With Glasgow hosting the COP26 summit, the eyes of the world have been focused on the UK Government and the environmental promises it has made to help achieve Net Zero.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has set out a number of commitments for the UK, and has pointed to the public sector as being at the heart of Britain’s ambitions for Net Zero. The already established public estate can go a huge way to contributing towards these goals, while new construction and infrastructure will be developed in line with Net Zero targets.
But what does this mean for the public sector?
It is without doubt that green commitments will filter down from government throughout the supply chain. Government has already stated that any supplier bidding for a public sector contract over £5M must have a Net Zero policy in place. While a £5M contract might not be within your bidding range, main contractors are sure to put green policies in place for the supply chain to meet.
During the conference of world leaders, a number of initiatives were announced:
The UK’s greenest prison has been unveiled
The new prison at Glen Parva, Leicestershire, is the greenest ever as the government moves towards operating at Net Zero in the future.
This major infrastructure project will act as a blueprint for the government’s ambitious prison-build programme, which will create 20,000 modern, rehabilitative places by the mid-2020s. The programme is backed by unprecedented funding of £3.8Bn, as confirmed in the Spending Review.
The new prison has been largely built off-site using cutting-edge technology – speeding up construction and minimising waste. Rubble from the old, demolished prison on the Glen Parva site has been reused, while the project will use green energy including more than 960 solar panels and infrastructure for electric vehicle charging points.
Zero-emission HGVs by 2040
The UK will become the first country in the world to commit to phasing out new, non-zero-emission heavy goods vehicles weighing 26 tonnes and under by 2035, with all new HGVs sold in the UK to be zero-emission by 2040.
New electric vehicle chargepoints
The government is also unveiling a new design for electric vehicle chargepoints, which could become as iconic as the Great British postbox, London bus or black cab. Showcased in the UK Pavilion at COP26 and designed together with the Royal College of Art and PA Consulting, the concept prioritises inclusivity and ease of use, designed with consumers, local government, accessibility groups and industry.
Small Modular Reactors
Some £195M will be invested in the Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactor (SMR), to bring forward and deliver at scale the next generation of low-cost, low-carbon nuclear power technology.
Nine-tenths of an individual Rolls-Royce SMR power plant will be built or assembled in factory conditions and around 80% could be delivered by a UK supply chain – a unique offering within energy infrastructure in the UK.
A single Rolls-Royce SMR power station will occupy the footprint of two football pitches and power approximately one million homes. It can support both on-grid electricity and a range of off-grid clean energy solutions, enabling the decarbonisation of industrial processes and the production of clean fuels, such as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and green hydrogen, to support energy transition in the wider heat and transportation sectors.
South Humber Bank Energy Centre
Development of the South Humber Bank Energy Centre has been given the green light. This Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project comprises the construction and operation of an energy from waste plant of up to 95 megawatts gross capacity.
Tracker can help you find opportunities and plan your growth strategy. As we’ve discussed the opportunities for innovations in green technology and improving the credentials of the supply chain are readily available.
Book a free demo with one of our experienced advisers today to discuss where the new opportunities exist and how to find them and stand out from the crowd using the tracker platform.
