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Member News: Economic growth and clean power on agenda as Port of Aberdeen hosts Great British Energy Board

September 25, 2025
Member News: Economic growth and clean power on agenda as Port of Aberdeen hosts Great British Energy Board

Port of Aberdeen welcomed the Board of Great British Energy (GBE), chaired by Juergen Maier, highlighting its important role in delivering the UK Government’s missions of economic growth, clean power, and net zero.

Discussions centred on the need to accelerate the deployment of offshore wind while continuing to support the UK’s homegrown oil and gas sector. Today, renewables represent just 1% of the port’s revenue – despite handling around 700 vessels annually – with more than 50% generated from oil and gas.

Port of Aberdeen outlined ambitious plans to become an international hub for offshore wind, including:

  • Deepening South Harbour for offshore wind assembly, integration, and marshalling
  • Installing a dedicated ring-crane for tow-in tow-out major component exchange
  • Redeveloping the Regent Centre and investing in warehousing for offshore wind operation and maintenance

These developments build on the port’s £420 million investment in Aberdeen South Harbour, which is already generating significant new business for the port and North East supply chain.

The visit followed the publication of Energy Secretary Ed Miliband’s Statement of Strategic Priorities for GBE. This includes investing in the supply chain projects needed to unlock clean energy deployment and support delivery of the Industrial Strategy, which recognises ports as a ‘foundational industry’.

Bob Sanguinetti DL, CEO, Port of Aberdeen, said: “We welcomed the opportunity to engage with GBE’s Board and stressed the importance of ramping up renewables while continuing to support our homegrown oil and gas industry. This must be a conversation of and, not or.

“Offshore wind is the big opportunity on the horizon and we’re advancing projects that will position Aberdeen to capitalise on this. However, a concerted effort is needed to accelerate deployment if we’re to realise our full potential.”

Juergen Maier, Chair, Great British Energy, said: “With the right policy and the right financial backing, we’re seeing how renewable energy jobs can be created. According to the CBI there are now 273,000 jobs directly in the green economy, with 100,000 of these in Scotland. The skills we need to accelerate the rollout of offshore wind all currently sit within O&G. This isn’t about clean and dirty energy, this is about highly skilled workers being deployed onto secure projects, with ports like Aberdeen primed and ready to deliver that growth.”

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AREG is the original energy transition organisation, working on behalf of members to empower the energy supply chain and champion its expertise. Please get in touch if you have any questions or would like to find out more about membership.

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AREG has played an important role in the growth of Scotland’s renewable energy sector, engaging the supply chain and developing the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre. However, we are only at the very beginning of the transition that AREG was established to both lead and support so there are still opportunities for companies to get into the constantly evolving renewables supply chain. We look forward to continuing our work together as renewables builds on its place as Scotland’s main source of power, and as we seek to deliver real change in the crucial areas of heat and transport.

Scottish Renewables
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Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce has worked closely with AREG since its formation. The recent progress in the developments of offshore wind projects by Equinor and Vattenfall are as a result of the work of the group over many years. The north-east is known as the oil and gas capital of Europe. At the Chamber, we believe the region must evolve its position to being recognised as the energy capital. Whilst hydrocarbons will continue to be essential in driving our economy for years to come, the generation of renewable resources will play an increasingly important role in providing cost-effective power, innovative development and economic growth.

Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce
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The enthusiasm and dedication of the early group that would become AREG was fundamental in us choosing to launch All-Energy in Aberdeen. The first tiny show was held in 2001, and AREG’s Chairman at the time, Jeremy Cresswell, played such an active role that I often describe him in terms such as All-Energy’s ‘midwife’. All-Energy is now the UK’s largest renewable and low carbon energy exhibition and conference in terms of number of attendees, space booked, and number of exhibiting companies. As AREG became firmly established, their presence and support for the event grew spectacularly over the years. We thank them most sincerely for their invaluable input.

All-Energy
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Vattenfall has forged a strong working relationship with AREG through the development of the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre. AREG has worked tirelessly on behalf of the North East and it can take enormous credit for the growth of sustainable energy in the region and the path it has cleared for the region to capture further investment.

Vattenfall
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Aberdeen City and Shire is emerging as a key location for renewables by successfully transferring its world-class oil and gas expertise into the sector and AREG has done much to advance this through a broad range of initiatives. It has acted as a catalyst in driving further investment in the local economy by engaging with companies, Government, public bodies and existing projects and we have been pleased to support their efforts. Scottish Enterprise will continue to engage with AREG as we increase Scotland’s use of renewable energy.

Scottish Enterprise