Labour’s flagship GB Energy will be based in one of Scotland’s three largest cities. During the general election campaign, Labour promised the new publicly-owned energy company would be based somewhere in Scotland - but no further details of where have been given yet. Advertisement Advertisement Sign up to our Politics newsletter Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more.
However, it is now understood Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has narrowed it down to three options - Glasgow, Edinburgh or Aberdeen. It means other areas which had been touted - such as Grangemouth, Greenock and Fife - will not be getting the GB Energy headquarters. On Thursday Energy Minister and Scottish Labour MP Michael Shanks officially introduced the GB Energy Bill in the House of Commons.
The new UK government also introduced a second Bill to give the Crown Estate borrowing powers to invest in wind farms. The Crown Estate owns large swathes of the sea bed around Britain. Mr Miliband said GB Energy would start making a profit within five years, and Sir Keir Starmer suggests it will bring down household energy bills by £300 a year.
So when it comes to making a decision on which city to choose, what are the pros and cons? Aberdeen Pros - Aberdeen has long been one of the favourites for the base, as it is the oil and gas.