Leeds engineering giant Renew sees major opportunities in Net Zero projects as it aims to be 'major player' in £25bn rail electrification

Paul Scott told The Yorkshire Post that the company, which focuses on routine maintenance, repair and renewal of critical UK infrastructure, is in the process of positioning itself to be prepared for important future projects.

The company’s results, published this week, highlighted that plans to electrify the nation’s rail network have seen the group’s three rail brands form “a collaborative and unique position for Overhead Line Electrification delivery, another key strategic pillar for the group”.

Mr Scott said: “The vast majority of work we do in rail is directly contracted via Network Rail. But we have a plan in our strategic priorities to broaden our customer base.

"In the case of Transpennine and Midland Main Line upgrades, our route to market is working for consortia rather than working for Network Rail directly.

"Our ambition is to be an Overhead Line Electrification player in the future. We bought Rail Electrification Limited [a leading overhead line electrification business] so we got the badge to be an electrification expert specialist.

"They are working closely with our two rail brands offering a service we believe is going to be compelling. There are 15,000 single track kilometres to be electrified beyond these two programmes to aid to decarbonisation agenda and clean up the network and we will be a major player in that programme. This is just a start of a journey.”

The results also described the Government’s commitment to ban the sale of non-electric new cars by 2030 as “another exciting growth opportunity” for the group. They highlighted a £950m Rapid Charging Fund that has been agreed to support the rollout of at least 6,000 high powered charge points across England’s motorways and major A-roads by 2035, as well a further £500m of funding granted to support local authorities to find innovative ways to increase local charge point coverage.

Mr Scott said an increase in private sector interest in electrifying their vehicle fleets was another promising sign. The firm’s projects during the last year have included the delivery of Volvo bus and truck electrical infrastructure and charging projects UK wide, providing EV infrastructure for Amazon distribution facilities, the Post Office and the installation of EV and network upgrades in nine mainline Network Rail stations.

"We have made an investment in EV capability. We brought some people in and have made a significant investment that hasn’t made us a great deal of return so far but it would be wrong of a company like Renew and its subsidiaries who are so deeply embedded in UK infrastructure to ignore this opportunity.

"Actually getting the power out of the network into the EV network requires what are called Independent Connection Provisions and we have those qualifications.

"The tone of our results report on EV is a lot more positive than it has been in the past. Two things have happened – firstly, there is the Rapid Charging Fund which people are leaning on now. But more importantly we’ve seen people with big fleets greening their fleet. They are coming to market and say please help us develop our programme.”

He said the road and rail schemes both have considerable potential for the group.

"Rail electrification of that 50,000 km is going to cost £25bn to build and they have said they are going to do it by 2040. It is a complicated animal to deliver so it is not necessarily something that is going to transform the group tomorrow but the scale of these opportunities is enormous.

"The scale of the EV infrastructure plan is enormous. We are not baking it into our near-term numbers but we are getting in position.

"It bodes extremely well for the next 20 years of this group for sure.”