The new Energy Department for an independent Scotland will be co-headquartered in Aberdeen and Glasgow, First Minister Alex Salmond said yesterday.
The SNP leader said that the new department, which will have an estimated staff of around 300 across both centres, would capitalise on the expertise of oil and gas in Aberdeen and Glasgow’s “influential position as a low-carbon engineering centre”.
He said: “Independence presents an unrivalled opportunity to boost our energy wealth, support employment and grow our economy.
“A new Energy Department for Scotland co-headquartered between Aberdeen and Glasgow will capitalise on existing knowledge and expertise; building an effective, efficient and world-leading energy industry.
“These locations connect our two main centres of energy expertise. Aberdeen is Europe’s oil and gas capital and its importance in the global market is undisputed, making it the natural home for a new Energy Department. It is also a vital and growing centre for the development of marine energy.
“At the same time, Glasgow is fast becoming the most influential low-carbon engineering centre in the UK; its proximity to electricity and gas supply industries and the renewables industry is crucial to ensuring we have the right expertise in the right place, especially in relation to the development of offshore wind.”
He added: “I wholeheartedly agree with Sir Ian Wood’s recommendation that a new regulator for the North Sea should be created. That regulator should be in Aberdeen. This would create the right conditions for a close, constructive and effective relationship to be forged between central government in Scotland, the North Sea regulator and the industry.”
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