An AECOM, Arup JV has been appointed as a design and consenting service partner for National Grid’s Great Grid Partnership.
The partnership will deliver a design and construction programme to connect clean energy to homes and business throughout England and Wales by 2030.
It forms part of a £9bn supply chain framework which will also support infrastructure projects beyond 2030.
The major grid modernisation programme will entail building five times more electricity infrastructure than constructed over the past 30 years through nine projects, which sit within the Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) framework.
It will see planned renewable energy facilities, including wind farms in the North Sea, benefitting from improved infrastructure to the backbone of the UK’s power system and enabling the transition to net zero.
This will ultimately lead to cheaper energy and less reliance on fossil fuels.
The JVs work will include delivering the consents for individual schemes within the programme.
These consents will be through Development Consent Orders (DCOs) which entail technical and environmental design and preparation, as well as stakeholder engagement on the plans.
Kate Hall, enterprise director for the AECOM Arup joint venture, said: “Our joint expertise in design, engineering, environmental assessments, and stakeholder engagement means we have a critical role to play delivering infrastructure that facilitates the UK’s transition to net zero, enables a move away from fossil fuels and tackles climate change.
“We look forward to working collaboratively with National Grid, the wider enterprise partners and communities across England and Wales to enable the delivery of The Great Grid Upgrade.”