The challenge
Network Rail was seeking a suitable renewable energy project capable of providing a reliable, medium-term electricity supply through a regulated procurement process.
Renewable electricity procurement is about more than securing attractive commercial terms. Buyers also need confidence that the proposed project and supplier can deliver: that timelines are realistic, projected generation is robust, and technical risks have been properly understood.
As part of a wider advisory team, Natural Power was appointed to provide independent technical expertise alongside the commercial and legal evaluation of prospective suppliers.
Our approach
We supported Network Rail throughout the procurement process, integrating technical assessment into the wider evaluation and helping ensure technical risk received the same rigorous consideration as commercial and legal factors.
Our support covered three key stages:
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Defining the right questions: We helped develop appropriate technical requirements and evaluation questions for prospective projects and suppliers.
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Evaluating potential suppliers: We carried out independent technical assessments, considering factors including bidders' technical capability and track record, project delivery timescales and the robustness of projected energy generation.
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Supporting negotiations: We provided technical expertise to support discussions with projects and suppliers progressing successfully through the evaluation process.
We worked collaboratively with Network Rail and its other specialist advisors, providing targeted technical input where it could add most value to the procurement and decision-making process.
The value we delivered
By embedding independent technical due diligence within the procurement process, we helped Network Rail make a more informed assessment of the opportunities and risks associated with potential renewable energy suppliers.
Our input helped the client to:
Make decisions with greater confidence, supported by independent assessment of project feasibility, delivery risk and expected performance.
Identify technical risks early, reducing exposure to issues such as project delays and generation underperformance.
Strengthen procurement, balancing technical considerations alongside commercial and legal assessments rather than evaluating proposals principally on contractual or financial factors.
Protect operational and decarbonisation objectives by scrutinising whether prospective projects and suppliers could realistically deliver against their commitments.
Reduce downstream risk, helping avoid the potential cost and disruption associated with delays, poorly performing projects or repeated procurement exercises.
The key benefit is reassurance. For organisations buying renewable power but without the specialist technical expertise needed to interrogate generation projects themselves, Natural Power can act as an independent technical advisor, helping ensure that procurement decisions are underpinned by a clear understanding of real-world project risk.
The outcome
Following the evaluation process, RWE was selected as the preferred supplier and Network Rail secured a five-year renewable energy supply agreement.
Under the agreement, electricity will be supplied from the Gwynt y Môr offshore wind project, providing around 300 GWh annually and meeting approximately 65% of Network Rail's non-traction electricity demand, including power used across offices, depots and managed stations.
The project demonstrates how independent technical expertise can complement legal and commercial advice in renewable power procurement, giving corporate energy buyers greater confidence in both the supplier they select and the underlying project.
Why Natural Power?
For corporate energy buyers, selecting a renewable energy supplier involves decisions that can have operational, financial and sustainability implications for years to come.
Natural Power brings specialist knowledge of renewable energy projects into the buyer's advisory team. By assessing project feasibility, delivery risk and expected performance independently, we help clients understand whether the renewable energy proposition behind the contract can actually deliver what they need.
And because this technical advice can represent a relatively small proportion of the overall transaction cost, it provides a practical way to reduce potentially significant downstream risk.
Technical confidence behind Network Rail's landmark renewable energy procurement
Helping Network Rail de-risk renewable energy procurement
Further reading
