Revised plan covers 718 schemes with energy sector earmarked for highest planned investment

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Energy work is set to receive more than half of the planned £718bn due to be spent in the next decade

NISTA has published an updated pipeline of work for the next decade with the value of upcoming work now topping £700bn.

The National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority has outlined more than 700 schemes for the next decade which will cost £718bn to carry out.

The pipeline now includes an estimate of the future workforce demand needed to deliver planned investment.

It said this will require an estimated annual average workforce of between 621,000 and 697,000 over the next two years and between 629,000 and 706,000 over the next five years. Construction jobs account for over two thirds of this demand, with education and health infrastructure contributing the largest share.

NISTA said the £718bn figure was up from the £530bn earmarked last summer for 780 schemes.

It added: “This change is partially due to NISTA obtaining new and updated data from a wider range of providers, including several Mayoral Combined Authorities.”

Energy remains the sector in the pipeline with the highest planned investment over 10 years at £365bn.

Chief secretary to the Treasury James Murray said: “As part of this latest version of the Infrastructure Pipeline, we’re also giving the construction sector the detailed picture it needs to invest in a highly skilled workforce that’s primed to build the hospitals, schools, railways, reservoirs and renewable energy plants this country needs.”

NISTA chief executive Becky Wood, who met up with several major contractors last week to discuss the plans, said: “Our industry partners across the sector can only invest in new skills, capacity and technology with the right data to assess what the Pipeline means in the delivery context.

“By adding new information on what future workforce demand looks like they can plan with confidence, and the Pipeline is also better placed to support the investment government is already making to address the construction skills gap.”

Details of the update pipeline can be found here.

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