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National Grid has revealed the first seven supply chain partners in its Great Grid Partnership.
The partners have been enlisted to design and build the nine Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) projects that form the first phase of National Grid’s ‘Great Grid Upgrade’.
The ASTI scheme was introduced by Ofgem to expedite the delivery of the 26 major onshore transmission projects that have been identified as necessary to achieve the government target of deploying 50GW of offshore wind by 2030.
National Grid will deliver 17 of these projects, some of them in partnership with other transmission owners, as part of its Great Grid Upgrade.
The company has selected two design and consenting partners (WSP and a joint venture between Aecom and Arup) and five construction partners (Laing O’Rourke, Morgan Sindall Infrastructure, Morrison Energy Services, and the OTW joint venture between Omexom and Taylor Woodrow) to help deliver the nine ASTI projects in the first phase.
National Grid said the Great Grid Partnership forms part of a £9 billion supply chain framework, which will also support infrastructure projects beyond 2030.
Carl Trowell, president of strategic infrastructure at National Grid, said: “Today’s announcement is another significant and exciting milestone in the delivery of The Great Grid Upgrade – the largest overhaul of the electricity grid in decades. The scale and pace of this upgrade requires us to unite as an industry and to think and act differently.
“This Great Grid Partnership is a ground-breaking initiative from National Grid that places our supply chain partners at the heart of our infrastructure upgrade programme. All our chosen partners have an established history of successful collaboration in delivering major projects and enabling innovation to thrive.
“By sharing best practice and collaborating across nine of our critical major ASTI infrastructure projects, we will set the gold-standard for future infrastructure projects in terms of driving innovation, shoring up capacity across the skills base, operating responsibly and sustainably and ultimately in getting the best value for consumers.”
Energy minister Justin Tomlinson said: “The sooner we connect renewables to our grid, the sooner we can bring bills down and achieve our net zero ambitions. These new partners will help deliver vital network upgrades, supporting thousands of jobs and helping connect up to 50GW of offshore wind by 2030.”
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