National Grid launches Great Grid Partnership

National Grid has launched the Great Grid Partnership with seven partners to support the delivery of an initial nine Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) projects.

The ASTI projects form a key part of The Great Grid Upgrade which is building the significant new electricity network infrastructure required to reduce the UK’s reliance on fossil fuels by connecting 50GW of offshore wind by 2030.  

This new ‘enterprise model’ is a collaborative partnership bringing together National Grid’s supply chain partners. Joining the firm in the Partnership are two design and consenting service partners – AECOM Arup (JV) and WSP], and five construction partners – Laing O’Rourke, Morgan Sindall Infrastructure, Morrison Energy Services, Murphy and Omexom / Taylor Woodrow (OTW).

The partnership is designed to speed up the delivery of much needed national electricity infrastructure by taking a fresh approach to UK supply chain and skills issues.

It aims to coordinate the planning and execution of projects, allowing each supplier and National Grid to pool their resources, skills, insights, and experience to deliver faster and more economically – driving value for money and benefits for both consumers and local communities.  

Carl Trowell, President, Strategic Infrastructure, National Grid said:

“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.” 

Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, 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. On top of this our major reforms announced in the Autumn Statement will cut the average delay for projects waiting to be connected to the grid from 5 years to 6 months.”

Image courtesy of National Grid

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