Great British Energy
Great British Energy is a publicly owned energy investment company in the United Kingdom. It was established by the Great British Energy Act 2025, which received royal assent on 15 May 2025, and is sponsored by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. GBE invests in and co-develops clean energy and energy storage projects, and supports community energy and related supply chains. It is headquartered in Aberdeen, Scotland.
According to government publications, GBE and Great British Energy – Nuclear are backed with up to £8.3 billion during the Parliament elected in 2024. Early activity has included a partnership with The Crown Estate on clean energy infrastructure.
Leadership
GBE is governed by a board chaired by Jürgen Maier. The executive leadership team includes:- Dan McGrail – Chief Executive
- Paul Addison – Director of Policy and External Affairs
History
Origins
The proposal for a publicly owned energy company named Great British Energy was announced by Keir Starmer at the Labour Party conference in September 2022. It was later set out as a key policy in the party’s 2024 general election manifesto.Establishment
The Great British Energy Act 2025 received royal assent on 15 May 2025. The act established Great British Energy as a publicly owned energy investment company and provided for sponsorship by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.Early milestones
In July 2024 the government and The Crown Estate announced a partnership intended to support the delivery of clean energy infrastructure and to help attract private investment. On the same day the Secretary of State confirmed the appointment of Jürgen Maier as start-up chair, recorded in a departmental notice and a Parliamentary written answer. In September 2024 the government announced that Great British Energy would be headquartered in Aberdeen, Scotland. The first Statement of Strategic Priorities required by the 2025 act was published on 16 September 2025.Legal foundation
The Great British Energy Act 2025 established Great British Energy as a publicly owned energy investment company and set the framework for its operation and oversight. The act provides that the company is not an agent or servant of the Crown and does not have Crown immunities. It sets out the company’s objects, including clean-energy production, distribution, storage and supply, measures to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from fossil-fuel energy, support for energy efficiency and energy security, and supply-chain due-diligence measures.The act enables the Secretary of State to provide financial assistance to the company. Assistance may take forms such as grants, loans, guarantees, equity and contracts, subject to applicable public-finance and subsidy-control rules. The Secretary of State must publish a Statement of Strategic Priorities for Great British Energy, and the company must publish strategic plans that respond to that statement. The Act also makes provision for ministerial directions, the laying of annual accounts before Parliament and periodic independent reviews of the company’s effectiveness. It extends across the United Kingdom and commenced on royal assent on 15 May 2025.
Mandate and activities
Great British Energy’s mandate is to invest in and co-develop projects that support the United Kingdom’s transition to clean and stored power, alongside work on local and community energy and related supply chains. Official material describes a public investor and developer role that seeks to co-invest with the private sector and deliver value for money.Investment approach
GBE focuses on commercially viable projects where public capital can help unlock delivery or scale. The company operates within ministerial priorities and publishes strategic plans that respond to those priorities. Activity is intended to complement existing market frameworks and to work with devolved governments and public bodies where relevant.Technology focus
The first published statement of strategic priorities asks GBE to look across the clean energy technology spectrum, including renewables, energy storage and other low-carbon technologies. It highlights collaboration with partners across the United Kingdom and alignment with system needs and regional opportunities.Renewables
GBE's remit includes partnering on renewable generation such as offshore wind, onshore wind, solar photovoltaic projects and, where appropriate, marine energy. Work can include co-development, co-investment and support for supply-chain capacity and skills. Where projects relate to the seabed, developers obtain leases from the relevant Crown body, and GBE's partnership with The Crown Estate forms part of this delivery context.Energy storage
The statement of strategic priorities includes storage to enable a higher share of variable renewable generation and to improve system flexibility. Current policy frameworks relevant to storage include a long-duration electricity storage investment support scheme administered by Ofgem, under which large battery projects entered a further phase in 2025. GBE operates alongside such schemes when considering potential co-investment in storage assets.Nuclear
is an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. It supports the civil nuclear programme, including small modular reactors. On 10 June 2025 the government announced Rolls-Royce SMR as the preferred bidder to partner with Great British Energy – Nuclear to develop the first small modular reactors in the United Kingdom, subject to approvals and contracts.Partnerships and early projects
In July 2024 the government announced a partnership between GBE and The Crown Estate to support the accelerated delivery of clean-energy infrastructure, with the announcement stating the partnership had the potential to leverage private investment. In March 2025 the government described GBE's first major project as a programme to install rooftop solar on around 200 schools and around 200 NHS sites, followed by updates on delivery and extensions to additional public-estate sites. GBE also announced a £10 million partnership offer to mayoral authorities to support local clean-power projects.Funding and finance
According to government publications, Great British Energy and Great British Energy – Nuclear are backed with up to £8.3 billion during the Parliament elected in 2024. The Great British Energy Act 2025 enables the Secretary of State to provide financial assistance to the company. Assistance may take forms such as grants, loans, guarantees, equity and contracts, subject to applicable public-finance frameworks.Great British Energy operates alongside existing market support schemes. The government describes Contracts for Difference as its main mechanism for supporting low-carbon electricity generation. The Low Carbon Contracts Company acts as the statutory counterparty to CfD agreements and manages awarded contracts. The National Energy System Operator performs the delivery-body role for CfD allocation rounds and provides application guidance and notices.
Other revenue-support models also sit alongside GBE's investment role. The government has designated the Low Carbon Contracts Company as counterparty for revenue-support contracts under the Hydrogen Production Business Model. In parallel, public-finance partners such as the National Wealth Fund have announced financing for network upgrades, which forms part of the wider delivery context for new generation and storage.
Public authorities must comply with the United Kingdom’s subsidy-control regime and with the reformed public-procurement rules when awarding support or entering contracts. Official guidance explains the requirements of the Subsidy Control Act 2022 and the implementation of the Procurement Act 2023.