GB Energy names permanent chief executive
Former Siemens Engines and RenewableUK chief appointed to lead GB Energy, which is tipped to play key role in burgeoning floating offshore wind sector, on permanent basis
RenewableUK chief Dan McGrail has been appointed as the permanent CEO of the UK’s new national clean power champion GB Energy.
The government announced today that McGrail, who has held the role on an interim basis for the last four months, has been appointed as GB Energy chief on a permanent basis.
Energy secretary Ed Miliband said McGrail has been a “visionary leader” in the interim CEO role and will bring “world-class private sector experience to our publicly-owned clean power company.”
Launching GB Energy was a flagship promise of the Labour Party before it swept to power in last year’s general election.
McGrail has since 2021 served as the chief executive of RenewableUK, the trade association for businesses developing wind and other green and clean power technologies.
He has held the role since 2021, before which he was CEO of Siemens Engines. Before starting at GB Energy, McGrail also had a stint on the board of another industry body, WindEurope.
McGrail took up his post as interim CEO of GB Energy on an initial six-month contract.
“It is a privilege to take on the CEO role permanently and lead Great British Energy from our Aberdeen HQ at such a pivotal moment,” said McGrail.
“We will now focus on scaling up as Britain’s publicly owned energy company, making strategic investments that drive forward the government’s clean power mission and give people a stake in clean energy.”
GB Energy had been expected to have an £8.3bn ($11.3bn) budget to work with over the course of the Parliament until 2025, however £2.5bn was effectively raided last month by the Treasury to fund a public nuclear power body.
A more permanent appointment could bring closer some of the larger scale investments that the industry has been hoping for from GB Energy, industry sources say.
RenewableUK’s deputy CEO Jane Cooper said that McGrail “will be greatly missed by everyone at RenewableUK.”
She added that his “leadership skills and vision, backed by a highly capable team, have left us in the strongest possible position to thrive as we continue to expand our membership and champion the sector.”
Juergen Maier, former chief of Siemens UK, was appointed GB Energy chair last year, while five new non-executive directors joined in January.
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