National Infrastructure Plan reveals £270bn of energy and water work

The government has published its latest National Infrastructure Plan (NIP) factsheet which includes work worth more than £270 billion across the energy and water sectors.

Energy is the largest sector featured in NIP. It is worth £245 billion, according to government, and accounts for 60 per cent of the national pipeline’s total value.

There are 56 programmes and 102 energy projects outlined as part of the NIP, including the winners from the contracts for difference auctions in February. This includes Neart na Gaoithe offshore windfarm and the Dorenell onshore windfarm, both in Scotland.

The NIP also includes 28 water programmes and one water project worth more than £25 billion – the Thames Tideway Tunnel. The other 28 programmes outlined include AMP6 work covering most of the water and sewerage companies and water-only utilities in England and Wales. 

Overall, the NIP details £411 billion worth of refreshed infrastructure projects and programmes in sectors including water, energy, transport, and flood defence. There are 265 programmes and 299 projects in the pipeline.

Annual spending figures for work detailed in the NIP are expected to average around £48 billion over the next five years. Sixty-four percent of the pipeline is funded solely by the private sector. Private sector funding comes from a range of sources, including user charges and external financing.

The infrastructure pipeline provides a bottom-up assessment of planned investment in infrastructure, across both public and private sectors, to 2020 and beyond. The pipeline enhances visibility and certainty for investors and the supply chain and allows government to work more effectively to ensure that the UK’s infrastructure needs are met.

The NIP includes large capital projects and programmes of investment worth £50 million or more. Programmes represented in the pipeline may consist of a number of smaller projects grouped together.

This article first appeared on WWTonline.