Aberdeen is known for many things - rowies, the Dons, the ‘black gold’ which has fuelled its growth and industries.

More recently its granite streets are recognised by shuttered shops and ‘for sale’ signs. Walking through the city centre several weeks ago, visitors can be struck by how quiet the streets are, especially compared to the hustle and bustle of Scotland’s capital or its largest city, Glasgow.

The urban solitude can be a blessing, but, for the loons, quines, and wifies who call the city home, the economic downturn since the oil price crash a decade ago has only brought bad news. 

Coupled with a pandemic and complicated travel restrictions around the city’s main thoroughfares, it's no surprise more and more businesses are closing up shop. 

Battered and bruised by a rapidly changing world, Aberdeen is in desperate need of a renaissance. The news that Great British Energy is due to be headquartered in the city could provide the boost that is needed. While reports have yet to be confirmed by the UK government, who refused to be drawn on the company’s location, Aberdonians are already celebrating.

Political and business leaders are keen to see the “publicly owned, clean energy company” based in the windswept city of nearly 200,000. Daria Shapovalova, an academic at the University of Aberdeen, said that GB Energy being located in the region was “the only reasonable decision.”

The senior lecturer in energy law added: “This is a recognition of Aberdeen’s continued central role as the energy capital. The city and region have a wealth of expertise, not just in technical aspects of energy, but also financial and legal work. I hope that this decision signals commitment to just transition for the North East, supporting communities and safeguarding jobs. 

“At the same time, greater clarity is needed on GB Energy’s remit, its financial structure, its remit around things like community energy and fuel poverty.”

Speaking to The Herald, Fergus Mutch, policy advisor for the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce, said: “While we will wait to see [if these reports are confirmed], this is good news for the North East of Scotland.”

“The chamber has been leading on this issue locally. [Our members] are keen to see GB Energy based here in the North East.”

Russell Borthwick, the Chamber’s chief executive, added: “[We] have led calls for GB Energy to be headquartered here in the Granite City – which will be the epicentre of so much activity over the coming years as we move away from oil and gas to cleaner sources of energy.

“To deliver that shared mission – which must be done in partnership between government, industry, workers and the community at large – an Aberdeen HQ makes sense.”

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Meanwhile, M Tauqeer Malik, the leader of Aberdeen City Council’s Labour group, was quick to praise Scottish Labour bosses for the decision.

“GB Energy coming to Aberdeen is testament to the hard work of Aberdeen and Scottish Labour,” he said. “Full credit must go to Anas Sarwar and Jackie Baillie, who both were committed to bringing GB Energy to Scotland and then to Aberdeen.”

Malik, who met with Sarwar in July to lay out a case for locating GB Energy in the city, said he is “grateful [Sarwar] listened.”

He added: “Investing in infrastructure to deliver a proper just transition will be the key to the success of GB Energy. Aberdeen has the workforce, it has the technology and it has the skills that will benefit the UK, Scotland, and Aberdeen itself.

“Labour has given Aberdeen back its confidence and I urge all those working in the energy sector to work with the UK government in a public and private partnership to ensure GB Energy delivers for the UK as a whole.

“The time for taking is finished. The time for delivering is now.”

Setting this rosy outlook aside, many questions still need to be answered. The specific nature of GB Energy remains unclear, and the government has provided few specifics about how its structure and workforce will be organised. 

This is an enquiry that Maggie Chapman of the Scottish Greens is keen to have answered. A list MSP for the North East region, Chapman, who resides in Aberdeen’s Woodside neighbourhood, has often spoken of the need for a proper ‘just transition’ for the city’s workers.

Speaking to The Herald, she said: “This news presents an opportunity for Aberdeen - new jobs, investment, a focus away from the legacy of oil and gas. We want to be optimistic, yet there remains a great concern that this will become an investor’s playpen, rather than a genuine driver of new renewables projects. 

“Labour must be clear about their ambitions for this project, and in doing so should prove their climate credentials to the nation. GB Energy should be an organisation that resources the energy sector’s move towards genuine renewable energy, not an excuse for more warm words on oil, gas and nuclear.

“An energy transition without justice is not what we need. The UK Government must ensure that GB Energy works for public interests in the region and the sector, and not to line private pockets. I would welcome greater collaboration between the Labour Government and the MSPs who represent the region, to ensure GB Energy lives up to the challenge of our climate crisis.”

Coming at the issue from a very different perspective than Chapman, the Chamber of Commerce also has questions about GB Energy.

“We have a few questions about how it will work, and how it will work alongside the industry,” Mutch noted. The government-funded energy company needs to be “mutually beneficial for everyone,” he remarked.

Setting aside the practicality of basing an energy company in the “the oil and gas capital of Europe”, there’s an argument that the location is politically motivated. Despite massive gains by Labour in the general election, Aberdeen and the surrounding countryside remains one of the last remaining SNP bastions, electing three MPs to Westminster in July.

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Could the placement of GB Energy in the city prove beneficial for Labour’s hopes in the 2026 Holyrood contest? There’s some thought that it might persuade voters to cast their ballots for candidates wearing the red rosette this time around. It’s expected to be a close result, and every seat will matter for control of the chamber.

Another key question is where GB Energy will be located within the city. Business leaders are keen to see the company based in the city centre, rather than in one of the many industrial parks dotted across the outskirts of Aberdeen.

Mutch said as much, remarking: “The centre of town would be the chamber’s preference for GB Energy’s location.”

He pointed to the example of energy conglomerate Shell, which moved its headquarters from the Altens industrial estate in the south of the city to Union Street several years ago, noting that a city-centre focused model ensures that “benefits are felt by local businesses.”

There are a plethora of empty buildings which could prove effective bases, including the shuttered RBS headquarters in St Nicholas Square, which could be paired with the soon to shut Marks and Spencer building. 

Indeed, the size and scale of GB Energy is vital in assessing its impact on the region. If it turns out the company’s presence in the city is little more than a small office with fifty employees, its direct impact on the health of the high street will be minimal. 

The government must not be afraid to dream big and establish a publicly-owned company which brings about practical and effective change, lowering energy bills and generating revenue, not only for the people of the UK at large, but the people of Scotland, and indeed Aberdeen, in particular. 

Too often, Aberdonians are the only ones waving the banner for our city, which is often unfairly seen as provincial, isolated, and barren. Despite a reputation for being “Abermoaners”, no one wants our city to thrive more than those of us who live there. 

There’s little doubt that a large and robust energy company based in the city centre would lead to increased investment and revitalisation. Despite the uncertainty, GB Energy may be the golden goose Aberdeen has been waiting for. Let’s hope so.