Scotland’s Infrastructure Decade │ Alex Plant Blog

“The question for all of us is whether, in ten years’ time, Scotland will see this decade as one of fundamental economic, environmental and social upgrade, not just an engineering programme having been delivered.”

Alex Plant
CEO, Scottish Water

Scotland is about to undergo a massive boom in infrastructure investment.

Around £46bn to be invested by 2030 across water, energy and a range of other essential utilities.
Looking a decade out, the number could easily hit £100bn.

In a nation of 5.5m people.

The numbers across the rest of the UK are even more eye popping as all regions are being rewired and replumbed.
It is one of the biggest investment programmes since WW2.

So, what will consumers, who ultimately pay for all this, get in return? And how can we maximise the wider social and environmental benefits from it?  

Today, at a conference in Glasgow I am looking forward to discussing this key question with other major infrastructure businesses including Scottish Power; SSE and OpenReach.

So, what would a good result look like? Here are some thoughts from me, and I would appreciate yours too.

Communities across Scotland really feel the benefit

Infrastructure investment often arrives like a travelling show: disruptive for a period, then gone. 

A better outcome would see communities genuinely strengthened by the activity. That might mean more stable employment in local supply chains, better capability in rural areas, or new spaces created through blue green infrastructure

Across Scotland, practical examples already show what this looks like when it works. Strategic drainage partnerships in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee are reducing flood risk and enabling much-needed new homes to be built, all while shaping greener, more liveable neighbourhoods.

Woodland creation, peatland restoration and surface water management programmes are building environmental resilience in ways that engineering alone cannot.

These are early indicators of the long term value Scotland should expect from this decade of infrastructure renewal.  

A more joined up system

Many of Scotland’s challenges cut across sectors: land use, agriculture, energy capacity, housing growth, digital demand, water security. Planning them in isolation has diminishing returns. A good outcome would be a system that feels more coherent, with decisions made earlier and with clearer alignment across institutions.

We are already seeing the benefits of this in smaller ways. Real time network monitoring, for example, is starting to provide clearer data on how systems behave during extreme weather. Better catchment management is reducing treatment risks. These are the building blocks of a more integrated, anticipatory system.

And we can go further - a truly system-based approach is in grasp for Scotland, with utilities and empowered local government groups working together to deliver maximum benefits for minimum spend.

Sir Jon Cunliffe's recent report into the water system in England and Wales proposes integrated, cross-sectoral system planning at the regional level. Scotland could draw upon this analysis and accelerate such reforms within the new parliamentary session beginning this summer.  

A shared opportunity

This week’s conference marks the first time that the major infrastructure providers in Scotland have set out their collective investment plans and committed to working together on their delivery. It is a significant and positive step. If we can take this further, also working with other key sectors such as agriculture, and with colleagues in national and local government, we can ensure that this once in a generation level of investment delivers more than the sum of its parts.

Scottish Water is proud to join our partners in signing the statement of ambition to reflect our commitment - but the real opportunity is working collectively into the future and with a shared ambition to maximise the benefits for Scotland in terms of jobs, skills, the environment and the communities we serve.

Looking back from 2036

The question for all of us is whether, in ten years’ time, Scotland will see this decade as one of fundamental economic, environmental and social upgrade, not just an engineering programme having been delivered. 
 
If the investment we make strengthens resilience, deepens capability enhances our natural environment and leaves communities better off, then we will have used the opportunity well.

If not, the chance will not come again soon.