Anas Sarwar is visiting to Germany to meet industry leaders there to discuss how Scotland can become a world-leader in clean energy through the new publicly-owned GB Energy.
The Scottish Labour leader travelled to Stuttgart in Baden-Württemberg to meet with representatives of publicly-owned energy company EnBW.
He will be visiting the area for two days.
EnBW is a world-leader in clean energy and has secured the rights to build several offshore wind farms of the coast of Scotland.
The firm is a top four German utility which has successful operations throughout the energy supply chain from generation to retail with revenues in 2022 totalling more than 56bn euros and a workforce of over 26,000.
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Some 97.5% of EnBW shares are held by the state of Baden Württemberg and local municipalities.
Mr Sarwar will meet with company representatives to learn more about the work done by EnBW in Germany and across the UK.
The UK Labour Government is to set up GB Energy – a publicly-owned energy company based in Aberdeen - in a bid to deliver jobs, reduce bills and make Scotland a global leader in clean energy.
“After 14 years of Tory failure, the Labour government is acting now to unlock Scotland’s clean energy potential," Mr Sarwar said.
“To make sure that GB Energy is the success that we all want it to be, it is important to meet with other leading companies in the sector and learn from their successes.
“While the SNP and Tories have held Scotland back, companies owned by other states such as EnBW have been success stories. That’s why it is vital that we learn from their successes so that we can make GB Energy the success that we all want it to be.
“Scottish Labour’s energy plans centre on four clear principles – more jobs, lower bills, energy security and climate leadership.
“This is the change that we can deliver for Scotland and this is how we can make Scotland a global leader in clean energy.”
Meanwhile, it has emerged that a recruitment drive has been launched for GB Energy.
A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said: “Great British Energy will help make Britain a clean energy superpower, accelerating our journey to net zero through homegrown cheap energy that will bring down bills and boost energy independence.
“It will be owned by the British people and headquartered in Aberdeen, creating jobs and building supply chains across the UK, and working with industry and trade unions to deliver clean power.
“Four director roles at the company have been advertised – three in Aberdeen, which are currently open for applications. We will be recruiting for further positions before the end of the year.”
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