10 October 2025
- Great British Energy establishes new Aberdeen Energy Taskforce to accelerate the city’s transformation into a global clean energy hub.
- Skilled oil and gas workers, young people, and local communities to benefit from new, secure and well-paid jobs in the clean power sector.
- Taskforce to ensure Great British Energy’s investment delivers local value – unlocking regional supply chains, innovation and manufacturing.
- Graeme Sword and Iain Anderson appointed as Co-Chairs of the Aberdeen Energy Taskforce.
Great British Energy (GBE) has launched the Aberdeen Energy Taskforce, a new leadership group designed to ensure that the energy transition delivers for the Northeast of Scotland – securing good local jobs, investment, and opportunity as Britain moves to clean power.
Anchored at Aberdeen, the Taskforce will act as a bridge between national ambition and local opportunity. It will advise the company’s Board and Executive Team on how to ensure GBE’s investment reflects the strengths, needs and aspirations of Aberdeen and the wider region.
The move supports the Government’s Clean Power Mission to secure home-grown energy and achieve clean power by 2030, while ensuring that communities are not left behind in the transition.
A bridge between energy sectors
Aberdeen has been the energy capital of Europe for decades, but job losses and market volatility in oil and gas have hit the region hard. The Taskforce will help ensure the wealth of skills and experience developed in oil and gas fuels Britain’s next generation of clean energy industries — from offshore wind and green hydrogen to carbon capture and storage (CCUS).
The Taskforce’s core objectives include:
- Championing Aberdeen’s global role in the clean energy transition across offshore wind, hydrogen, CCUS, and workforce reskilling.
- Securing a fair transition, ensuring that GBE investment delivers secure, well-paid, low-carbon jobs and skills for oil and gas workers, young people, and underrepresented groups.
- Maximising regional value by helping shape capital and procurement decisions that unlock local supply chains, innovation and manufacturing.
- Embedding community benefit at the heart of GBE delivery, through engagement with local authorities, anchor institutions and residents.
- Advocating with one voice for Aberdeen and the North East in national energy decisions.
Juergen Maier, Chair of Great British Energy, said:
“Aberdeen has been the energy capital of Europe for decades. As we are accelerating the energy transition, we're ensuring that the wealth of experience gained in Oil and Gas helps drive our mission to make Britain a renewable energy superpower.
Our new taskforce will make sure that local supply chains, manufacturing and innovation benefit from every decision we make and to help make the transition successful for them and their teams. The northeast's voice will be heard loud and clear as we manage this transition together.”
Graeme Sword, appointed Co-Chair of the Aberdeen Energy Taskforce, said:
“This Taskforce will ensure that local insight, industry experience and community ambition directly shape Great British Energy’s investment decisions.
Our goal is to create a bridge between the North East’s proud oil and gas legacy and the clean energy industries of the future — delivering prosperity and security for the region for generations to come.”
Iain Anderson, appointed Co-Chair of the Aberdeen Energy Taskforce, said:
“Aberdeen has world-class skills, innovation and energy expertise. The challenge now is to connect that strength to Britain’s national mission on clean power.
I’m proud to help lead a Taskforce that will make sure Great British Energy listens, learns and invests with the Northeast at its heart.”
Structure and operation
The full list of taskforce members:
- Juergen Maier, Chair GBE
- Graeme Sword, Co-Chair of Taskforce
- Iain Anderson, Co-Chair of Taskforce
- Allan Pirie, Chief Executive Officer, Ashtead Technology
- Bob Keiller, Chair, Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce
- Bob Ruddiman, Co-Head of Energy, Burness Paull
- David Whitehouse, Chief Executive Officer, OEUK
- Donella Beaton, Vice-Principal, RGU
- Jeff Corray, Head of Private Equity, Piper Sandler and CFO D2Zero
- Maggie McGinlay, Chief Executive Officer, ETZ
- Michael Love, Head of Policy, Opito
- Myrtle Dawes, Chief Executive Officer, Net Zero Technology Centre
- Neil McCulloch, Chief Executive Officer, Adura
- Nick Dalgarno, Managing Director, Energy, Power & Infrastructure, Piper Sandler
- Roy MacGregor, Chair, Global Energy Group
- Simon Roddy, Senior Vice President and Upstream Director, Shell
- Steve Gray, Chief Executive Officer, Ventex
The Taskforce will meet quarterly, supported by a dedicated secretariat within GBE’s External Affairs team. Membership will include representatives from across the energy sector — operators, supply chains, advisers, influencers and community groups.
A Community Sounding Board will also be established to ensure grassroots engagement, giving residents, local authorities and anchor institutions a direct voice in shaping GBE’s decisions.
Quarterly reports will be submitted to GBE’s Executive Committee, with minutes published publicly to ensure transparency. The Taskforce will operate initially until Autumn 2027, with an impact review after 12 months.
Great British Energy was established by the UK Government to accelerate the country’s transition to clean, home-grown energy. By investing directly in renewable generation, local supply chains and innovation, GBE aims to create good jobs, lower bills, and secure Britain’s energy independence.