Recent figures from the National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline point to utilities as the third largest sector by investment within the infrastructure sector.
Nothing can be built without first providing the basic utilities of waste, water, energy and so forth and with the UK currently in the midst of a housing drive to address the shortfall in homes, utilities are now firmly at the forefront of construction activity.
Almost three months on from the Prime Minister’s “Build, Build, Build” announcement we highlight the latest utility announcements below.
Build, Build, Build
On 3 June, the government promised to ‘build, build, build’. Mr Johnson said that he wanted to use the crisis caused by the pandemic “to tackle this country’s great unresolved challenges” and get the UK construction sector moving.
Part of the plans included an acceleration of infrastructure schemes, and money for school building and hospital projects – totalling £4.43 billion.
For utility suppliers, the development pipeline is healthy, with many opportunities arising from the promises made.
Utility investment
The UK Government committed to several high-value major utility schemes during the summer, boosting the development pipeline enormously.
Glenigan has reported that the:
“Government backing of Norfolk Vanguard, a £1.8 billion offshore wind farm off the coast of Norfolk, provided a tremendous boost to the sector. Ground investigation works are now on-site for four months, but the main contractor is yet to be appointed.”
The £200 million development of Manston Airport has also been approved by the government. The airport will primarily be used as a cargo airport, with a capacity of at least 12,000 air cargo movements per year. Glenigan has highlighted this opportunity as one of the government’s major utility schemes and has revealed that this project is also yet to go out to tender.
Finally, development consent has been granted to a £450 million solar project in Kent. Cleve Hill Solar Park is set to cover an area the size of 900 football pitches, powering approximately 110,000 homes a year.
Prioritise business intelligence
The utilities sub-sector is a vital part of UK construction. Knowledge of construction activity at both a national and regional level is key to being able to identify and respond to opportunities within the market – so investing in a procurement platform that will help you to find, bid for and win new construction tenders should be a priority for your business.
Tracker’s Commercial Projects provides unique and comprehensively researched data that is exclusive to the Tracker business solution tool, such as planning permissions for projects like the ones mentioned above, to support suppliers to engage early with buyers.
Learn more about early engagement with Tracker.
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