The Construction Leadership Council’s Construct Zero programme was pleased on 26th October to announce its new sprint project on energy transition.
Construct Zero’s refreshed programme, published on 12th May CZ-Refreshed-programme-slides.pdf, reflected the Committee for Climate Change’s 7th Carbon Budget priorities, including the importance of enabling low-carbon infrastructure.
However, as part of the UK’s energy transition, we recognise many construction businesses do not yet have a quantified view of the scale, timing and potential client base of the pipeline, to enable investment in the skills, training and innovation required to deliver it.
Although the 7th Carbon Budget does set a clear direction of travel for the UK economy, this lack of visibility creates uncertainty for businesses considering investment in capability, skills, equipment and supply chain capacity.
In its convening role, Construct Zero is therefore bringing interested members together across its Construct Zero cohort to:
- Develop a quantified view of the energy transition pipeline, starting with the 7th Carbon Budget and adding detail from emerging Government policy as an evidence base and identifying the likely scale of growth, key markets and client groups.
- Work with potential partners including NISTA and the Infrastructure Client Group to test and strengthen the evidence base.
- Monitor Government policy and confidence signals through an agreed Performance Framework so businesses can understand whether the market is developing at the pace required.
The group’s initial findings were published at the Association of Consultancy and Engineering’s Parliamentary Reception on 26th October. This will be followed by a short programme of webinars and engagement with group members and CLC Trade Associations, with the final output being the publication of an industry-facing pipeline in the New Year.
Hannah Vickers, Co-Lead of Construct Zero said:
“With major decisions on public spending and national priorities likely to reshape the energy transition landscape over the coming year, this project will help organisations anticipate change rather than react to it, ensuring businesses are prepared for future opportunities and challenges.”
Stuart Togwell, Chief Executive, Kier Group and CLC Deputy Co-Chair said:
“Delivering the UK’s energy transition will require significant investment in infrastructure and the capability to deliver it. By improving understanding of the future pipeline, this work will help businesses invest with greater confidence in people, skills and capacity. Greater certainty benefits the whole sector and will be critical if we are to seize the opportunities presented by the transition while delivering the outcomes the country needs.”
If you would like to join the project, please contact Stuart.Young@businessandtrade.gov.uk noting we would expect interested companies who are not currently part of Construct Zero to agree to apply to join the programme.
