About this CPD Resource

ICE CPD recommended theme covering the energy transition, offshore wind, hydrogen, nuclear, grid infrastructure and the civil engineering challenges of decarbonising the UK's energy system.

The UK's energy transition to net zero requires unprecedented levels of infrastructure investment and civil engineering capability. This ICE Knowledge Hub theme covers the civil engineering challenges of delivering offshore wind at scale, building hydrogen infrastructure, the civil and structural aspects of new nuclear development, and the grid reinforcement required to connect renewable generation to demand centres. Content includes case studies from major infrastructure projects and expert commentary on technical and policy challenges.

Learning Outcomes

Understand the UK's energy transition and infrastructure requirements
Apply civil engineering knowledge to offshore wind and renewable energy projects
Understand the role of hydrogen and nuclear in the decarbonised energy mix
Assess grid infrastructure and transmission challenges for the energy transition

Provider

ICE

CPD Hours

1 hour

Access

Free (member benefit)

Who Is This Suitable For?

Civil engineers

Structural engineers

Infrastructure designers

Energy sector engineers

Graduate engineers

Frequently Asked Questions

What civil engineering skills are needed for the energy transition?

The energy transition requires civil and structural engineering skills across foundations for offshore wind turbines (monopiles, jackets, floating foundations), civil works for hydrogen electrolysers and storage, structural design for new nuclear, and civil infrastructure for grid reinforcement and interconnectors.

Does the ICE produce guidance on net zero for the infrastructure sector?

Yes. The ICE publishes technical guidance, policy papers and knowledge hub content on net zero for the infrastructure sector, including its State of the Nation reports on infrastructure sustainability.

Is this content relevant for engineers outside the energy sector?

Yes. The energy transition affects all infrastructure sectors and civil engineers in transport, water and buildings will increasingly work on energy transition related projects or need to understand their implications.

Why This CPD Matters

The UK construction industry is responsible for approximately 40% of the country's total carbon emissions — roughly equally split between the operational energy use of buildings and the embodied carbon of construction materials and processes. Meeting the UK's legally binding commitment to reach net zero by 2050 requires a transformation in how buildings are designed, built and operated, and construction professionals are at the centre of that transformation.

Sustainability CPD is no longer a niche interest — it has become a core professional competency requirement. RIBA introduced mandatory sustainable architecture CPD in 2021, requiring all Chartered Members to engage with sustainability topics every year. ICE has made sustainable development (including decarbonisation and nature-positive design) a mandatory CPD theme. The Growing demand from clients, planning authorities and funders for BREEAM ratings, net zero carbon compliance and embodied carbon reporting means that construction professionals who lack sustainability knowledge are increasingly at a professional disadvantage. This CPD from Institution of Civil Engineers directly addresses this skills gap.

Key Topics and Industry Context

Sustainability in construction encompasses a broad and rapidly evolving range of topics. Energy efficiency in buildings — covering both operational energy (heating, cooling, lighting, hot water) and embodied carbon (the carbon emitted in producing, transporting and installing building materials) — is central to the industry's decarbonisation challenge. BREEAM, the world's leading sustainability assessment method for buildings, provides a framework for measuring and improving building sustainability across nine categories. The Passive House standard offers a rigorous energy performance framework for ultra-low energy buildings. Sustainable materials specification, including the use of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) to compare embodied carbon, is becoming standard practice on ambitious projects.

This resource from Institution of Civil Engineers contributes to the sustainability knowledge that construction professionals need to advise clients, design compliant buildings and meet the growing expectations of planning authorities and institutional clients for measurable sustainability performance.

How This Fits Your CPD Requirements

RIBA's mandatory core curriculum includes sustainable architecture as one of the topics that all Chartered Members must engage with each year as part of their 35-hour CPD requirement. ICE has designated Sustainable Development (including decarbonisation and nature-positive design) as one of three mandatory CPD themes that all professionally qualified members must cover over a three-year cycle. RICS recognises sustainability as a core competency for several its assessment pathways and its members are increasingly required to provide sustainability-related advice. CIOB includes sustainability in its CPD framework. Across all major construction professional bodies, sustainability is now a required area of competency development.

ICE Knowledge Hub — Energy and Infrastructure Transition