United Infrastructure welcomes new momentum in the UK’s energy transition

United Infrastructure warmly welcomes regulator Ofgem’s announcement of a £28 billion programme to strengthen, upgrade, and expand the UK’s gas and electricity grids — a decisive step in ensuring that our energy network is not only resilient and secure, but also capable of meeting the demands of a rapidly evolving, low-carbon economy.

This commitment which is outlined under RIIO-3, Ofgem’s framework for network investment, is complemented by the publication of the first Strategic Plan from Great British Energy (GBE) and a pipeline of projects from the National Energy System Operator (NESO), both of which set new trajectories for clean-power deployment and infrastructure expansion across the UK.

Key actions from GBE’s strategic plan

GBE aims to deliver at least 15 GW of clean energy generation and storage by 2030 — enough to power roughly 10 million homes.
The plan sets out to mobilise £15 billion of private finance, leveraging public capital to attract further investment.
GBE identifies three priority investment streams: local/community energy (GBE Local), onshore generation (Onshore Energy) to unlock land-based renewable potential and stabilise the grid, and offshore energy (Offshore Energy) to drive long-term growth in wind and deep-water renewables.
As part of its remit, GBE will build an income-generating asset portfolio — with revenues reinvested into further capacity, supply-chain development, and sustaining jobs.

NESO’s project priorities

NESO aims to unlock £40bn of investment a year, focussing on the removal of ‘zombie projects.’
Prioritisation of ‘ready to build’ projects, such as those with planning permission or land rights.
Removal of previous first-come, first-served model, which has created a decade-long queue for connection.
Identification of 132GW of projects aligned with the delivery of UK government targets, with a further 151GW needed to meet future demand, including almost 100GW of new or expanded transmission demand connections.

These strategic intentions align strongly with our core business at United Infrastructure: building, upgrading and maintaining the physical backbone needed to support large-scale clean energy deployment, grid reinforcement and community-level energy solutions.

RIIO-3 implications for grid investment & infrastructure markets

Under RIIO-3, Ofgem has approved upfront allowances of £10.3 billion for electricity transmission upgrades, and £17.8 billion for gas network maintenance and resilience, delivering the biggest grid transformation since the 1960s.
The overall investment pipeline is expected to grow to around £90 billion by 2031, signalling long-term demand for construction, grid-tie, substation, cabling, and network-upgrade projects.
For infrastructure firms and supply-chain participants, this translates into a sustained flow of opportunities: new build projects, refurbishment of legacy assets, integration of renewables and storage, and the expansion of capacity to support electrification, hydrogen and other low-carbon technologies.

At United Infrastructure, we view this as a strong signal that the UK energy-infrastructure market is entering a multi-year growth phase, one defined by scale, ambition, and stable regulatory backing.

United Infrastructure: ready to deliver at scale

As a leading infrastructure partner, we are well positioned to support the delivery of GBE, NESO and Ofgem’s ambitions. Our teams are actively working across the country: delivering grid upgrades, supporting clean-energy infrastructure roll-out, and partnering with communities to facilitate uptake of renewables, storage and clean technologies.

We also understand that to upgrade the networks at the pace required, investment in skills, training and talent pipelines are as critical as the technology itself. The energy transition will only succeed if we also grow a capable workforce to deliver on these plans.

Now, with the confluence of GBE’s strategic clarity, NESO’s focus on prioritising ‘quick win’ projects, and RIIO-3’s funding framework, the UK is entering a transformative wave of infrastructure investment and clean-energy deployment. United Infrastructure is proud to play its part, helping to build an energy system that is cleaner, smarter, more resilient, and delivering value for consumers today while safeguarding the needs of future generations.