Open Call
Diesel-Free Sites Adoption Programme
Join the Diesel-Free Sites Adoption Programme, a four-month opportunity for UK registered small-to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Open to those that have proven diesel-free infrastructure solutions and who are looking for opportunities for wider industry adoption through live demonstration and industry engagement.
Working alongside Anglian Water and Costain through the Strategic Pipeline Alliance (SPA), successful applicants can apply for up to £60,000 per application (including VAT) to support the delivery of a live demonstration. Participants will also gain direct access to industry partners and testing environments, and generate the evidence needed to accelerate adoption and future procurement opportunities across the UK’s infrastructure sector.
Organisations may submit multiple applications where they have distinct solutions that align with different challenge areas. Each solution must be submitted as a separate application and will be assessed independently against the relevant challenge criteria.
Application support webinar
Connected Places Catapult will host an application support webinar on the 11 August 2026 between 13:00-14:00 to give applicants the opportunity to find out more about the programme offer, application and assessment process.
Overview
The Diesel-Free Sites Adoption Programme is a four-month programme designed to help established UK SMEs deploy proven diesel-free solutions in a live infrastructure environment. Delivered by Connected Places Catapult in collaboration with Anglian Water and Costain through the Strategic Pipeline Alliance (SPA), the programme will support SMEs to test, validate and showcase technologies that can help reduce reliance on diesel across construction and infrastructure sites.
This is an exciting opportunity to work on one of the largest infrastructure projects for a generation. SPA was formed by Anglian water and comprises of partners Anglian Water, Costain, Farrans, Jacobs and Mott MacDonald Bentley. It is creating hundreds of kilometres of new, interconnecting pipelines in the East of England. They are looking for solutions that are ready for adoption and can provide industry partners with confidence that diesel-free sites can work in practice.
Selected businesses will be expected to actively participate in programme activities between October 2026 and March 2027. They will work closely with programme partners to shape and deliver a trial on an identified SPA site, access relevant industry insight, gather evidence on performance and commercial value, and build relationships that could support future deployment and procurement opportunities.
Applicants should be prepared to commit appropriate time and resource to the programme, collaborate openly with partners, and provide clear evidence on how their solution performs in real-world conditions. The programme is best suited to businesses that are ready to move beyond research and development and want to build stronger evidence, industry relationships and routes to wider adoption.
Why apply?
- Up to £60,000 funding to support trial delivery
- Direct collaboration with Costain and Anglian Water
- Access to a realistic construction site testing environment
- Expert support to design, deliver and evaluate your trial
- Evidence and insights to strengthen future procurement and commercial opportunities
We are looking for solutions that can help to answer one or more of the following innovation challenges.
For full challenge descriptions; please see the Innovation challenges Section of the Application Guidance.
Challenge 1: Enabling Diesel-Free Operations on Transient Construction Sites
How might we enable diesel-free operations on transient sites?
Water sector infrastructure construction is transient. Sites move constantly as pipeline lays progress or as work shifts between static assets. Battery storage and charging infrastructure must move with the work. Current diesel generator solutions are portable, but electric alternatives that maintain the same mobility are unproven. The challenge is demonstrating that battery systems can be relocated rapidly, deployed effectively on new sites, keep plant charged through.
Challenge 2: Renewable Alternatives to Diesel Generators
How might we deploy renewable power as viable alternative to diesel generators?
Most water sector infrastructure sites lack mains power connection. Diesel generators are currently a popular and industry wide technology, but they are incompatible with decarbonisation targets. Battery-electric and solar-hybrid systems exist but have not been validated on remote water infrastructure projects under the full range of operational conditions they will face. Clients need evidence that renewable alternatives are as reliable as diesel, can deliver the power required, and can operate effectively during low-sunlight periods and across seasonal variation.
Challenge 3: Zero-Emission and Sustainable Fuels
How might we enable transition to zero-emission and sustainable fuels?
Not all plants can transition to battery-electric immediately. Hydrogen and sustainable biofuels offer transitional routes for equipment that cannot be electrified in the short term, or for applications where battery technology is not yet mature. However, zero-emission and sustainable fuels face two barriers: cost (green hydrogen is significantly more expensive than diesel) and availability (supply chains are immature, particularly for remote infrastructure sites). Clients cannot commit to sustainable fuels without evidence that they are economically viable at scale and that supply is reliable.
Challenge 4: Battery Electric Plant
How might we build operator confidence and capability in battery-electric plant?
Operatives hesitate to use electric plant because they are uncertain about battery life and reliability. Without explicit evidence that Battery Electric Plant (BEV) will not leave them stranded during working hours, and without clear communication about how to manage battery life, adoption will be slow. Building operator confidence requires three things: field evidence that batteries hold charge for full working days, clear training on correct usage, and visible support systems that help operatives understand and manage battery performance.
Funding and Multiple Applications
Successful applicants will have the opportunity to apply for up to £60,000 (including VAT) per application to support the delivery of a four-month trial.
Organisations are welcome to submit multiple applications where they have distinct proven solutions for different challenge areas. Each solution must be submitted separately for each application and should demonstrate how it addresses the specific challenge area selected.
Applications will be assessed independently against the requirements and evaluation criteria for the relevant challenge area.
Successful solutions will be developed and trialled with programme partners between November 2026 and February 2027, benefiting from access to industry expertise, operational environments, and testing opportunities.
Who should apply?
To be eligible, applicants must:
- Be a UK registered small or medium-sized enterprise
- Applicants must have a solution at TRL 7 or above that has been tested in an operational environment. We are particularly interested in deployment-ready solutions at TRL 8–9, with existing customers, evidence of successful delivery and the ability to scale.
- Have a proven solution that has moved beyond research and development, and has been proven in real world conditions
- Have a solution which addresses at least one of the four published challenge areas
- Applicants submitting more than one application must ensure that each application relates to a distinct solution addressing a different challenge area. Each submission will be assessed independently.
- Be able to provide evidence from at least one real project
- Be able to demonstrate commercial potential
- Already operate within construction or infrastructure, or be seeking to transfer a proven solution from another sector
- Be willing to work collaboratively with Connected Places Catapult and programme partners
- Be able to commit appropriate time and resource to the programme
- Be willing to travel occasionally for face-to-face meetings, including a Welcome Day, programme workshops and showcase events
- Be available to participate actively in programme activities between October 2026 and March 2027
Applications open
Application support webinar
Applications close
12pm
Shortlist interviews
Cohort selection
Welcome day
*Please note, the successful solution provider will be expected to have availability for a 1-hour onboarding call via MS Teams on the date and time specified to begin the onboarding/contractual process.
Application process
Applications close 12pm 7 September 2026
Supporting documents
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