A new Diesel-Free Sites Adoption Programme has been announced by the UK’s innovation agency for transport, construction and data infrastructure – Connected Places Catapult – in conjunction with Costain and Anglian Water and funded by Innovate UK.
The new programme has been developed because, while organisations across the infrastructure sector are working to reduce emissions, improve site performance and accelerate the transition away from diesel, many are still struggling to make significant progress.
Although alternative power sources, electric plant and sustainable fuels are becoming increasingly available, many clients need stronger evidence that they can perform reliably in real-world conditions.
As a result, the new Diesel-Free Sites Adoption Programme has been developed to help bridge that gap by generating practical evidence from live infrastructure environments and supporting wider industry adoption.
Up to four successful applicants will receive up to £60,000 each to trial their solution over a four-month period. The programme will give them access to live infrastructure sites, working alongside Anglian Water and Costain through the Strategic Pipeline Alliance.
They will also benefit from engagement with industry experts and tailored business support from specialists at the Catapult. This will support them to build a credible evidence base that can enable the future procurement of their solutions by infrastructure clients and the commercial growth of their businesses.
The programme is open to UK registered small-to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with proven deployment-ready solutions that address one or more of the challenge areas.
Connected Places Catapult
Announcing the programme, Geoff Stevens, director of built environment at the Connected Places Catapult, said:”The challenge is not a lack of innovation. Proven diesel-free solutions already exist. The challenge is creating the evidence and confidence needed for wider adoption.
“By working directly with industry partners in a live infrastructure environment, this programme will help high-potential UK businesses demonstrate real world performance and support the transition from successful trials to adoption at scale, across the sector.”
Rob Cairns, head of innovation at Costain, added: “Decarbonising the UK’s infrastructure system is essential to stabilising the climate, strengthening economic and environmental resilience, and enabling communities, nature and the economy to thrive.
“Scaling-up diesel free sites is therefore a critical enabler of making decarbonisation a reality.
“By opening up access to our Strategic Pipeline Alliance site with Anglian Water, UK SMEs will gain valuable experience in a real-world infrastructure environment to help them develop innovative, viable and safe solutions to help accelerate the transition away from diesel fuel.”
In addition, Anglian Water head of research & innovation Phil Buckingham said: “This programme is a great example of innovation being used to solve a real delivery challenge.
“At Anglian Water, we have set ambitious goals to reach zero fossil fuel construction by 2030 and zero emission construction by 2035, and achieving them will depend on working with partners to test, prove and adopt new solutions at pace.
“By supporting SMEs to demonstrate diesel-free technologies in live construction environments, we can build the evidence and confidence needed to accelerate low-carbon construction across the sector, reflecting our Always Exploring mindset and commitment to finding better ways to deliver for our customers and the environment.”
Applications open on 30 July 2026 and close at 12pm on 7 September 2026. Businesses interested in taking part can find out more and submit an application via the Diesel-Free Sites Adoption Programme webpage. An application support webinar will also take place on 11 August 2026.
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