Balfour Beatty and Morgan Sindall Infrastructure are among the five companies appointed by National Grid to a new Electricity Transmission Partnership (ETP).
ETP will deliver £8bn worth of “vital” substation infrastructure across England and Wales and support the UK’s clean energy transition.
The initiative awards regional exclusivity of substation work to ETP partners based on how well they perform and their commitment to expanding their capacity.
National Grid said that this approach aims to strengthen the UK supply chain, encourage long-term investment and support local skills development.
It will also be a major boost to the operator’s RIIO-T3 investment plan, which involves up to £35bn investment in the transmission network in England and Wales until 2031.
As part of the ETP, National Grid expects to award around £8bn worth of substation construction work over the RIIO-T3 period, covering multiple regions and around 130 projects.
First refusal rights
The delivery partners for each region are Balfour Beatty (North East), Morgan Sindall Infrastructure (North West), Murphy (first South West region and London and South East), M Group Energy (second South West region) and the Omexom-Taylor Woodrow joint venture (central region).
Each of those companies will have first refusal of future substation work in the pipeline in their region.
Two national partners, Linxon and Burns & McDonnell, will support delivery of substation work that falls outside the scope of the regional partners’ portfolios.
Alice Delahunty, president of National Grid Electricity Transmission, said: “Our ETP marks a bold shift in how we deliver vital electricity infrastructure. By adopting a regional, long-term approach, we’re giving our supply chain the certainty to invest in people, skills and innovation. It’s a key step in turning our RIIO-T3 investment ambitions into action and building a resilient grid to support Britain’s clean energy future.”
Tony Wilson, managing director of Balfour Beatty’s power transmission and distribution business, said: “We’re proud to be a regional delivery partner for National Grid’s ETP, and especially to be entrusted with the North East – an area where we have a strong presence and a long-standing commitment, having delivered major energy infrastructure projects across the region for decades.
“This appointment recognises our proven track record in delivering critical infrastructure and our ability to mobilise skilled teams and innovative solutions at scale. The new model is a bold and timely step that will strengthen National Grid’s supply chain and accelerate the UK’s journey to net zero.”
What’s the difference between National Grid and The National Energy Systems Operator that Miliband acquired for the Government? I’m not sure.
Does the National Grid operate and own the local/regional distribution network with The National Energy Systems Operator owning and operating the national infrastructure that links and supplies these regional and local networks?