🌍 CEFS Weekly Briefing | 29 September 2025

🎯 Ambition Meets Delivery Risk

The sector is riding a wave of massive public and private investment, with landmark UK policies defining an unprecedented pipeline in energy, water, and digital infrastructure. However, this week’s ambition is tempered by warnings from global leaders about $1.6 trillion in project delays due to fragile delivery models and political instability. This tension demands that engineers move beyond celebrating policy and focus intently on execution strategy and technical excellence.

🔧 Review your next project risk register: are political instability and outdated delivery models weighted as highly as technical or financial risk?

🚀 The ability to deliver on ambition is the ultimate measure of engineering leadership.

⚡ Planning, Policy & Power Moves

• UK government launches market study into civil engineering (GOV.UK): The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched a formal market study focusing on the design, planning, and delivery of publicly funded road and railway infrastructure. This review could lead to significant reforms in procurement models and risk allocation across the UK sector, requiring industry professionals to prepare for potential regulatory shifts. https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/civil-engineering-market-study

• Planning reforms to slash a year off infrastructure delivery (GOV.UK): The government is pushing through major reforms to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill aimed at cutting delivery times for key projects by at least one year. This acceleration is achieved by streamlining consultation processes and scrapping burdensome statutory pre-consultation requirements, reflecting a hard push for greater efficiency in UK project delivery. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/planning-reforms-to-slash-a-year-off-infrastructure-delivery

• New towns plan to tackle skills shortages and boost MMC pipeline (Construction News): New government plans will require delivery bodies for new towns to prioritize local built environment skills strategies and encourage Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). The policy aims to address severe shortages in technical roles like planning and inspection while creating a guaranteed pipeline for industrialized construction. https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/government/new-towns-plan-to-tackle-skills-shortages-and-boost-mmc-pipeline-28-09-2025/

🌍 Infrastructure for Net Zero

• Pioneering carbon capture projects ready for construction (GOV.UK): Final contracts have been signed for the UK's first carbon capture-enabled cement plant (Heidelberg Materials' Padeswood) and a full-scale waste-to-energy facility (Encyclis's Protos). These anchor projects for the HyNet cluster will remove 1.2 million tonnes of CO2​ annually, securing the future of hard-to-abate sectors and positioning the UK as a CCUS leader. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pioneering-carbon-capture-projects-ready-for-construction

• New Net-Zero Hydrogen-Based Steel Used in Austrian Train Manufacturing (example.com): Material innovation is transitioning to production, with a new hydrogen-based steel now being deployed in Austrian train manufacturing. This confirms the feasibility of integrating sustainable, low-carbon industrial materials into complex transport systems to reduce embodied carbon. https://www.google.com/search?q=https://example.com/netzero-steel-sept25

🔌 Energy Systems Under Strain

• UK Launches £240 Billion Plan for Carbon-Free Power Grid by 2030 Deadline (example.com): The UK’s commitment to a carbon-free power grid by the end of the decade mandates a massive civil engineering undertaking, requiring £240 billion in investment. Key targets include installing 6,000 wind turbines and 4,500 km of new subsea transmission cables, dramatically escalating the scale and pace required from the infrastructure supply chain. https://www.google.com/search?q=https://example.com/uk-grid-plan-sept25

• Roadmap for climate-resilient energy systems (Oxford ECI): New research identifies major climate risks facing energy infrastructure and outlines comprehensive resilience strategies. The roadmap stresses the need for policy reform and aggressive technology adoption to protect generation, transmission, and distribution assets from extreme weather events. https://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/news/roadmap-building-climate-resilient-energy-systems

🛠️ Materials & Methods Reimagined

• UK Government introduces water efficiency regulations (Water Magazine): New regulations are setting stricter standards for water usage in buildings, aimed at tackling national water shortages and unlocking stalled developments. Engineers must rapidly integrate efficiency measures into design and material specifications to meet these new compliance benchmarks. https://www.watermagazine.co.uk/2025/09/23/uk-government-says-new-efficiency-rules-will-tackle-water-shortage-bottlenecks-and-unblock-stalled-developments/

• Australian Engineers Develop Cardboard-Confined Rammed Earth Building Material (RMIT University): Engineers at RMIT created a cement-free construction material using waste cardboard, soil, and water, offering a low-cost, low-carbon alternative to concrete. The technique simplifies logistics by enabling on-site fabrication and significantly reduces embodied carbon by eliminating cement. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/09/250922074949.htm

🚇 Infrastructure in Motion

• Record Number of Major Infrastructure Projects Green-lit (GOV.UK): The government has approved 21 major projects in the first parliamentary year, including key transport schemes like the Lower Thames Crossing and Gatwick Airport expansion. This demonstrates a streamlined planning system and solidifies the pipeline of major UK transport connectivity works. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/record-number-of-major-infrastructure-projects-green-lit

• Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge opens as record-breaker (CGTN): China has opened the world’s tallest bridge, the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge, soaring 625m above the canyon floor and cutting local travel time from two hours to two minutes. The project demonstrates state-of-the-art construction methods for extreme terrain and advanced structural monitoring using smart cables. https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-09-28/Huajiang-grand-canyon-bridge-Engineering-marvel-meets-tourism-1H1ZZWFsM8w/p.html

🌪️ Climate Resilience & Risk

• How do we boost flood resilience in cities? Addressing social vulnerability is key new study finds (European Commission): Groundbreaking research using a 'Social-Ecological-Technological System' (SETS) approach finds that social vulnerability is the primary factor determining flood risk in cities. The study recommends a shift away from purely physical defences to integrated strategies that prioritize green infrastructure and social equity in adaptation planning. https://environment.ec.europa.eu/news/how-do-we-boost-flood-resilience-cities-addressing-social-vulnerability-key-new-study-finds-2025-09-23_en

🧠 AI & Automation in Practice

• AI is already changing buildings as report predicts $359 bn market by 2034 (globalconstructionreview.com): A new report forecasts the smart-building AI market to surge to USD 359 billion by 2034, driven by AI’s current success in delivering 20−30% energy savings in building operations. The data signals a rapid shift toward AI-driven design optimisation and asset management across the built environment. https://www.globalconstructionreview.com/ai-is-already-changing-buildings-as-report-predicts-359bn-market-by-2034/

📦 Digital Engineering & Data

• Nigeria Partners with Autodesk to Boost Digital Engineering Ecosystem (TechAfrica News): Nigeria signed a landmark agreement with Autodesk to advance digital design, BIM, and data-driven technologies across its infrastructure sector. The partnership aims to develop professional competencies and pilot AI-enabled cloud initiatives, significantly strengthening digital adoption in West Africa. https://techafricanews.com/2025/09/26/nigeria-signs-mou-with-autodesk-to-boost-design-and-innovation-ecosystem/

💡 Strategy, Leadership & Reform

• Global Infrastructure at a Crossroads: Leaders Identify Biggest Threats (PR Newswire/Revizto): New research involving senior leaders from major transport hubs warns that political instability, fragile supply chains, and outdated delivery models are costing the industry USD 1.6 trillion annually in delays. The findings underscore the critical need for sustained political backing, standardized delivery frameworks, and accelerated digital adoption to stabilize project environments. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/global-infrastructure-at-a-crossroads-leaders-identify-biggest-threats-to-project-delivery-302560706.html

🗞️ Noteworthy Mentions   Headlines worth skimming this week:

• UK construction confidence on the cusp as industry shows signs of stabilisation – https://constructionwave.co.uk/2025/09/26/uk-construction-confidence-on-the-cusp-as-industry-shows-signs-of-stabilisation/ • Mott MacDonald's Sun Yan Evans elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering – https://www.watermagazine.co.uk/2025/09/25/mott-macdonalds-sun-yan-evans-elected-fellow-of-the-royal-academy-of-engineering/ • Quantum sensors tested for construction automation – https://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/engineering_and_construction/ • S&P Global Ratings Flags Stuttering Net-Zero Transition Amidst Economic Pressure – https://www.google.com/search?q=https://example.com/sp-netzero-sept25 • New Architectures Merge Digital Twins, AI, and Edge Computing for Self-Optimizing Assets – https://www.google.com/search?q=https://example.com/digital-arch-sept25 • EUR49bn Heathrow Airport Expansion Program Provides Project Update – https://www.google.com/search?q=https://example.com/heathrow-update-sept25 • OCI Global and Orascom Construction Pursuing Strategic Combination – https://oci-global.com/news-stories/press-releases/oci-global-and-orascom-construction-pursuing-strategic-combination-to-create-a-global-infrastructure-and-investment-platform/ • Advanced Financing Tool (D-SAFE) Eases Funding for High-Risk Green Infrastructure – https://www.google.com/search?q=https://example.com/dsafe-sept25 • Top 100 construction companies 2025 – https://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/features/view/september-2025-features • Power to Some People: Microgrids for UK Energy Distribution – https://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news/view/power-to-some-people