New Impetus for Clean Energy: GB Energy Recruits Specialists

The British government has started recruiting employees for GB Energy and plans to announce the eagerly awaited location of the Scottish headquarters of the state-owned company next month. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has posted job listings on LinkedIn for 'mid to senior leaders.' The new company will be equipped with £8.3 billion through Parliament to accelerate the expansion of clean energy. The advertised positions include Engagement Director and Development Director for energy projects. At an event in Aberdeen, Energy Minister Michael Shanks announced that the location of GB Energy's headquarters will be revealed 'early next month.' Parliament returns from summer recess on September 2. The founding of GB Energy was a key election promise of the Labour Party, aimed at developing more renewable energy and reducing emissions from electricity generation to net zero by 2030. The company will own, manage, and operate clean energy projects and help establish new technologies like carbon capture and hydrogen. In Scotland, the location of the headquarters is hotly debated. Lobbyists in Aberdeen, the capital of the North Sea oil industry, have intensely advocated for their city as the natural seat of the company. Other potential locations include Edinburgh, Scotland's financial and administrative capital, and Glasgow, the traditional heartland of the Labour Party in Scotland. Many people in northeastern Scotland fear that the transition to renewable energy may bring economic hardships as the North Sea oil basin is in decline. The government's plans to increase the windfall tax on energy profits have heightened concerns about ensuring a 'just transition' from fossil fuels to renewable energies. An open letter from more than 40 organizations warned the British government that the energy profits tax could jeopardize 'thousands of jobs' in manufacturing, engineering, and technology companies that are crucial for achieving net zero goals. Supporters argue that locating GB Energy in Aberdeen, a hub for offshore skills that can be transferred from the fossil fuel sector to clean energy, would alleviate concerns. The position of Engagement Director is to be based in one of the DESNZ offices outside London: Aberdeen, Birmingham, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, or Salford. The role of Development Director for energy projects could also be based in London. Both positions, offering an annual salary of £52,985, provide hybrid working arrangements, with an expectation to be in the office 40-60 percent of the time. The Engagement Director role is described as 'critical' to the success of establishing GB Energy, with a particular emphasis on candidates from outside London and specifically from Scotland. This position is vital for developing the policy, legislation, and institutional architecture required to establish the company. The successful candidate would lead a 'hub' team responsible for communications, briefing, and ministerial engagements. The other role is to advance the workflows for the project development of the Great British Energy Directorate. Last month, the government announced a partnership between GB Energy and the Crown Estate, which leases the seabed around England, Wales, and Northern Ireland to develop new offshore wind projects. Ed Miliband, the Energy and Climate Change Minister, argued that developing more renewable energy capacity in the UK would lower bills in the long term by reducing the country's reliance on gas prices. UK energy bills are expected to rise this winter after Ofgem, the British energy regulator, increased the price cap for the last three months of this year by 10 percent on Friday. Wholesale gas prices are to blame. 'The only solution to reducing bills and achieving greater energy independence is the government's mission for clean, domestic energy,' Miliband said on Friday.