Dan McGrail has been appointed permanent chief executive of Great British Energy, the investment vehicle designed to de-risk projects in the renewables sector. 

He was appointed interim CEO in February and since then has set up the arm’s length company and developed an early focus on floating offshore wind platforms.

Hundreds of schools and hospitals will benefit from lower bills after GB Energy invested in rooftop solar.

Mr McGrail, who will work from the Aberdeen HQ of GB Energy, joined the company from a similar position at RenewableUK. He was previously CEO of Siemens Engines. GB Energy chair Juergen Maier was a former CEO of Seimens UK.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: “Dan has been a visionary leader as Great British Energy’s interim CEO, and will bring world-class private sector experience to our publicly-owned clean power company.”

Mr McGrail said: “It is a privilege to take on the CEO role permanently and lead Great British Energy from our Aberdeen HQ at such a pivotal moment.”

Former Shell chief joins BP board

Former Shell finance chief Simon Henry will join the board of BP as it attempts to strengthen its board and refocus on fossil fuel production.

Mr Henry was chief financial officer at Shell between 2009 and 2017. He will step down from his position as a non-executive director at Rio Tinto in the second half of this year and has also relinquished his position on the board of Harbour Energy, the UK’s largest independent oil and gas producer.