A year ago this week, Keir Starmer announced that GB Energy, the publicly owned energy investment firm, would have its headquarters in Aberdeen.
GB Energy was an integral part of Labour’s 2024 general election manifesto. The firm was proposed to help combat the rising energy prices and stagnant job growth of the energy sector.
Set up as a dynamic investment firm, GB Energy’s aim was: to invest and collaborate with clean energy initiatives, help decarbonize the energy system, lower energy prices, and create ‘good British jobs.’ The Labour government stated that GB Energy would be backed by £8.3 billion over the course of the parliamentary term.
At the 2024 Labour Party Conference, Keir Starmer announced:
“The future of British energy, as it has been for decades by the talent and skills of the working people in the Granite City with GB Energy based in Aberdeen.”
He also added “it could only ever really be based in one place.”
This announcement was greatly welcomed, with Aberdeen City Council saying they were “delighted” by the prospect of it being based in the Granite City.
However, since that announcement, GB Energy has caused controversy.
Jurgen Maier was appointed as Chair of the company in July of 2024. Experienced in the oil sector, Maier’s appointment was temporary. His role was to scale GB Energy and build its organisational structure.
However, as first reported by The Sun, Maier would never be based in the Aberdeen headquarters. Instead, he would oversee all operations from an office in Greater Manchester.
The Scottish Conservative Shadow Secretary for Energy, Douglas Lumsden, dubbed the decision an “insult” and questioned what message it would send to the people of the northeast.
The announcement of the headquarters being situated in Aberdeen came with the promise of large job creation. Originally, GB Energy would provide ‘thousands of jobs,’ according to the Labour Party. However, when grilled by the SNP’s Westminster leader, Stephen Flynn, at the first sitting of the Great British Energy Bill, Maier said “It would be in the hundreds; eventually a thousand.”
He later admitted to Sky News that it could take up to 20 years to provide 1000 jobs.
As of September 2025, 69 employees have been hired by GB Energy. Of this, only 13 have been appointed in Aberdeen. More than double, 31, are currently employed in London. In response, the MSP for Aberdeen Central, Kevin Stewart, stated “Labour has betrayed Aberdeen once again.”
In the same sitting, Flynn also questioned if GB Energy would lower energy bills. Maier claimed that it is ‘not in the scope’ of the company. This comes in direct contradiction to Keir Starmer’s manifesto pledge, which promised GB Energy would “create good jobs and cut people’s bills.”
The Chancellor, Racheal Reeves, also said that the party would lower families’ energy bills by ‘£300 a year.’
On top of this, The National revealed that GB Energy would not have its own, independent headquarters, like previously promised. Instead, the ‘investment vehicle’ will be located within the already established ‘second’ headquarters of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. The AB1 building is located on Huntly Street and also houses major oil companies Shell and Dana Petroleum.
The MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Jackie Dunbar, slammed the decision. She questioned how they would make a real difference in the oil and gas sector operating out of: “spare offices in an existing government building.”
The Great British Energy Bill officially gained Royal Assent in May 2025. In June, they established their first investment strategy. 11 schools in England gained funding for solar panels through these investments. This is set to save these schools ‘up to £175,000 a year in electricity bills.’
However, even this faced scrutiny. The BBC uncovered that these solar panels would be supplied from Chinese firms, which raised doubts if they have been sourced ethically. Labour MP, Sarah Champion, urged the government to stay away from known human rights offenders and instead should “buy British.”
So far, GB Energy has secured £700 million in funding for clean energy supply chains. The government claims that this new industrial strategy will help to slash 7000 company’s energy bills by up to 25% from 2027. Keir Starmer stated: “The Industrial Strategy marks a turning point for the British economy.”
It is currently too early to see the effect that GB Energy will have on Aberdeen and the rest of Scotland. However, the vast amount of criticism that they have received leaves their promises harder to achieve a year on from their initial announcements. The government remains hopeful that GB Energy can provide lasting prosperity, however many wonder if there will be any tangible difference.
