Energy boost as SSE chooses Glasgow for its European HQ

Published on Wednesday 7 October 2009 22:00

THE UK's biggest producer of renewable electricity is to build a £20 million European green energy headquarters in Glasgow.

With Scottish & Southern Energy basing its new facility in Scotland's largest city, it is being seen as a boost to the country's bid to take a lead in the development of renewable energy.

The centre, to be known as the Centre of Engineering Excellence for Renewable Energy (CEERE) will provide a base from which the power giant will oversee its entire European onshore and offshore wind portfolio.

Some 250 high-end jobs, all paid more than 50,000 a year, will be created, and another 70 posts in the city will be safeguarded, SSE said yesterday.

The facility will be built at a yet to be identified site in the city centre.

It is being set up by SSE working alongside the University of Strathclyde. The Scottish Government is providing a 2.8m Regional Selective Assistance grant. First Minister Alex Salmond said yesterday it was a "significant commitment and investment by SSE in Glasgow and in Scotland".

He added: "This initiative positions Glasgow to be at the epicentre of a key strand of 21st century engineering, just as the city dominated the engineering ages of the past."

And he said it would help to strengthen Scotland's position as a "global leader in low carbon energy".

SSE chief executive Ian Marchant said his company had chosen Glasgow after considering other locations in mainland Europe, Ireland and the UK.

The Perth-based firm is in the second of a five-year 3 billion investment programme in renewable energy projects, specialising in on- and off-shore wind farms. He said:

"We're very positive about the prospects for creating new jobs to harness Europe's renewable energy resources and the potential to make a significant contribution to the achievement of Scotland's ambitions."

Welcoming the announcement, Dr Lesley Sawers, chief executive of the Scottish Council for Development and Industry, said: "Green jobs will be a key driver of economic recovery as Scotland develops a lower– carbon economy.

"Research for SCDI has found that Scotland will need to invest 10bn in the next ten years to replace electricity generating capacity with renewable power. The global market will be worth hundreds of billions, so this is a huge opportunity for Scottish industry and new jobs."

However, when asked if the company's new HQ would be powered by renewable energy, an SSE spokesman said: We haven't got the site yet, so it's really just too early to say."