The British Hydropower Association (BHA) has called for the UK’s large hydropower projects to be planned as a coordinated programme, arguing that greater certainty would help the domestic supply chain invest ahead of construction.
In a new report based on its Large Scale Hydropower Supply Chain Conference in Manchester, the association says the emerging project pipeline represents more than £10 billion of expected investment. It includes pumped storage hydropower projects, alongside refurbishment of existing plants and potential future tidal range developments.
The report, Large Scale Hydropower Deployment & Reindustrialising Britain, argues that a list of proposed projects does not give manufacturers, contractors or training providers enough confidence to expand capacity. Businesses need clearer evidence of when work will proceed and whether equipment and skills developed for one project can be used on the next, it says.
The BHA identifies four priorities: turning the pipeline into a credible order book; coordinating constraints shared by projects; building UK industrial capability into delivery plans; and using lessons from successive projects to improve productivity.
Coordination could be particularly important for Scottish pumped storage projects that may enter construction in the same period and region, according to the report. Developers could compete for road access, accommodation, tunnelling specialists, materials and equipment, while transmission and other infrastructure projects draw on some of the same resources. The BHA calls for shared constraints to be addressed across the wider infrastructure programme, while developers remain responsible for risks specific to their projects.
The report also points to a gap between UK suppliers having the technical ability to undertake work and being ready to compete for major contracts. Some firms may need finance, certification, facilities or stronger relationships with principal contractors before they can invest in capacity. Aggregating demand across hydropower and other infrastructure sectors could make those investments more viable, the BHA says.
Workforce planning runs through the recommendations. The association argues that training must begin before projects receive final approval and that a sustained programme would give employers a stronger basis for apprenticeships and specialist training. It would also allow workers to move between projects and build longer-term careers.
The BHA says early contractor involvement, common digital systems and the transfer of lessons between projects could reduce the cost of repeatedly starting from scratch. It calls on government, industry, investors and local institutions to work together so that investment in each project strengthens the capacity to deliver the next one.
