Blog
News, insights, and project updates from the Rospower team.
Why solar projects aren't starting: the NESO grid connection queue in 2026
RWE walked away from a 99.9MW Welsh solar project this April over grid connection availability. The NESO connection queue is reshaping which UK solar and storage projects actually get built in 2026.
By Connor Lyons, Commercial director
Coal tips to cable trenches: building renewable energy on former mine sites
Former collieries across the UK are becoming solar farms, wind sites, and geothermal heat networks. The groundworks are nothing like greenfield, and that's the point.
By Eddie Lyons, Construction director
RIS3 and the £27bn roads budget: where the work is for civils contractors
The third Road Investment Strategy launched in April 2026. Here's what £27bn across five years actually means for earthworks, drainage, and highways subcontractors.
By Connor Lyons, Commercial director, MRICS
Steel surcharges, blocked straits, and your next tender: construction costs in 2026
Material costs are up 37% since 2020 and steel surcharges hit 30% in March. Practical guidance for contractors and project managers pricing work in a volatile market.
By Connor Lyons, Commercial director, MRICS
CIOB wants to know if CDM is working: here's what we'd tell them
The CIOB launched a major survey on CDM 2015 this month, asking the industry whether the regulations are being interpreted and enforced properly. A contractor's honest response.
By Eddie Lyons, Construction director
UK's largest solar farm approved: what 800MW of groundworks looks like
The 800MW Springwell Solar Farm just got consent. What civil engineering contractors actually build on a project this size: piling to cable trenching.
By Eddie Lyons, Construction director
Where the funded construction work actually is in 2026
A sector-by-sector breakdown of where UK construction still has funded pipelines in 2026, despite 15 months of PMI below 50.
By Connor Lyons, Commercial director
What UK construction workers actually take home in 2026: the numbers nobody publishes
Actual day rates, CIS deductions, real take-home pay, and the gap between advertised rates and what hits your bank account. Data from UK construction sites, not recruitment agency wishlists.
By Connor Lyons, Commercial director, MRICS
Mental health on construction sites: what's actually working and what supervisors can do
Construction has the highest rate of male suicide of any UK industry. Most 'awareness' campaigns haven't changed the numbers. Here's what the evidence says about what actually works on site.
By Eddie Lyons, Construction director
Groundworks for food manufacturing: what makes it different?
Food-grade drainage, BRC-compliant slabs, cold storage foundations, and contamination protocols explained for UK groundworks contractors.
By Eddie Lyons, Construction director
UK construction events worth attending in 2026: a subcontractor's honest guide
A practical guide to the UK construction events, meet the buyer days, and industry expos actually worth your time in 2026. Written by subcontractors, for subcontractors.
By Connor Lyons, Commercial director, MRICS
Our new website is live
We've refreshed the Rospower website to better reflect who we are and the work we deliver across the UK. Take a look around.
By Rospower Projects
What's actually changing in UK civil engineering: a subcontractor's view
Forget the robots-on-site fantasy. Here's what's genuinely shifting for groundworks and civils subcontractors in the UK: the renewable energy pipeline, BIM mandates, procurement platform changes, and the skills gap that nobody's solving.
By Eddie Lyons, Construction director
How civil engineering projects actually get managed: what subcontractors need to get right
A practical guide to managing groundworks and civil engineering projects in the UK. Programmes, procurement, variation control, and the things that actually cause overruns on site.
By Connor Lyons, Commercial director, MRICS
What sustainability actually looks like on a groundworks site
A practical guide to sustainable civil engineering in the UK. Recycled aggregates, cut-fill balance, SuDS compliance, waste management plans, and the regulations that actually apply to groundworks contractors.
By Eddie Lyons, Construction director
Welcome to the Rospower blog
A first look at the Rospower Projects blog. Industry news, project updates, and technical insights for UK civil engineering and groundworks clients.
By Rospower Projects