Capital projects & infrastructure

The scale of capital project investment in the utilities sector is immense. Many companies are managing the biggest capex programmes they’ve ever undertaken.

It’s not only the scale that is bigger but the nature of capital projects is very different from earlier periods of capital project expansion in the sector.

Projects are more likely to be managed in a range of territories. They have to be delivered against the background of significant and often volatile market change. And the rate of technological change means you have to allow for technology and software moving on by the time the project is completed.

There’s also the sheer variety of requirements. Grid infrastructure, new transmission networks, better interconnectors, replacement of ageing assets are all pressing concerns quite apart from investment in new renewable, nuclear and fossil fuel generation capacity.

New and challenging locations add to the risks that have to be managed. Deepwater offshore windpower development in Europe’s North Sea, for example, is now being planned at 50 metre depths with substantial shipping, port, foundations and rig requirements.

PwC can help you

We’re able to help right through the capital project cycle:
  • Effective project appraisal – Sound project definition and effective decision making at the outset of a capital project are critical to a successful outcome. We can assist you in taking the right actions early to avoid costly errors later.
  • Deciding on the right finance and the right contract – We can help you with a series of critical choices that you face on funding options, contractor selection and management, and project and quality management arrangements.
  • Keeping projects on or ahead of course – We can help you put in place and review the things you need to stay on course, including budgeting and forecasting processes, project cost and schedule systems, reporting procedures, open book contract control and project audit.
  • Getting projects back on track – If things go wrong, we understand the steps that need to be taken to recover projects quickly and effectively. Better still, we can help with a range of preventative measures to avoid projects going wrong to start with.