The onshore sector for offshore energy is a mammoth industry itself. Add Sizewell C into the mix and you start to see that while the East of England is widely associated with its offshore wind developments, a huge amount of energy-related work is carried out onshore.
We’re talking everything from construction for substations, creating new roads, temporary compounds and haul roads, to cable routes, ports, operations and maintenance facilities, overcoming environmental and ecological challenges, removing vegetation and much more.
Here we meet three businesses that are capitalising on their expertise to make the most of onshore opportunities as the energy industry expands…
Changing tracks into energy
Much is spoken about bringing transferable skills into the energy industry, seamlessly shifting expertise, experience and reputation from other sectors. This is increasingly the case in designing and building the onshore infrastructure needed to carry and convert the electricity generated offshore.
With 17 years’ civil engineering excellence under its belt, Pro-Rail Services spotted the huge potential in renewable energy infrastructure projects in the East of England and set up a new division, Nu-Gen Energy Services.
With a 100% safety record and proven expertise in the rail industry, the business believed it would be profitable strategy to position itself to expand and play a part in the energy transition.
“We are working in the region already – from London Liverpool Street to The Wash – with a workforce with transferable skills ready for the scale of work in the renewable energy sector,” said Eamonn Maloney, joint managing director of the family-owned business.
“Nu-Gen isn’t just a rebrand, it is a targeted specialist division, led by Max Crompton, with all of the Pro-Rail DNA making us immediately ready to work in energy.”
Suffolk was a strategic choice for Nu-Gen’s base because the East of England is on the frontline of net zero infrastructure, where its multi-disciplinary civil teams, access and logistics expertise fit perfectly.
“Rail HSE standards are incredibly high – like the energy industry standards – and we can bring these high standards in a seamless shift into energy,” said Eamonn. Its local workforce is currently working on the Sizewell C construction programme, which Eamonn describes as an “exciting and challenging project to be a part of, with huge bits of kit laying track 700m a day”.
Sizewell C’s Development Consent Order (DCO) comes with a mandatory commitment to transport at least 45% of materials by rail, including nearly five million tonnes of concrete, nearly three million tonnes of backfill and additional rail haulage to site facilities.
Nu-Gen Energy Services is confident that its record of end-to-end solutions, rail-grade quality, reputation of 48-hour mobilisation, reliability of time-critical delivery, access and logistics record and zero RIDDOR safety record are what energy projects need.
Its apprentices working on the 12- year Sizewell C project will be skilled to transfer to other careers.
Summer intern Harry Ward, a second-year politics and international relations undergraduate at University of Reading, completed a project investigating how Nu-Gen can leverage its rail expertise in renewables markets.
From zero to nearly £1m in first year
The energy industry in the East of England provided an unexpected springboard for civil engineering experts Tri-Tech Contracting, taking it from zero to nearly £1 million turnover in its first year.
Business partners Jon Skillen and Kelvin Ansah-Akrofi had expected rail contracts to be the foundation of its early years because of Kelvin’s long rail experience and wide contact network.
“We expected that work in the energy industry would take more time, but it was the other way round,” Jon said.
Offshore wind delivered its first contract for onshore work, with more energy projects following, including at Sizewell C. In the summer, Tri-Tech Contracting, based in OrbisEnergy, Lowestoft, started its largest contract so far, an order for £300,000.
“Our geographical position is right for energy work with offshore wind, Sizewell, solar and battery storage and interconnectors,” said Jon. “Sizewell C is such a massive project, even a ‘small project’ is a substantial one for a small business.”
Tri-Tech has expertise in temporary works of any size on big construction projects, designing compounds, access roads and bespoke facilities to enable major infrastructure build. Its first lead came at the East of England Energy Group’s Southern North Sea exhibition and Conference in 2024 – the first time Jon and Kelvin “showed our faces as Tri-Tech”.
Armed with new business cards, a website, accreditations, business insurance and years of experience on high-profile projects including the Gull Wing Bridge, Sizewell C and multiple major rail projects, Jon and Kelvin had expected to use the event to build energy industry contacts.
But that day led to the company’s first contract – a substantial piece of work for an offshore wind developer and operator through Great Yarmouth-based Stowen. That onshore project – to design and build a junction in Suffolk – went smoothly, was handed over on time, to budget and with no safety issues, leading to more work for Stowen and its international client.
Tri-Tech Contracting currently has its team working on drainage with Suffolk-based civil engineers Breheny at Sizewell and is hoping to start work soon on ground investigations, ecology services ground penetration and radar on a cable route.
Work is also underway with Ipswich-based Jackson Civil Engineering on drainage installation for the critical milestone on the Green Rail Route supporting the wider Sizewell C development.
“When we started, we had a lot of prospects and enthusiasm but no actual work on the books. Now we are working on five sites, for five different clients, not including our safety critical bookings for rail,” Jon said.
The first year’s turnover of “just shy of £1m” is an achievement that he says the team should be “hugely proud of, and far beyond my expectations”.
“If we get a £2m turnover next year and are still profitable, we will be happy.”
Building roads to success
Family-owned Breheny Civil Engineering has worked on energy infrastructure in Norfolk and Suffolk since first winning contracts on Sizewell B in the 1980s.
Now its focus has turned to Sizewell C, where it has already completed several projects and has just been awarded the construction of the new roundabouts on the A12 at Yoxford and Friday Street.
Mark Burrows, regional commercial director, said: “Sizewell C offers an incredible opportunity to showcase the region’s extensive talent and resources, providing work opportunities for years to come.”
Founded in 1963, the Needham Market-based company has also been involved with offshore wind and port projects.
In 2016, Breheny won a contract at Peel Ports Great Yarmouth Outer Harbour for the construction of primary infrastructure and ground works for RWE’s Galloper Wind Farm and ScottishPower Renewables’ East Anglia ONE Wind Farm projects. Its teams delivered a storage yard and marshalling area and the installation of heavy-lift quay facilities.
In 2023, Breheny worked for main contractor J Murphy & Sons on the creation and build of a new junction off the A47 at Necton to access the onshore substation site for the massive Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone project, now owned by RWE.
The company was on site for two months, using a local workforce employed through Norwich-based agency KMS, as well as Suffolk-based business Toppersfield for the road surfacing and HSM for traffic management.
The new Sizewell C contract for roundabouts on the A12 will form part of the new link road and two-village bypass.
Other work at Sizewell has included car parks and office and training buildings, new surface water and foul drainage, concrete foundations with inset bolt clusters, ducting onto buildings, and a concrete retaining wall. Breheny also built concrete foundations for a new outage building within the perimeter fence.
Project planning was key to delivering the works on time because of the security measures, with the movement of all materials and plant having to be booked and approved 24 hours in advance.
“All our project team completed Counter Terrorism Checks (CTC) along with baseline checks to gain access to the area,” said Mark. “Our works were completed on time ready for steel work to be erected as the next phase of the project commenced.”
This story is also published in Insight Energy magazine, covering the latest news from the UK’s energy sector. Read the latest edition here.
