Read the full report: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7511428199025655808
The UK’s energy system is changing, and the grid needs to change with it.
As renewable generation continues to grow, investment in the infrastructure needed to connect, transport and distribute that power is accelerating. At the centre of this transformation is The Great Grid Upgrade, the largest overhaul of the electricity transmission grid in generations.
But delivering infrastructure on this scale isn’t just about investment, technology and equipment. It’s about having the people and skills to make it happen.
As part of our Q3 focus on the Great Grid Upgrade, John Martin, Head of Onshore Renewables at LSP Renewables, looks at what we’re seeing across the Transmission & Distribution market and what it could mean for the sector.
What is the Great Grid Upgrade?
Put simply, the Great Grid Upgrade is about ensuring the electricity network can keep pace with the UK’s changing energy landscape.
Across England and Wales, National Grid is upgrading and expanding the transmission network to help move clean energy from where it is generated to the homes, businesses and communities where it is needed.
For anyone working across renewables and energy infrastructure, grid has become difficult to ignore. New infrastructure, major investment, connection reform and skills shortages continue to dominate industry conversations.
Behind those headlines is a simple reality:
We can build renewable generation, but without the grid infrastructure to support it, we can’t get that power where it needs to go.
What are we seeing across Transmission & Distribution?
Conversations across our client and candidate network are pointing to the same thing: investment is accelerating, pipelines are growing and pressure to deliver is increasing.
The grid is changing, quickly
Significant investment is flowing into electricity infrastructure, while connection reform is changing how projects move through the pipeline.
For developers, contractors and the wider supply chain, this presents considerable opportunity. But it also means businesses need to be ready to deliver as those opportunities land.
Growth is putting pressure on the supply chain
Money alone won’t build the grid.
Lead times for critical equipment, including transformers, high-voltage switchgear and subsea cables, are creating greater pressure across procurement and project delivery.
We’re seeing the impact first-hand. Several of our clients are experiencing significant growth in their order books, and that growth is translating directly into workforce demand.
More projects. More delivery pressure. More people needed.
Who is going to deliver it?
Perhaps the biggest question facing the sector is whether the workforce can grow at the same pace as the infrastructure.
Experienced high-voltage engineers, project managers, commissioning specialists, authorised persons and other technical professionals are already in high demand.
These are not skills that can be created overnight.
As businesses across energy and infrastructure compete for many of the same experienced professionals, securing and retaining specialist talent will become an increasingly important part of successful project delivery.
What does this mean for LSP Renewables?
For LSP Renewables, the Great Grid Upgrade represents more than a growing recruitment market. It is an opportunity to apply the experience and networks we have built across renewable energy to the infrastructure needed to connect the next generation of projects.
The conversations we’re having with clients are increasingly moving beyond filling individual vacancies towards a much bigger question:
How do we build the teams needed to deliver what’s coming?
Across LSP Renewables, our team brings decades of combined energy-sector experience and an international network of professionals supporting projects throughout the renewable energy lifecycle.
The Great Grid Upgrade is an enormous infrastructure and engineering challenge. Ultimately, it is a people challenge too.
And that’s where we can help.
Planning for what’s next?
If you have an upcoming project across Transmission & Distribution, Grid or wider energy infrastructure, speak to LSP Renewables about the people, skills and workforce support needed to keep your project moving.
Whether you need individual specialists or support building out an entire project team, our team can help you access the talent needed for the next phase of the energy transition.
Let’s power what’s next.
Get in touch: hello@lsprenewables.com
