Schneider Electric's Kelly Becker predicts transformative trends shaping UK's energy and industrial future in 2026

According to HPM Magazine, Kelly Becker, president of Schneider Electric for the UK & Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands, has set out five trends she says will shape the UK’s energy transition and industrial growth in 2026. Her analysis places water resilience, the rapid expansion of AI-ready data centres, stalled transport electrification, the twin engines of electrification and digitalisation for industry, and a large-scale retrofit of buildings at the centre of the year ahead.

Water resilience moves from risk to board-level priority
Becker warns that the driest start to a year in nearly four decades in 2025 and rising demand from high-density facilities have pushed water management into the front line for industrial planning. According to HPM Magazine, planned data centre sites alone, including 28 in areas served by Thames Water, are intensifying pressure on local supplies. Digital monitoring, software-defined automation and increased use of closed-loop and liquid-cooling systems are presented as the routes industry will use to reduce consumption and the energy intensity of treatment and cooling. The piece notes, however, that compatibility with ageing water infrastructure remains a practical constraint, reinforcing the case for coordinated investment between operators, regulators and industrial customers.

AI-first data centre buildout reshapes energy strategy
Becker predicts the UK will enter its fastest digital infrastructure expansion to date, with almost 100 new data centres in the pipeline by 2030 and major commitments from hyperscalers. HPM Magazine highlights Scotland’s appeal for new capacity because of abundant wind and hydro, signalling a shift toward geographically distributed, lower-carbon compute. Industry data cited in related reporting shows the data centre sector could drive substantial additional electricity demand over coming decades, accelerating uptake of battery storage, private wires, microgrids and advanced cooling to manage peak loads. The surge is already reflected in Schneider Electric’s own results: finance reporting shows the company has benefited from strong data centre demand, with robust organic revenue growth and an improving margin outlook, underscoring supplier capacity to support projects at scale.

Transport hubs: potential and policy shortfall
Becker argues UK transport electrification, ports, airports and charging networks, remains complex and behind where decarbonisation plans require. HPM Magazine reports Schneider Electric is working with UK ports on “green shipping corridors” and electrification pilots, but writes that uncertainty over government direction, persistent grid-connection bottlenecks and planning hurdles for microgrids are continuing to slow rollout. For industrial decision-makers, the implication is clear: port and airport operators can become local energy producers and resilience hubs, but realising that potential will need firmer policy signals and streamlined planning and grid access.

Electrification plus digitalisation as the competitive imperative
Becker frames 2026 as the year policy and investment begin to convert rhetoric into industrial action. The article notes the UK government’s 2025 Industrial Strategy acknowledged energy costs as a structural barrier and that National Grid has signalled a multibillion-pound upgrade programme from 2026 to 2031. Schneider and others argue that targeted network discounts for energy-intensive industries, coordinated grid reinforcement and deployment of edge computing, industrial AI and software-defined automation will jointly raise productivity while lowering energy intensity. A Schneider study referenced in the coverage claims Europe could save €250bn per year by 2040 through accelerated electrification, a figure intended to illustrate scale rather than prescribe the detail of individual company strategies.

Buildings: digital retrofits as a decarbonisation lever
With buildings responsible for roughly a quarter of UK emissions, Becker expects an acceleration in digital retrofits. HPM Magazine highlights the role of IoT sensors, AI-driven controls and integrated building management to deliver responsive lighting, HVAC and occupancy management that cut energy use and operational cost. The coverage projects measurable public-sector savings from such measures over the coming decade, positioning smart building upgrades as both an emissions and a competitiveness intervention for industrial landlords, campuses and logistics facilities.

Commercial context and capacity to deliver
Supplementary reporting shows Schneider Electric is expanding its UK manufacturing footprint to meet rising equipment demand: the company is investing £42m in a new Scarborough facility, which it says will be net-zero in Scope 1 and 2 emissions and create more than 200 jobs. At the same time, recent finance coverage attributes Schneider’s improved margin outlook to strong demand from the data centre market, reinforcing the view that supplier capacity and investment appetite are aligned with the technology and infrastructure needs Becker describes. Where the lead piece reads as strategic counsel, these commercial signals suggest supply-side momentum to match policy and buyer intent.

What this means for industrial decarbonisation leaders
For professionals charged with industrial decarbonisation, Becker’s five trends point to a near-term programme of cross-cutting investments: integrated water and energy management; planning for electrification that anticipates increased local generation, storage and private-wire options; prioritised digital retrofits for buildings and plants; and vendor partnerships capable of delivering systems-level upgrades. The common thread is that hardware upgrades must be coupled with software-defined control and a focus on system flexibility if investments are to deliver resilience, lower operating cost and measurable emissions reductions.

Industry and government will need to act in concert in 2026 if the opportunities identified by Becker are to translate into durable decarbonisation and industrial competitiveness gains.