A meaningless promise’
Commenting, Kevin Stewart, SNP MSP for Aberdeen Central, said: “It’s hardly surprising that the promise of an Aberdeen-based HQ is meaningless.”
He added: “This Labour Government is failing to deliver for Scotland by presiding over the third consecutive increase in energy bills since they came into power.
“The Labour Party should apologise to those who trusted them back in July and explain how they will bring bills down while the cost of living and unemployment are both on the rise under their watch.”
Meanwhile, Maggie Chapman, Scottish Greens MSP for North East Scotland, questioned why it appears GB Energy currently has no employees in Aberdeen, saying “Scotland deserves better than empty promises”.
Chapman said: “GB Energy is appearing to be another one of Labour’s promises of jam tomorrow.
“The company's own chairman said it could take decades for 1000 jobs in Aberdeen to be created, so why would they need an office space if they haven’t got any employees to fill it yet?”
She continued: “The people of Aberdeen do not have decades to wait for household energy prices to drop when their bills are already too high to pay today. The workforce of Aberdeen do not have decades to wait to utilise and upskill into renewables when there are bills to be paid, roofs to be kept, and hungry mouths to feed now.
“I want the north east to be the powerhouse of Scotland’s new energy economy. It has renewable energy sources in abundance, and incredibly skilled workers willing to work to achieve a low carbon future.
“That will make energy bills cheaper and deliver good, well paid jobs, without costing the Earth.”
Labour have been contacted for comment.
