GB Energy is set to open its headquarters in Aberdeen on Tuesday, more than two years after Labour won the 2024 General Election.
The publicly-owned company was one of Labour's flagship election pledges, which promised to cut bills by £300 and create 1000 direct jobs at its HQ.
But until this week, there has been no permanent home for GB Energy - with staff working from temporary sites and a significant proportion of employees based outside Scotland.
The GB Energy headquarters will be at Marischal Square, an office complex in Aberdeen's city centre. The company's existing lease runs until 2038, with the space accommodating a total of 77 desks.
GB Energy previously said it hopes 300 workers will be based at its Aberdeen HQ "over the next few years". According to the latest figures obtained by The National, 51 staff members (37% of the total GB Energy workforce) are working in Aberdeen, although just over half of those are employed on a full-time basis.
Ahead of the headquarters opening, both the SNP and the Scottish Greens have urged the UK Government to finally "deliver for workers" north of the Border.
SNP MSP Jack Middleton said: “It’s not GB Energy, it’s Scotland’s Energy and it should be in Scotland's hands.
"The Labour UK Government has put the bunting up to celebrate 40 jobs in Aberdeen when they promised 1000.
“At a time when Scotland's North Sea industry needs support, the Labour Party has abandoned our workers and punished our industry with thousands of avoidable job losses."
Middleton said that money that should be invested in the north east of Scotland has "been thrown down the drain to prop up solar panels and nuclear projects in England", referring to the first round of GB Energy funding announced last year.
He continued: “All the while revenues are still being syphoned off from our North Sea and pumped into the Treasury's coffers to spend on pet projects like HS2.
“Only with the fresh start of independence can we use Scotland's energy wealth to the benefit of our citizens and to build an energy system that truly meets the needs of working people."
Meanwhile, Scottish Greens MSP Kristopher Leask said that “Aberdeen was promised an energy and jobs revolution, not an address in a shared office".
The MSP told The National: “Labour encouraged people to expect 1000 new jobs, but ministers are now talking about only 300 direct employees, whilst households are still waiting for the lower energy bills they were promised.
“GB Energy has yet to take a genuine public stake in Scotland’s energy, or support community ownership ensuring that the jobs created are secure, well-paid and unionised, along with strong requirements to invest in Scottish businesses and supply chains."
Leask added: “Scotland has enormous energy wealth, but for decades the profits and economic benefits have flowed elsewhere.
"Labour are quickly running out of excuses for why GB Energy will not deliver for workers, cut household bills and ensure that the wealth generated in Scotland stays in Scotland.”
GB Energy were approached for comment.
