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Energy capital projects: A blueprint for success
5-MINUTE READ
April 1, 2025
The energy sector is at a critical turning point. Global investments in energy infrastructure reached unprecedented levels in 2024, surpassing $3 trillion allocated annually. Of that, $2 trillion is directed toward clean energy while $1 trillion still flows into fossil fuels1. This dual challenge—investing in the future while maintaining today’s energy supply—demands a radical rethink of how capital projects are executed.
The global shift toward renewable energy sources, power grid developments, electric mobility and sustainable fuels, along with hydrogen production and nuclear power, has introduced a new level of complexity in energy capital projects.
Traditional oil and gas megaprojects, historically driven by structured models with clearly defined execution risk—often led by major engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors—are evolving. While the landscape is changing, EPC contractors remain essential partners in delivering complex, capital-intensive projects.
However, as new energy sources emerge, the industry faces a more fragmented value chain, where responsibility for capital project execution is increasingly shared among multiple stakeholders, with owner-operators taking a greater role in managing and controlling risk.
The need for resilience and agility in execution has never been greater. Energy capital projects must withstand and adapt to geopolitical risks and external shocks. Market volatility, supply chain disruptions, regulatory uncertainty and an industrywide talent crunch are pushing energy companies to rethink how they deliver infrastructure.
The old ways of project execution—frozen schedules, siloed contractors and slow decision-making—are no longer sustainable.
Companies that embrace AI-driven project controls, digital stakeholder management platforms and new workforce and service models will be the ones leading the energy transition.
A blueprint for success
Our research, spanning 700 leaders across 23 countries and 12 industries, shows that 64% of energy infrastructure and capital projects do not meet their schedule commitments and 59% of energy projects exceed budget by over 10%. Only 7% of energy organizations consistently meet or exceed their project commitments, capturing additional value.
Four clear action areas — underpinned by the power of data, AI and digital technologies — stand out, offering organizations a blueprint for success in capital project execution if they act now.
#1 Turn insight into foresight: AI-driven, dynamic planning
The traditional approach to capital project management relied on rigid schedules and fixed execution models, often resulting in cost overruns and delays. It followed a linear progression from planning to execution, made of sequences with little room for flexibility. Today’s energy projects, however, must be designed for real-time adaptability.
AI-driven forecasting is transforming how companies plan and execute large-scale infrastructure projects. Instead of static schedules that take weeks to manually update, AI-powered tools now let project planners simulate hundreds of execution paths in minutes. These systems analyze multiple variables — including supply chain constraints, resource costs, labor availability and weather conditions — to generate real-time insights that help decision-makers optimize for cost, quality, carbon footprint and time to market.
One leading EPC firm has already begun integrating AI-driven planning with 3D modeling, enabling visual construction monitoring and real-time risk management, such as identification of showstoppers caused by materials, and support re-planning before construction even begins2.
By visualizing a project’s development in a dynamic, interactive model, companies can detect inefficiencies early, perform constructability analysis, mitigate risks and reduce delays. AI-powered planning also helps keep projects aligned with shifting market conditions — a key advantage in an industry where external factors such as regulatory changes, geopolitical events and price fluctuations can impact execution timelines overnight.
The energy industry’s shift toward new sources requires a level of agility not previously seen in capital projects. A company’s ability to anticipate challenges and adjust plans in real time will shape its success in the evolving energy landscape.
#2 Manage diverse stakeholders: The rise of project control towers
Energy megaprojects — along with broad portfolios of smaller infrastructure developments — involve a complex ecosystem of stakeholders. These include asset owners, investors, regulators, suppliers, contractors and local communities. Historically, misalignment among these groups has been a leading cause of delays, claims and cost overruns. Poor coordination has led to regulatory setbacks, procurement bottlenecks and inefficient decision-making.
To address these challenges, leading energy companies are implementing project control towers — centralized collaboration platforms that provide real-time visibility into project status, risks and key performance metrics. These platforms function as an experience layer — an actionable environment that aggregates data from multiple sources, streamlines communication, and enables teams to anticipate bottlenecks and resolve issues before they affect the project timeline.
A major Middle Eastern energy company recently deployed a portfolio-wide control tower to manage capital projects across multiple business units[3]. The system allows executives to monitor overall project health while giving engineers, procurement teams and construction managers access to the specific information they need to make informed decisions. AI-driven alerts flag potential disruptions — such as permitting delays or late material deliveries — allowing project leaders to act proactively rather than reactively.
The benefits of AI-powered stakeholder management go beyond efficiency gains. These systems also improve regulatory compliance by ensuring all required approvals and documentation are handled in a structured, transparent way. As regulatory pressures increase, companies that fail to modernize their project management practices risk falling behind.
In an industry where every delay can cost millions in added expenses or lost production, the ability to integrate stakeholder priorities seamlessly is a competitive advantage that can’t be ignored.
#3 ESG beyond compliance: The carbon imperative
Sustainability has become a critical factor in energy infrastructure development. Yet, most companies remain focused on operational emissions and regulatory compliance, often overlooking the “embodied carbon” footprint of their capital projects. While emissions from operating assets like refineries, power plants and pipelines are routinely tracked, the environmental impact tied to the extraction, production and transportation of construction materials — including carbon-intensive inputs like steel and cement — as well as energy and water consumption, remains largely unmeasured.
This oversight presents both a challenge and a major opportunity. For example, nearly half of a built asset’s total emissions are associated with embodied carbon4.
Addressing this requires companies to move beyond compliance and embrace a holistic approach to environment, social and governance (ESG) intelligence spanning the full capital project lifecycle.
Some leading energy firms are taking action by embedding sustainability and circularity principles into every phase of project development, from feasibility and design through execution. This includes early selection of low-carbon suppliers, sustainable procurement practices, and smarter material management strategies aimed at reducing waste and environmental impact.
Digital technologies also play a key role. Tools like AI-powered carbon tracking, Digital Twins, BIM, and IoT-enabled monitoring allow companies to model, track and reduce emissions in real time. When combined with strategies — such as sustainability maturity assessments and supplier selection based on ESG performance — these tools can help reduce emissions by up to 18% during the construction phase alone5.
Integrated platforms like Generative Design Studios, Control Towers and Connected Construction environments are helping project teams improve efficiency, predictability and safety — while aligning closely with ESG objectives. At the same time, stakeholder engagement and compliance monitoring are becoming essential levers for reinforcing sustainability goals and ensuring successful implementation across the value chain.
Ultimately, the energy transition won’t be driven by operational efficiency alone. Achieving long-term ESG targets will require companies to track and reduce emissions at every stage of an asset’s life cycle — starting from the moment ground is broken.
#4 Building and sustaining critical skills: A new execution model
The energy sector is facing an acute talent shortage in project execution, driven by an aging workforce and fewer new professionals entering the industry6. Critical roles — including planners, engineers, project controllers and procurement specialists — are becoming increasingly difficult to fill. If left unaddressed, this gap could lead to execution bottlenecks that threaten long-term growth.
To meet rapidly evolving project demands, leading firms are adopting global talent strategies and using advanced learning solutions to align specialized skills with business needs. These strategies are increasingly supported by AI-driven workforce management tools that improve decision-making and adaptability.
This approach reflects a broader industry shift, where AI is playing a critical role in workforce training and development. Our research revealed AI-assisted learning is improving skill retention by up to 28%7, enabling faster adaptation among new hires.
Some energy companies are exploring immersive 3D experience rooms to support emotional learning for field workers, while others are rolling out virtual reality (VR) training modules that allow engineers and site managers to engage with project environments before ever stepping on-site.
For example, TenneT, Germany’s largest transmission system operator, has launched the Safety IMPACT program in partnership with Accenture to boost safety on the SuedLink and SuedOstLink projects8. The training uses immersive, real-life simulations to promote a proactive safety culture in line with TenneT’s zero-accident goal.
New safety training centers in Hamburg and Nuremberg offer hands-on instruction to prepare teams for the challenges of large-scale infrastructure work. The initiative shows how energy companies are using advanced learning and global talent strategies to close skill gaps and improve execution.
Beyond talent acquisition and training, energy project execution is shifting toward a service-based model. Instead of sourcing manpower and individual contractors on a project-by-project basis, companies are forming partnerships with firms that deliver outcome-driven services—such as project management, owner’s engineering and construction supervision.
This shift supports a more scalable, cost-efficient workforce while reducing risks linked to skill shortages.
The future of energy projects: Lead, innovate, execute
In recent years, energy capital project improvements have centered on digital transformation and strategic advisory. Now, the focus is shifting to something more fundamental: rethinking how projects are executed across increasingly complex ecosystems.
Companies that adopt AI-powered project controls, enable real-time collaboration and embed sustainability into design will lead the next wave of transformation.
Workforce strategies must also evolve — moving from talent shortages to industrialized execution models that support scalable, outcome-driven delivery.
The energy transition is already underway, and capital projects acceleration will be its backbone. The challenge isn’t identifying new technologies — it’s integrating them into execution strategies that drive measurable results.
Companies that embrace AI-driven planning, design automation, stakeholder-centric execution and service-based workforce models will set the standard for a new era of cost-efficient, technology-enabled, and sustainable infrastructure.
Success will depend on the industry’s ability to execute with efficiency, sustainability and long-term resilience. For energy leaders, the mandate is clear: adapt, innovate and lead — or risk falling behind.
Sources
1 Iea, world energy investment, 2024
2 Accenture analysis
3 Accenture analysis
4 LETI, Embodied Carbon Primer
5 Accenture analysis
6 eog, Industry Leaders Call for Renewed Focus on Young Talent in Energy Sector
7 Accenture, blueprint for success, February 2025
8 TenneT introduces innovative safety training for SuedLink and SuedOstLink, May 2024