Laing O’Rourke has hailed its industrialised construction methods used on nuclear projects as “redefining what is possible for major infrastructure projects”.
In its latest report and accounts, the UK’s third-largest contractor said that an advanced rebar and reinforcement manufacturing facility in Avonmouth had halved the time workers needed to be on site at Hinkley Point C.
The firm said it expected further efficiencies using these methods for the upcoming Sizewell C nuclear project, with a predicted 60% reduction in onsite hours. Laing O’Rourke is also integrating construction-specific AI tools to optimise the build sequence for Sizewell C.
The report said that a manufacturing-led approach to the scheme was also the most effective in lowering a project’s carbon footprint. The report added: “By shifting high-intensity activities from uncontrolled site environments to precision-engineered facilities, we inherently minimise waste, logistics emissions, and energy consumption.”
“…the industrialised construction methods we have long pioneered reduce manual strain, improve the safety and wellbeing of our people and deliver certainty and quality for our clients.”
Reduced emissions
The company said it had reduced emissions intensity by 10.3% year-on-year, which was “the direct result of our unique technological operating model, which allows us to decouple business growth from carbon output”. It aims to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 42% by 2030.
Laing O’Rourke is also aiming for 50/50 gender parity across global staff by 2033 – currently 28% of those working in the business are women.
Turnover at the firm, excluding joint ventures, fell 6.6% to £3.69bn in the year to 31 March 2026, down from £3.96bn, which the company said was a “deliberate” strategic shift towards prioritising margin improvement.
Pretax profit climbed 93% from £41.5m to £80.1m, while the pretax profit margin increased from 1% to 2.2%.
Chief executive Cathal O’Rourke said the strong results give the business “the platform to invest in our people and the technology that will help us reimagine the construction industry”.
He added: “We have a moral imperative to revolutionise our industry and the industrialised construction methods we have long pioneered reduce manual strain, improve the safety and wellbeing of our people, and deliver certainty and quality for our clients.”
