The growth came mainly from smart metering and strong orders for multi utilities in industrial and commercial markets.

Much of Fulcrum’s growth came from expansion in smart metering activity, where its order book jumped £19m to around £30m.  This includes a five-year agreement with energy supplier E to manage its 320,000 UK meter points and exchange 80,000 points to smart meters.

Fulcrum has also continued to service the buoyant housing market where it is aiming to continue to increase its market share.

Projects secured in the first half of the year include a pair of contracts, with a combined value of nearly £6m, to deliver multi-utility infrastructure at a major new development in Fairham, Nottinghamshire.

As preferred utility partner the door is also open on the scheme to deliver multi-utility connections for the development’s 3,000 new homes in the future.

Within its Industrial & Commercial division, Fulcrum has secured delivery of high voltage electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure to power a commercial fleet, and a major £5.5m contract to design and install multi-utility infrastructure to support sustainable vegetable production at a large-scale greenhouse in Cambridgeshire.

Other Industrial & Commercial contracts included a £4.9m contract to design and install a high voltage electricity, water, and gas infrastructure for a major new innovative employment park, in the West Midlands, and a £1.6m project to deliver a 7km gas pipeline to help power a significant new sustainable cereal processing plant in Northamptonshire.

Terry Dugdale, CEO, said: “The positive progress we are making across all our core markets gives me confidence for the full year and beyond.

“I see significant opportunities for the business and so it is pleasing that the group continues to be increasingly better positioned to take advantage of the many and significant opportunities presented by the UK’s smart energy revolution and the utility infrastructure the UK needs for a net-zero future.”