IN Brief:
- M Group has acquired HVSS, whose FY2025 results included £48.2m revenue and £6.6m operating profit.
- HVSS provides high-voltage connections up to 132kV, alongside multi-utility services for construction and infrastructure developments.
- The acquisition expands M Group's capacity for connection design, construction, energisation and subsequent maintenance.
M Group has acquired high-voltage connections specialist HVSS, extending its engineering and construction capabilities across electrical and multi-utility infrastructure. The Kettering-based contractor employs more than 120 people and designs and delivers electricity connections rated up to 132kV, alongside infrastructure serving commercial, industrial and residential developments.
HVSS generated revenue of £48.2m and operating profit of £6.6m in the financial year ending March 2025. Turnover increased by approximately 31% during the period, reflecting the development of a business founded in 2010 that now operates from Kettering, Leeds and Cardiff, supported by a national delivery workforce.
The acquisition strengthens M Group’s Energy Infrastructure operations, combining HVSS’s connections expertise with the group’s existing construction, engineering and maintenance activities. M Group intends the enlarged service offering to cover the development of electrical infrastructure from initial design and installation through to energisation, upgrades and ongoing support.
Electricity connections form a substantial part of the enabling infrastructure for new developments. Commercial buildings, industrial premises, housing schemes and energy projects require supply arrangements matched to their anticipated electrical demand, with connection work often progressing alongside site preparation and construction of the permanent facilities.
Where the existing distribution network cannot directly accommodate the required capacity, a project may need new or upgraded substations, cables and associated electrical equipment. The design must establish a suitable connection point and coordinate the proposed infrastructure with the network operator’s technical requirements and the physical constraints of the site.
HVSS’s capability extends to 132kV, a voltage used within high-voltage electricity distribution and connection infrastructure. Work at these voltages can involve substantial cable routes, transformer installations, switchgear and protection equipment, depending on the capacity and configuration required by an individual development.
Electrical connection design also influences civil engineering work. Cable installations may require excavation, ducting, joint bays and reinstatement, while substations need appropriate foundations, access and arrangements for accommodating electrical plant. These works must be integrated with the development’s roads, drainage, buildings and existing underground services.
The position of a substation can affect how the rest of a site is organised, particularly where equipment needs permanent operational access. Cable routes must also accommodate other utilities and any restrictions associated with land ownership, existing structures or the surrounding highway network.
Once the civil works and equipment installation are complete, electrical testing and commissioning establish whether the connection satisfies the applicable requirements. Energisation must be coordinated with the network operator and the electrical systems serving the development, allowing the permanent supply to become available for subsequent building commissioning or operational use.
The acquisition brings these activities into a wider infrastructure service offering. M Group can combine its established project resources with HVSS’s specialist electrical design and installation capabilities, while the work required on each development remains governed by its connection agreement and technical specification.
HVSS also provides water, gas and fibre infrastructure, allowing it to undertake multi-utility packages where several networks must be extended into the same development. Those installations frequently share parts of the construction programme, particularly when new service routes are established before roads and external surfaces are completed.
Coordinating utility installation can reduce conflicts between trades working within constrained areas, although each network retains its own technical requirements and approval arrangements. Excavation, service separation, access and reinstatement must be planned around the different infrastructure systems occupying the site.
Housing developments present one application for these services. Residential construction requires electrical and other utility connections to progress in a sequence compatible with individual building plots, access roads and the eventual occupation of completed homes.
Commercial and industrial projects can impose different demands. Larger electricity loads may require more extensive connection infrastructure, while the timing of permanent energisation can influence the commissioning of building services, industrial machinery and other equipment.
Demand for new electrical connections also arises from electric vehicle charging facilities, renewable energy installations and data centres. These developments can require substantial network capacity, with their project programmes influenced by the availability of suitable connection infrastructure and the construction work needed to deliver it.
The HVSS acquisition adds specialist resources serving those markets, although the capacity of individual network connections will continue to depend on the relevant engineering assessments and the requirements established for each site.
Andrew Findlay, chief executive of M Group, said the transaction would strengthen the company’s capabilities in high-voltage connections and broaden the services available to clients. HVSS managing director Richard Parkes identified access to the larger group’s resources, relationships and project opportunities as reasons for joining the business.
Alongside the additional workforce, M Group gains an established contractor with operations across several regions and experience of connection infrastructure for different development types. Its existing commercial and technical relationships will form part of the group’s approach to securing and delivering further work.
M Group reported annual revenue of approximately £3.1bn for the year ending March 2026. The acquisition continues its investment in specialist infrastructure businesses, following earlier expansion across engineering, energy efficiency and technology services.
HVSS’s £48.2m revenue and £6.6m operating profit represent its financial performance before the transaction. They are distinct from the acquisition consideration, which has not been disclosed in the verified coverage.
The addition of HVSS extends M Group’s capacity to deliver electrical connections alongside other utility infrastructure. Its engineering workforce and established delivery operations will support projects requiring new or upgraded networks, with design, site construction, testing and energisation forming the main stages of the work.
