In a release sent to Rigzone by the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), the organization announced that Dan McGrail has been appointed as the interim Chief Executive Officer of Great British Energy (GB Energy).
DESNZ highlighted in the release that McGrail is currently the Chief Executive of RenewableUK, which describes itself on its website as “the established, influential voice of the UK’s renewable energy industry”. DESNZ also pointed out in the release that McGrail currently sits on the board for WindEurope and was previously the CEO of Siemens Engines and Managing Director of Siemens Power Generation.
In the release, DESNZ revealed that McGrail will be based in Scotland and work from GB Energy’s Aberdeen headquarters. He will take up his new post in March, on secondment from RenewableUK, the release noted.
When Rigzone asked DESNZ if it has a timeline to appoint a permanent GB Energy CEO and if McGrail could go on to become the permanent GB Energy CEO, a DESNZ spokesperson told Rigzone, “Dan will be in post for six months as interim CEO with a possible extension to nine months – during this time we will be recruiting the permanent CEO to take over the position”.
In the release, UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said, “with the appointment of Dan McGrail as interim CEO we now have a fantastic team in place to lead Great British Energy and start delivering on our Plan for Change”.
“Great British Energy is at the heart of our clean power mission, and will support thousands of well-paid jobs, drive growth and investment into our communities and deliver energy security for the British people,” he added.
“I look forward to working with Dan as we unlock the benefits of a new era of clean electricity for the British people,” he continued.
Start-up GB Energy Chair Juergen Maier said in the release, “Dan brings invaluable experience from a long career in clean energy and joins Great British Energy at a critical time to help spearhead our work to help make Britain energy independent”.
“I look forward to working with him to back innovation, create sustainable jobs, and grow our supply chains,” he added.
The Chair of RenewableUK’s Board of Directors and Director of Offshore Wind at SSE Renewables, Paul Cooley, said in the release, “I am delighted to support Dan in taking on the role of Interim CEO”.
“He has the right combination of leadership skills and energy industry experience to take Great British Energy to its next stage of maturity and he has been an important driving force throughout his career in the sector,” he added.
“He has transformed RenewableUK into a leading voice in the industry and his appointment is a great vote of confidence in the work of the organization. I am sure that he will establish a strategy at Great British Energy which enables our country to deliver on the amazing opportunities for economic growth and job creation which the clean power transition offers,” he continued.
In a statement posted on its X page, the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) said, “we welcome the appointment of Dan McGrail and very much look… forward to working with him in the coming months”. The NSTA notes on its site that it licenses, regulates, and influences the UK oil and gas, offshore hydrogen, and carbon storage industries.
McGrail said in the release sent to Rigzone by DESNZ, “homegrown, affordable clean power has never been more important and it’s a privilege to take up the role of interim CEO of Great British Energy at such a pivotal moment”.
“Together with the talented leadership team, I’m excited to hit the ground running to scale up the company and work with industry to unleash billions of investment in clean energy, helping to grow new industries at scale with job opportunities for hundreds of thousands of people, as well as helping the government achieve its clean power targets,” he added.
Earlier this month, a spokesperson for DESNZ told Rigzone that details of the GB Energy CEO role “will be published in due course”.
“Details of the role will be published in due course, and we will update when the job advert is live,” the spokesperson told Rigzone when asked if DESNZ had an update on when GB Energy will appoint a CEO.
The UK government website notes that GB Energy “will be a new, publicly owned, clean energy company”, adding that it “works with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero”.
“Great British Energy’s mission will be to drive clean energy deployment to create jobs, boost energy independence, and ensure UK taxpayers, billpayers and communities reap the benefits of clean, secure, home-grown energy,” the UK government site states.
A statement posted on the UK government’s website on January 17 announced that five non-executive directors had been appointed to GB Energy’s start-up board, “in another step forward for the new, publicly owned energy company that will own and invest in clean energy projects across the UK”.
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