UK infrastructure

From transportation to power and digital infrastructure, the UK is well positioned for businesses to deliver locally and globally.

Key benefits

The UK:

  • has digital infrastructure that supports the number one tech sector in Europe
  • is home to one of the top 5 busiest airports in Europe, connecting the UK globally
  • has the 5th most used and the 17th largest railway globally
  • is well-located for travel to and relations with major markets in Europe and N. America

The switch to sustainable

The UK government has prioritised the country’s transition to sustainable energy. As such, the UK is home to the world’s largest offshore windfarm, operated by Ørsted and located off the Yorkshire coast in the north of England.

Energy is also a major driver of the UK’s economic growth. Investment in energy projects accounted for 26.4% of all industrial investment in 2020 , and amounted to a total of £15bn investment in energy industries.

The UK is now the most attractive clean energy investment market in Europe, partly due to the government’s increasing of wind and nuclear targets . As a result, clean energy is set to be the largest sector for investment in the UK in the coming years, following the UK Infrastructure Bank’s £22bn plan in 2022 to tackle climate change and boost regional growth.

Robust and reliable transportation

With over 70 airports, 40 major ports, excellent rail links and toll-free motorways, the UK has the ideal combination of infrastructure components to move goods and people around the country in simple, affordable ways.

The UK has the 2nd largest urban rail network in Europe. The UK enjoys a modern, privatised rail network linking major cities into mainland Europe via the world-class Eurostar rail service.

The UK is also home to one of the busiest in Europe. Almost all of Europe’s leading technology markets can be reached in under 2 hours from any of south England’s international airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, City and Luton Airport.

With around 120 ports, one of the top 10 largest ports in Europe can be found in the UK. Well established as one of the Europe’s top 6 major trading nations, the UK exported £802.7 billion in goods and services over the last 12 months to the end of November 2022.

Supporting our digital future

As one of the best-performing countries in Europe for broadband coverage, the UK is set to build a digital infrastructure for a super-connected future that’s capable of supporting the huge demand for lightning-fast internet access. In relation to this, the UK have made excellent progress in delivering improved digital infrastructure, with superfast broadband coverage rising to 97% in 2022.

In fact, Portulans Institute ranks the UK 12th in their global Network Readiness Index 2022; a measure of a nation’s capacity to use information and communication technology to promote growth and social wellbeing.

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