Scotland's Economy

Edinburgh secures Green Investment Bank

March 8, 2012 by Fergus Ewing MSP 1 Comment | Category Investment

I’m delighted Edinburgh has been chosen to host the headquarters of the Green Investment Bank. This is the right decision, recognising Scotland’s position at the vanguard of the renewables revolution and follows an excellent and professional bid campaign.

Just a fortnight ago I blogged about the tremendous efforts going into securing the bank’s headquarters for Edinburgh.

That day I met with Owen Kelly, head of Edinburgh’s Green Investment Bank Group, and other members of the group, as well opposition spokespeople to discuss the bid before a parliamentary debate which secured unanimous support.

I have supported Edinburgh’s bid from the beginning and have greatly appreciated the cross party support the campaign has received. Last year all parties signed a letter of support for Edinburgh’s bid to Vince Cable and I wrote to him again following the recent Parliamentary debate.

Edinburgh and Glasgow councils joined forces to write to Dr Cable together in support of Edinburgh’s bid last year, alongside Scottish Universities.

Our enterprise agencies have played a pivotal role in helping to bring this project to Edinburgh. Both Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International were key partners in the Edinburgh Green Investment Bank Group, providing economic intelligence and feedback from industry that helped to make such a compelling argument to bring the bank to Scotland as well as providing access to its network of influential business figures in Scotland and overseas to generate support for Edinburgh’s bid.

This decision is great news for Edinburgh’s economy and for Scotland’s thriving low carbon sector.

I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate everyone involved in Edinburgh’s bid.

Tags: banking, Green Investment Banking Group, Scottish Development International, Scottish Enterprise

Comments

• Jim Inglis says:

  17 March 2012 at 1:06 pm

  A good move by the Scottish Government would be to apoint a national board of engineers to advise, write papers on a coherent national energy strategy in this age of multinational power conglomerates, the wind farm lobby. Also the powerful nuclear lobby. It would be a national body with a truly international language of engineering outlook. There are lessons from our european neighbours. And what do we DO with the power generated? Might population and (new) industry move from the present conurbations to energy rich locations? The panel judging the Saltire Prize is a promising start

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