Britain is being urged to treat deep and shallow geothermal as a mainstream heat source, with a new national roadmap arguing that the country’s substantial but underused subsurface resource could displace a significant share of gas‑fired heating. The plan points to proven concepts such as mine‑water geothermal in former coalfields and district heating from deep sedimentary aquifers, which can be integrated with existing heat networks and large heat pumps. For civil and geotechnical engineers, this signals growing demand for high‑temperature boreholes, well integrity design and long‑term monitoring of thermal–hydraulic behaviour in urban ground.

WSP and Mott MacDonald have secured a £25M contract from Great British Energy – Nuclear (GBE‑N) to deliver environmental services and permitting support for the proposed small modular reactor (SMR) development at Wylfa on Anglesey. The consultancies will lead environmental impact assessment, regulatory interface and consents strategy for the multi‑unit SMR site, a former nuclear location with complex coastal, seismic and ecological constraints. Early permitting work will be critical for geotechnical investigations, marine works and long‑lead nuclear island foundations once a reactor technology is selected.

Biodiversity net gain requirements on Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects are being framed as a source of “desperately needed” long-term climate resilience, with large linear schemes such as new highways, rail corridors and strategic energy infrastructure able to create continuous habitat networks at scale. Experts point to legally secured 30‑year management plans, species-rich grassland and woodland planting, and restored wetlands as measures that can buffer flood risk, reduce heat stress and stabilise soils around major assets. For designers and contractors, this shifts BNG from a planning obligation to a core part of geotechnical and drainage resilience strategy.