United Infrastructure, Balfour Beatty and M Group have become founding members of a new industry group to give contractors a greater say in Britain’s £181bn electricity network upgrade.
The Electricity Networks Infrastructure (ENI) Services Group was established by trade association BEAMA to represent firms involved in grid construction, civil engineering and design.
Yselkla Farmer and Griff Thomas. Image: United Infrastructure
ENI Services companies provide specification, design, construction and wider services to electricity network operators.
They also work in other growing UK markets, including new housing, electric transport, data centres, renewable power and battery storage.
The group, chaired by United Infrastructure executive director of energy transition Griff Thomas, aims to influence procurement rules and industry standards and improve visibility of future work.
He explained:
“Providing a contractor’s perspective to the wider sector is critical to ensure that we make it as efficient as possible to deliver the infrastructure revolution that the UK is going through.
“By bringing together leading infrastructure delivery partners across the UK, we will form a single united voice ensuring we shape policy and regulation rather than just be on the receiving end of it.”
Image: United Infrastructure
The launch follows BEAMA’s development and publication of its Electricity Networks Sector Plan in collaboration with the Energy Networks Association (ENA).
The plan outlines how £181bn of planned investment in Great Britain’s electricity networks – the largest since the 1920s – could unlock £58 billion for the UK economy and create more jobs.
It estimates that around 71,000 people will need to join the sector’s direct workforce by 2035. This includes replacements for workers who retire or leave, as well as additional roles.
The ENI will enable group members to work with a range of key partners across the energy policy sector, including Ofgem, MPs and government departments.
Yselkla Farmer, chief executive of BEAMA, said:
“There are huge benefits for the power grid infrastructure services industry in having a dedicated representative trade body at a time of such significant market change.
I am excited about the work we can now take forward with the new members joining us, as part of this historic move to expand our scope.
We’re delighted to welcome United Infrastructure, Balfour Beatty and M Group, and we’d encourage other firms to join them.”
The group will give contractors a route into the Electricity Networks Growth Partnership, established by BEAMA and the Energy Networks Association (ENA) to implement the sector’s growth plan.
Tony Wilson
Tony Wilson, Managing Director of Balfour Beatty’s Power Transmission and Distribution business, added:
“The scale of investment required to upgrade the UK’s electricity network represents a significant opportunity for our industry, but delivering it will require close collaboration across the entire supply chain.
Through BEAMA’s Electricity Networks Infrastructure Services Group, we can bring together the experience of those delivering this critical infrastructure to help tackle some of the key challenges facing the sector, from developing the skilled workforce we need to creating greater certainty and visibility across the pipeline.
By working collectively, we can help build the capacity and capability needed to deliver the UK’s future energy infrastructure.”