Saint-Gobain, the global leader in light and sustainable construction materials, is adding six new Volvo fully electric HGVs to its fleet operating in the UK in partnership with XPO Logistics, a leading provider of innovative and sustainable end-to-end logistics solutions across Europe.
According to XPO Logistics’ proprietary intelligence technology, which calculates emissions savings, the investment in these six eHGVs will reduce CO₂e emissions by almost 800,000 kg per year, equating to 3,530 tonnes over the five-year term of the UK Government Zero Emission HGV & Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID) programme.
This is equivalent to the emissions produced by 2,353 UK households.
What do Supply Constraints Mean for Data Centre Builds?
The data centre industry faces growing construction delays driven by water, energy and waste infrastructure challenges, with nearly half of planned facilities at risk of permitting holdups.
The construction sector is grappling with a new challenge as the data centre boom collides with infrastructure reality.
On 14 April 2025, Veolia announced its Data Center Resource 360 offering at London's Outernet venue, highlighting the mounting pressure on builders and developers to deliver facilities that can meet increasingly stringent resource requirements.
The French environmental services firm's new suite could address critical construction bottlenecks that are threatening to slow the industry's explosive growth. According to Veolia's estimates, nearly half of all planned or under construction data centre facilities currently face potential permitting delays, driven primarily by concerns over water consumption and energy use.
Rolls-Royce & Great British Energy: A New Approach
The contract between Great British Energy and Rolls-Royce SMR represents one of the most significant construction commitments in the UK's energy infrastructure programme.
With US$3.3bn in public funding allocated and a further US$760m from the National Wealth Fund, the project will deliver three small modular reactor units, creating 3,000 construction jobs and establishing new industrial delivery frameworks that could reshape how major energy projects are built in Britain.
Following Rolls-Royce SMR's selection as preferred technology partner in June 2025, the formal agreement announced on 13 April unlocks site-specific design work, regulatory engagement and planning processes ahead of a future Final Investment Decision.
The contract marks a shift from traditional nuclear construction methods, with the programme structured around factory-built components and standardised assembly processes designed to reduce the delays and cost overruns that have historically plagued large-scale nuclear builds.
Is the Construction Workforce Becoming More Diverse?
The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has found that more women are entering the construction industry and pursuing construction training.
In an industry traditionally dominated by men, women have historically entered the sector in administrative roles, rather than taking part in field work.
Now, data has found that more women than ever are pursuing construction training, looking towards entering the field and diversifying the sector.
Why Winda & Gi21 are Building Data Centres in Finland
A Helsinki-based renewable energy developer is pivoting to major construction infrastructure with plans for a €500m (US$584m)-plus data centre development in southern Finland, marking one of the region's most significant industrial projects.
Winda Energy, which has spent 15 years developing wind farms and solar parks across Finland, has announced its first move into data centre infrastructure. The company plans to construct a 100 MW facility in the Rastikangas industrial zone in Janakkala, a municipality in the Kanta-Häme region.
The project could represent a notable strategic shift for a company whose portfolio has, until now, been built entirely on generation rather than consumption.
"Finland and Winda Energy have already invested heavily in green electricity production and it is great to see how this opens up new business opportunities on the consumption side," says Tuomas Hooli, CEO of Winda Energy.
