INTEC ENERGY SOLUTIONS: Powering Up: INTEC’s UK Ambition Takes Shape
Renewable EPC specialist, INTEC Energy Solutions is committed to the UK market and is increasingly ambitious around the energy transition roadmap. Opening its new HQ in London, and actively participating in UK and Ireland developments, the company is ready to offer value and quality that have been refined across international projects. Regional MD and Group Director Tom Darkey tells Energy Focus about INTEC’s offering.
There is a familiar rhythm to the energy transition in the UK. Ambition rises, targets sharpen, and then delivery becomes the defining challenge. The Government’s Solar Roadmap makes clear that solar must scale rapidly to meet decarbonisation goals, while Cornwall Insight has highlighted that the battery storage connection queue has already doubled the grid’s requirement for 2030. The direction of travel is obvious. Execution is everything.
INTEC Energy Solutions has chosen this moment to anchor itself firmly in the UK. A globally recognised EPC specialist in solar PV and battery energy storage systems (BESS), the company has relocated its headquarters to the UK and is building a pipeline designed to complement its international portfolio.
Tom Darkey, Managing Director – United Kingdom & Ireland and Group Director for Finance, Governance, and Transformation, joined in September to lead the push. “INTEC has been operating in various forms since 2013, but coming into the UK market has been a major focus. We decided to relocate the headquarters to the UK in 2025 for strategic reasons; now, INTEC Energy Solutions Holdings (the Group entity) is based here. INTEC Energy Solutions Ltd (the UK subsidiary) has remit over the UK and Ireland markets, and our intent is to focusing initially on the UK, leverage our global solar and BESS experience, and expand our operating base by winning PV and BESS work. We’ll grow client and supply chain relationships, and then expand into Ireland.”
The move is more than symbolic. With around 215 people directly employed globally and roughly 800 engaged indirectly through contractors and sub-consultants, the business is scaling quickly. “We are growing strongly, and we want to have 400 people at the end of 2026. This means winning new projects here and elsewhere across the globe. We’re doing that,” Darkey says.
His own background is rooted in commercial discipline. “I started in corporate finance, including M&A, and grew into CFO and Finance Director roles. My career has covered finance management and contracts, and for most of the last 15 years I worked in commercial management for arguably the preeminent EPC company in the world. I joined INTEC with the goal of having an impact across an entire business. Growing a business in a new market is a really exciting opportunity, and building a local team and working with teams across the Group gives us a chance to make a real impact here. Seeing the business grow and seeing the potential for the future is a major motivator.”
The growth trajectory is already clear. “We’ve recently won some very large projects in Australia and New Zealand, we’re ready to start our first two projects in the UK this month with more to come, we’ve won projects in Germany and Azerbaijan. That growth is enabling us to expand the size of our workforce. We are aggressive in our recruitment and that is because of our project portfolio.
“We had strong revenues during 2025 but with the new work we expect to multiply that by seven- or eight-fold in 2026 and then grow at a rate of 15-20% year-on-year for the next four years.”
Interview with Tom Darkey, MD United Kingdom & Ireland and Group Director for Finance, Governance, and Transformation
CAPABILITY BREADTH
INTEC’s core business spans four operational areas: EPC, project origination and development, component manufacturing, and high voltage engineering. Across these disciplines, the company is already delivering significant value for its global client base. “PV solar plant installation and BESS – that’s our EPC work,” explains Darkey. “We’ve also handled project development, including early-stage planning, securing licenses and permissions, and all of the early-stage engagement with the grid. We’ve acquired a transformer manufacturer in eastern Europe, and we’re currently kitting out the factory to vertically integrate our supply chain. We see high voltage as an opportunity for growth.”
Since 2013, INTEC has delivered more than 200 projects and installed and committed to installing more than 5GW of power. The company is targeting 8GW installed and secured capacity by the end of 2026. Larger mandates are now defining its portfolio, and Darkey is keen to showcase the company’s significant experience in delivery.
“The diversity of our experience is vast,” he says. “We have been operating since 2013, and delivered substantial projects on a global scale. We’ve moved from reasonably small- to medium-scale solar installations that comprised the majority of our 200 projects and into much larger, impactful projects. The saleability of our company, learning all of our lessons at smaller scale, has positioned us really well for growth.”
Delivery discipline underpins that progression. “Our work ethic and the way that we look at solutions is unique. Because of the nature of our projects and the different places we’ve worked, we’ve learnt so many lessons, and we have ploughed that knowledge back into our proposals and new work. We’ve consistently delivered on schedule and on budget. We’re very market competitive, and we’re affordable because we control schedule and cost. Our strong supply chain relationships and consistency make us reliable for our customers.”
UK CHALLENGE
Breaking into a mature market brings its own hurdles. “It has been tough growing in the UK because it’s a new market and people aren’t familiar with us,” Darkey admits. “Some will see working with INTEC as a risk compared to working with others who’ve been the market for a while, but I think we can stand up with our experience and offer something that is different and more valuable.”
At the same time, growth has been simultaneous across regions, and this has been welcomed by the Group while it builds its local presence. “We are delighted with a recent full EPC and O&M contract award in Azerbaijan. We’ve recently signed and started projects in Germany – a next generation 40.7 MWh storage capacity BESS project and a 50 MWp solar power plant project. We also have very large projects in Australia, including a 640MWh BESS project for Lightsource bp, and in New Zealand with the 31MWp Twin Rivers solar farm, and that has helped secure our portfolio for the future.”
The level of skill and technical knowledge on display across these projects is a clear message to the industry and demonstrates the sizable momentum that INTEC is now riding.
“The company is growing so quickly in a very short period of time, and that speaks to the drive of our owner towards a future that we are helping build. Our commitment to growth will allow us to add resources, capability and skills to what we already have. The market likes what we are offering and is finding us to be a reliable provider.”
SUPPLY CHAIN DISCIPLINE
For any EPC contractor, delivery is only as strong as the supply chain behind it. In utility-scale solar and storage, procurement strategy can determine whether a project holds margin or slips off course. INTEC’s approach is rooted in tight cost control, global sourcing experience and a deliberate effort to localise capability as it embeds itself in the UK.
“Material and equipment costs are generally 55-65% of the total EPC’s cost to build a PV solar plant without battery storage and having a strong supply chain is critical. We’re sourcing key components from Chinese, UK, and European partners with strong footholds in the UK, and working to grow our local UK contractor and supplier base as well. Our first contracts have been signed to support our first project here, which we expect to start with NTP by the end of the first quarter, and more will soon follow,” details Darkey.
That reliance on third parties brings both opportunity and pressure. The bulk of capital expenditure flows through suppliers and subcontractors, placing a premium on planning and oversight.
“Relying on third party suppliers and contractors for more than 80% of total project cost places a huge burden on organisational management in terms of planning, administration, and leveraging those relationships – it has been a massive challenge for us. But, as we continue to grow in the UK and Ireland through winning new work, delivering value for clients, and broadening our supply chain reach, we create more opportunity by being more visible in the market and more attractive to work with,” he adds.
The UK dimension adds another layer. Developers and investors want proof not only of technical competence, but of market familiarity. INTEC’s answer has been to pair its international track record with a locally built team.
“Everyone asks ‘what is your UK experience’ – that’s the barometer. It’s not only ‘can you build a PV plant or a BESS installation’, but ‘can you do it in this market’. One of the things the company has done, instead of picking people up from all over the world and transplanting them in the UK, is to build a UK-based team that has experience working here. We’ve made a corporate decision to relocate the HQ to the UK because we’re declaring our commitment to the market, but we are building a local team around that decision. They’re skilled and knowledgeable and working interdependently with Group colleagues. That will position us not to just find globally proven solutions for customers, but to do that within the context of the market.”
The emphasis is on blending global standards with local delivery. “We have vast experience in terms of our people, and we are leveraging global best practice to deliver value for customers,” Darkey declares.
“INTEC is ready to offer value for customers who have been used to the same things from the same group of suppliers, for a long time,” he reiterates. “The fact that we continue to grow exponentially shows trust and shows that we are appealing. As we grow our own project experience here, we will become much more relevant for UK customers.”