Octopus Energy has revealed plans to create 1,000 new roles in London, Brighton, Warwick, Leicester, and Manchester.
The sustainable energy firm and tech “unicorn” was valued at £1 billion in April and said it hopes to double its workforce by the end of 2021.
Boris Johnson commented on the news, saying: “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.”
Octopus Energy is one of the fastest energy companies in the UK and has said that it plans on making the UK the “Silicon Valley of energy”.
The group, which already has hubs in London, Brighton, Warwick, and Leicester, is planning on developing new Manchester-based technology centre to develop “smart grid technologies required for a renewable system and the electrification of transport and heating”.
“When Apple created the App Store, nobody knew that it would change the way we order food or transport forever,” said chief executive, Greg Jackson.
“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,” he added.
Octopus Energy was founded in 2016 and has 1.7 million customers in the UK.
Rishi Sunak commented on the 1,000 new roles at the firm, saying: “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.”