With the UK’s ambition to achieve net zero by 2050, there is a significant rise in low carbon technologies, leading to increased demand for infrastructure upgrades:
- By 2035, all new cars are expected to be electric, necessitating over a million chargers
- Government forecasts predict 1.5 million heat pump installations per year.
The increasing demand for low carbon technologies necessitates significant upgrades to outdated mains cables. As most utility assets in the UK are located underground, excavation is essential for any installation, modification, repair, or replacement to these assets. Often these upgrades are required in well established town centres and housing estates.
Utility companies are conducting approximately 4m excavations annually, costing approximately £5.5bn with this investment expected to grow as we approach 2050. Electricity cables are often laid directly into the trench without ducting, making excavation unavoidable. In contrast telecommunications often use ducted cables, which allow for cables to be pushed through without the need for excavation.
Scottish & Southern Electricity Networks Distribution invests over £1m per month in their low voltage (LV) network, with an estimated 50% of these funds being allocated to excavation and reinstatement activities.
Despite the scale of these operations, current excavation methods have remained largely unchanged, with standard trench widths applied universally. This approach generates substantial waste, which must be removed from the site for recycling, necessitating the use of fresh materials for backfilling. Moreover, there are limited opportunities to recycle the top bituminous layer of any trench. This process is not only time-consuming and costly but also presents environmental challenges.
Preferred Solution
Solutions are needed to minimise excavation impact by:
- Decreasing the volume of excavated material
- Enabling on-site recycling and reuse
- Shortening excavation time, expediting project completion
- Reducing disruption to road and pavement users.
Both existing and novel techniques will be considered, including:
- Open cut trenching
- Directional drilling
- Impact moling
- Coring and vacuum extraction (core and vac).
The industry shares best practice through collaborative groups such as Street Works UK, meaning any solutions would need to be developed with their input. Additionally, solutions must comply with Highways Authorities and Utilities Committee (HAUC) specifications for highway reinstatement.
What is the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF)?
The Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) is a UK government-backed programme designed to accelerate innovation across the country’s gas and electricity networks. Led by Ofgem in partnership with UKRI, the SIF aims to support the UK’s transition to net zero emissions while keeping energy affordable for consumers and ensuring an efficient energy system. Read our post to find out more.
This first step in a potential three-stage SIF process focusing on defining the problem, understanding user needs, and assessing the potential value of a project. It involves short-term feasibility studies lasting two/three months, with funding of up to £150,000. All project consortiums must be led by a licensed energy partner.
Process Information
To make a submission for this opportunity please sign in/register to the Energy Innovation Centre (EIC) hub. Complete the submission process on the hub and we will be in-touch with feedback and any potential next steps. If you have any queries, then please email us at [email protected].
Following Submission
- Submissions will be reviewed by the EIC within one week of the closing date
- The EIC will share appropriate submissions with industry partners
- Industry partners will review the submissions within two weeks of receipt
- Successful innovators will be contacted by the EIC to discuss next steps.
Closing Date
The deadline for submissions to this challenge is 23.59 on 23 July 2025.
Background
The EIC works in partnership with UK electricity and gas networks to identify and support businesses in developing and commercialising products for the energy sectors.
The opportunities process, managed by the EIC, offers innovators the opportunity to submit proposals which could be potential solutions to our partners specific challenge. This process invites submissions and shortlists the solutions that best answer the opportunity brief. The shortlisted solutions will be passed to the network partner for further consideration. This may lead to participation in a competitive bid process for the SIF discovery phase.