Siemens Energy
Siemens Energy is a large international engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) principal contractor with a significant presence across the UK. The company is delivering technical and engineering excellence for Inch Cape while also generating wider local benefits through the use of local suppliers and the creation of social value through community engagement and skills development.
Inch Cape awarded the contract for the onshore and offshore substations to Siemens Energy and Iemants (a subsidiary of Smulders) in 2022. The work included the full design and delivery of both the onshore substation at Cockenzie in East Lothian and the offshore substation platform, using Siemens Energy’s proven Offshore Transformer Module (OTM®) technology. Construction and fit-out of this first ever dual circuit OTM ® and its jacket foundation was carried out at the Smulders yard in Newcastle.
Use of UK suppliers
Siemens Energy recognises the need for a vast range of products and services during the construction of every project and its procurement teams seek to optimise the local UK supply chain wherever feasible.
Over the past 10 years, Siemens Energy has undertaken significant local supply chain engagement, working with customer intermediaries through organised joint meet-the buyer events with a specific project and geographic focus. For Inch Cape this included the 2023 Inch Cape supplier event at Musselburgh Racecourse and the two-day Inch Cape Supply Chain Expo held at the Port of Leith in June 2024. Attendance by dedicated project procurement managers promoted the visibility of both current and future opportunities for local suppliers to be a Siemens Energy partner and highlighted the companies supplier portal.
Siemens Energy has a strong track record of supporting SMEs within the sector and uses its established relationships with key strategic contractors, for example civil engineering firms, to actively encourage them to work with approved local suppliers. The use of local suppliers not only economically benefits the local regions, and retains value for local employers, it also provides wider benefits. With Inch Cape in East Lothian, these have related to local employment and training, reduced travel and transport costs, direct and indirect investment and reduced carbon footprint.
For the Inch Cape work, almost 30 per cent of Siemens Energy’s expenditure on goods and services for the project was spent with suppliers from Scotland or the wider UK. On a specifically local level, Siemens Energy engaged a number of companies from within 40 miles of the East Lothian site for support including: on-site catering, industrial and office cleaning, training courses, mineral water supply, transport hire and secondary steel fabrication.
Social value
Siemens Energy’s involvement in Inch Cape has gone well beyond engineering and construction. From the outset, the company has embedded social value into its project delivery strategy. It has engaged extensively with communities within a 40-mile radius of the project substation site at Cockenzie, building trust through transparency, consistent communication, and tangible local benefits.
Siemens Energy has implemented a wide range of social initiatives. These included apprenticeship programmes, educational outreach sessions in local schools, and volunteer hours contributed by staff to community activities. The company has also provided financial and in-kind support to local charities and community groups.
Through these initiatives, Siemens Energy delivered more than £3 million in social value in East Lothian between October 2023 to September 2025 and has been recognised nationally for its work.
Emissions reductions
The company has also taken steps to reduce carbon emissions on site using sustainable construction methods and introducing a wide range of technologies and innovations such: energy efficient A-rated welfare cabins; solar or battery-powered CCTV and timelapse cameras; 45kWh battery storage units for small tool charging; waste-derived hydro-treated vegetable oil (HVO) biofuel for onsite generators until grid connection; HVO power in the site office and welfare cabins; EV car-charging units; energy measuring smart sockets, and solar-powered radar speed signs.
From early 2023 to early 2025 the project has saved 154,482 litres of fuel (540 tonnes CO2e – equal to driving 126 petrol cars for a year) and almost £200,000.
This commitment to carbon-conscious construction earned the project Green Apple Awards for two years running namely as a National Gold Winner the Building & Construction Carbon Reduction category in 2024 an International Green Apple Award for Environmental Best Practice in 2025.
Through all these activities, Siemens Energy has earned strong credibility within the local area and created a legacy of skills development, supply chain capacity building, and climate-conscious infrastructure in East Lothian and the surrounding region.
February 2026
Supplier case studies
To date more than 350 UK suppliers and consultancies had helped to progress and shape the project, making it a truly collaborative effort. Click the button to read case studies about just some of those suppliers and their contribution to the project.
