RenewableUK’s chief executive Dan McGrail has been appointed interim chief executive of the new Great British Energy company.

Starting in March and working over a six-month period at the Aberdeen headquarters, Mr McGrail will help drive forward the government’s Plan for Change and its clean energy superpower mission.

He is a former employee of GB Energy’s chair Juergen Maier, who was the CEO of Siemens UK from 1986 to 2019.

McGrail began working for the company in 2004 and rose to be CEO of its engine business based in the Basque Country.

He will be tasked with quickly scaling up GB Energy which is already coming under pressure to deliver on Labour’s pledges.

During his time at RenewableUK, Mr McGrail has overseen the growth of the organisation to more than 500 member companies.

He said: “Homegrown, affordable clean power has never been more important and it’s a privilege to take up the role of interim CEO of Great British Energy at such a pivotal moment.

“Together with the talented leadership team, I’m excited to hit the ground running to scale up the company and work with industry to unleash billions of investment in clean energy, helping to grow new industries at scale with job opportunities for hundreds of thousands of people, as well as helping the Government to achieve its clean power targets.”

Commenting on Mr McGrail’s appointment, chair of RenewableUK, Paul Cooley, director of offshore wind at SSE Renewables, said: “He has the right combination of leadership skills and energy industry experience to take Great British Energy to its next stage of maturity and he has been an important driving force throughout his career in the sector.

“He has transformed RenewableUK into a leading voice in the industry and his appointment is a great vote of confidence in the work of the organisation.

“I am sure that he will establish a strategy at Great British Energy which enables our country to deliver on the amazing opportunities for economic growth and job creation which the clean power transition offers.”

Mr Maier added: “Dan brings invaluable experience from a long career in clean energy and joins Great British Energy at a critical time to help spearhead our work to help make Britain energy independent.”

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: “With the appointment of Dan McGrail as interim CEO, we now have a fantastic team in place to lead Great British Energy and start delivering on our plan for change.