Oil and gas giant Shell wants to turn the site of its former Scottish headquarters into a charging hub for electric vehicles.

In a move that would be symbolic of the shift in energy sources, the company is proposing 20 ultra-rapid charge points on the site at the Altens industrial estate in Aberdeen. It would be Shell’s first all-EV facility in Scotland.

One of the city’s most distinctive buildings has been reduced to rubble after the company pledged to transform the 30-acre site into something that would make a “positive change” in the area.

Shell’s senior vice president, Simon Roddy, said: “We are exploring options with potential partners, including the council and Energy Transition Zone Limited, on how the rest of the site could be used to benefit the city.”

Neil Young, land & planning director at Energy Transition Zone, said: “If progressed, these plans would see Shell making a welcome, positive and significant investment in the energy transition zone.

“Establishing the firm’s first all EV-facility in Scotland is fitting way to mark their continued presence in Aberdeen and would further cement the transformational journey this city and region is on as we strive to become global leaders in the race to net zero.”

The plan emerged days after Aberdeen was named as the location for the new state-owned GB Energy investment company that will support clean energy projects.

Cabling project moves forward

Plans for a subsea cabling factory creating up to 900 jobs have taken a big step forward after the UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB) provided up to £87 million for the project at Hunterston in Ayrshire.

XLCC has already raised £40m through various sources and has received planning permission. Construction work is expected to begin next year.

UKIB is putting in an initial £20m with options for a further £67m to follow when key milestones are achieved.

John Flint, the UKIB chief executive, said: “Industry projections indicate that demand for subsea cables will soon exceed existing supply chain capacity.

“Our support for XLCC is intended to provide confidence to the market, crowding private investment into this sector to boost production capacity in an industry set to have a significant impact on the UK‘s transition to net zero.”

Ian Douglas, XLCC chief executive, said: “The creation of the Hunterston facility in Scotland brings significant investment to the UK, creating highly skilled jobs in advanced manufacturing and project management for decades to come.”

Cross border energy link begins

Construction has started on the Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2), a £4.3 billion electricity transmission project.

The 2GW subsea cable will connect Peterhead in Scotland to Drax in Yorkshire and will be the UK’s largest electricity transmission project to date.

The 500 kilometre cable will be the longest high voltage direct current (HVDC) subsea link in the UK.

Ofgem fast-tracked the project which will be delivered by SSEN Transmission and National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET). It will provide enough clean energy to power around two million homes when fully operational in 2029.