- Fast-growth disruptor creates 1,000 new jobs across four UK sites and announces new tech innovation centre in the North of England
- Prime Minister and Chancellor welcome these jobs and hail “fantastic opportunities across green energy”
The Prime Minister and the Chancellor have today welcomed tech unicorn and UK energy pioneer Octopus Energy’s announcement of 1,000 jobs and a new technology, data science and AI centre in Manchester.
The UK’s latest tech unicorn announced its ambition to make the UK the “Silicon Valley of energy” with plans to double its existing workforce by the end of 2021. The new jobs will be spread across its sites in London, Brighton, Warwick and Leicester and will primarily go to graduates, with many opportunities for those from STEM backgrounds, to work in operations and green energy tech.
One of the UK’s fastest growing private companies, which last week launched in the US market, Octopus Energy is on a mission to fight climate change by revolutionising the way that we think about green energy. Its proprietary cloud-based technology platform has unlocked the ‘smart grid’, giving customers access to cheaper electricity when renewable energy is abundant and even paying them to use it when there is a surplus.
Its new technology centre, based in Manchester, will develop the smart grid technologies required for a renewable system and the electrification of transport and heating. Collaboration across London, Manchester and Silicon Valley will help deliver systems which automatically warm homes when the grid is greenest.
Octopus Energy CEO, Greg Jackson, said,
“When Apple created the App Store, nobody knew that it would change the way we order food or transport forever. Through ‘Kraken’, our cloud-based energy platform, we’re revolutionising the energy industry in the same way, creating jobs not just through increased demand for affordable renewables, but by facilitating the development of new and emerging industries like electric vehicles, electric heating and vertical farming.
Our technology is making the UK the Silicon Valley of energy, and along with a flourishing market, can help make Britain the best place to invest in creating new clean electricity generation”
Today’s jobs announcement was welcomed by Prime Minister, Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:
“These 1,000 jobs will provide exciting opportunities across the country for those who want to be at the cutting edge of the global green revolution.
“And it’s UK tech companies like Octopus who will ensure we continue to build back greener and remain a world leader in pioneering renewable energy, leading the path to net zero whilst creating thousands of skilled jobs.”
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said:
“More green jobs is not only good news for British job seekers – it’s a vote of confidence in the UK economy as it recovers, and pivotal to our collective efforts to build a greener, cleaner planet.”
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For journalists in their professional capacity only. Issued by Octopus Energy Ltd. Registered office: 33 Holborn, London, EC1N 2HT. Registered in England and Wales No. 09263424. Issued: October 2020.