Power & Utilities

Already rising, the demand for efficient and clean power and utilities to sustain economic and population growth is surging. The climate crisis and spikes in fossil fuel prices are accelerating energy investment and rapid transition across the developed and developing world.

With inflation resurgent and higher funding costs, pressure to deliver value for money – as well as capacity – intensifies. Yet owners press ahead without proper pre-planning or mature designs. Contractors take on excessive risk, sometimes not fully understanding the terms or unfamiliar technologies.  

From thermal power plants to solar and wind farms, HKA forensic technical specialists still see many of the same fundamental flaws in engineering and construction. Design clashes, cultural differences within multinational delivery teams, and poor coordination of complex subcontractor interfaces also contribute to many claims and disputes. 

Why HKA? 

With over four decades of industry experience – from advising on procurement and governance to investigating and resolving claims and disputes – our people have first-hand experience that encapsulates best practice. 

Our clients benefit from the lessons learned and insights from our in-house CRUX research programme. We also share our findings with the wider industry. For the Fifth Annual CRUX Insight Report, we analysed 276 power and utility projects worldwide with a combined capital expenditure value of $164 billion. Our analysis revealed that claims for time extensions would prolong project schedules by just under 60%, on average. Costs in contention investigated by our consultants averaged 38.5% of a project’s capital expenditure. 

This is a heavy burden on power and utility projects. Owners and contractors can mitigate and even pre-empt these conflicts through better risk and claims management. 

How we help 

At HKA, we help our clients achieve the best possible outcomes for their projects, whether by anticipating and mitigating risks, or assuring a fair and robust and basis for resolving claims and disputes. To do this, our teams draw on multi-disciplinary expertise spanning construction and contract law, delay and quantum analysis, quantity surveying, forensic accounting, and a comprehensive list of engineering specialisms. Our forensic technical experts specialise in areas ranging from electrical engineering to metallurgy, and boiler chemistry to turbines. 

HKA has an extensive track record supporting a vast array of power and utility projects.  

In the power sector, our people have supported high-profile projects worldwide ranging from conventional thermal plants to renewables. Examples include South Africa’s Medupi and Kusile coal power stations, Yanbu Power Plant Phase 3 on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast, and the Andasol 3 Solar power plant in Andalusia, Spain. 

Our experience of power technologies spans: 

• Combined-cycle gas turbine 
• Independent water and power plants (IWPPs) 
• Fossil fuels 
• Hydroelectric 
• Nuclear 
• Renewables 

HKA has also worked extensively with owners, contractors and supply chain partners responsible for utility infrastructure – from high-voltage transmission networks to water and wastewater. 

Utility projects we supported have involved: 

• Transmission 
• Distribution 
• Treatment 
• Storage 
• Desalination