Infrastructure news

WINDFALL FOR OFFSHORE WIND 

On the 7th of July, Business & Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng announced that offshore wind manufacturers SeAH Wind Ltd and Smulders Projects UK will each receive grant funding out of the Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Support scheme. The scheme, in total, intends to provide £160 million worth of funding to offshore wind businesses. 

It is anticipated that this will generate and safeguard more than 1,000 jobs across the North East of England and the Humber. 

This scheme, announced by the Prime Minister last year, forms part of his Ten Point Plan to build factories that will develop components for next generation wind turbines. Designed to support investment in the manufacturing segments of offshore wind supply chains, the scheme provides grant funding for major investments in components from turbine blades to sea cables. 

This is a small part of the Government’s plans for a “Green Revolution,” part of which is a promise to ensure offshore wind will produce more than enough electricity to power every home in the country by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions for the UK by 2050. 

FIBRE ROLLOUT FOR VIRGIN MEDIA O2

Virgin Media O2 joins the likes of BT’s Openreach and dozens of smaller alternative networks in the race to be the first to lay fibre across the country, only weeks after it completed its £31bn merger. 

Already keen to expand their network to more homes and businesses across the UK, Virgin Media O2 has connected millions of premises through ‘Project Lightning’ – a programme which had already drawn billions of pounds of investment and has, so far, connected 1.2 million premises via fibre optic cable and plans to do the same for a further 8m premises. 

This commitment is the latest in a series which promises major upgrades the UK’s broadband infrastructure as competitors look to the growing demand of the future and seek to move away from copper and cable-based internet, and towards full fibre in to every home. 

THE SKY IS NO LONGER THE LIMIT 

Scotland's space sector is rising faster than anywhere else in the UK, aiming to grow in value to £4 billion by 2030. It has some of the highest space-related activity in Europe. In fact, Glasgow manufactures more satellites than anywhere in the world outside of Houston. 

Perhaps this is why Scotland is joining the modern space race. Touted as the UK’s first spaceport, the Sutherland Hub won planning permission last year and is one of five space station projects currently being developed in Scotland. 

A spaceport is any site where spacecraft can be launched or return safely from space. Some are similar to airports, with space planes (or aircraft carrying spacecraft) taking off from a runway. Others will be simple launch pads with hangars and control rooms looking to launch small satellites into orbit with rockets. 

It will be a long way until take off yet though, as there are a few more obstacles to overcome, not least a Scottish Land Court hearing next month – required by law – and, more challenging perhaps, a judicial review in the Court of Session further ahead.  

INTEGRATED RAIL PLAN 

Long overdue, the Government’s Integrated Rail Plan seeks to detail the best way to develop and deliver HS2 north of Birmingham, Northern Powerhouse Rail, the Midlands Rail Hub, and major Network Rail Projects. 

As stated by Transport for the North: “with these multi-billion pound infrastructure projects planned for the coming decades, it’s crucial the schemes dovetail to ensure efficient use of resources and services, while building collectively rather than separately.” 

However, Northern leaders are now warning the Government that delays in publishing the Integrated Rail Plan have set back the Northern Powerhouse Rail initiative by at least a year. With the business case for NPR put on hold, the knock-on effects to the overall programme and beginning construction are becoming apparent. 

The plan, originally meant to be published by February at the latest, is now not expected to be announced until after the summer parliamentary recess which ends on 6 September.

Find out more about our infrastructure sectors and services at carterjonas.co.uk/infrastructure.