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How do we modernize power grids at scale?
Meet Prakash Dey. Prakash works with utilities and infrastructure leaders to transform complex transmission networks across the U.K., Europe and the Middle East.
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Across the globe, power systems are being pushed to do more than ever before. Aging assets need replacement. Gigawatts of renewables must connect at speed. Regulators expect resilience, reliability and value all at once. Utilities are being asked to modernize entire networks while controlling costs and maintaining security of supply.
Modernizing power grids isn’t about upgrading one substation at a time. It requires coordinated programs that bring engineering standards, digital workflows and delivery models together — across hundreds of assets and stakeholders — with consistency and certainty.
With deep experience across alliance frameworks, Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) delivery, and Owner’s Engineer roles, Prakash leads multi-year transmission and distribution (T&D) programs spanning grid reinforcement, asset replacement, High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) corridors, and digital substations. He has advised on regulated portfolios involving hundreds of substations and reinforcement assets, ensuring technical consistency and delivery discipline across countries and regulatory environments.
“Modernizing power grids at scale means standardizing how we design, digitizing how we deliver, and strengthening the technical capability behind every asset – so entire networks evolve, not just individual projects.”
Prakash Dey
Get to know Prakash
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37 +
years experience delivering T&D infrastructure across the U.K., Europe, Middle East, and Asia
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£ 10 bn+
Combined capital value of transmission programs he’s supported across his career
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10
years competitive cricket in Essex with Boxted Cricket Club, reflecting his commitment to teamwork and community engagement
A defining part of his approach is Jacobs’ Digital for Design & Build (D4D&B) operating model. Instead of designing substations, cables and protection systems in isolation, D4D&B connects them in a shared, data-centric delivery environment. That means fewer surprises in construction, faster approvals and more predictable outcomes for utilities delivering complex capital programs.
Under Prakash’s leadership, teams use digital production methods to create integrated, build-ready models that accelerate approvals, reduce schedule risk and support repeatable delivery across large asset groups. Recently, his team supported a nationally critical program in the U.K. to reinforce key north-south power corridors and enable long-term energy targets.
The program scale was significant:
- 25‑bay 400 kilovolt and 132 kilovolt SF₆‑free GIS (gas insulated switchgear) substations
- Six 400/132 kilovolt SGTs (substation grid supply transformers), reactive compensation and STATCOM (Static Synchronous Compensator) integration, which maintain voltage stability
- More than 20 licensed and unlicensed cable circuits
- Complex AIS–GIS interfaces and rationalization of existing 275 kilovolt infrastructure
Through digitally enabled delivery, the program reduced construction costs, improved multi-stakeholder coordination, accelerated approvals and lowered design risk. More importantly, it demonstrated how entire networks — not just individual sites — can be modernized with greater predictability and control.
Across regions, priorities differ — but the challenge is shared. In the U.K. and Europe, that means aligning regulated capital programs with ambitious decarbonization targets. In the Middle East, it means modernizing rapidly expanding grids to support national growth strategies and energy security.
Beyond project delivery, Prakash contributes to advancing the industry itself through leadership and professional development, including:
- 10 consecutive years attending the CIGRE Paris Sessions, contributing to international knowledge exchange
- Volunteer service on the Institution of Engineering & Technology (IET) Fellowship selection panel, helping shape professional standards and recognize engineering leadership
As a Fellow of the IET, Prakash combines technical depth in high-voltage systems with strategic oversight of program-scale delivery. His focus is clear: build resilient, digitally enabled transmission networks that enable large-scale decarbonization, strengthen energy security and support long-term system growth.
Because modernizing the grid isn’t just about infrastructure — it’s about powering what’s next.
About the interviewee
With nearly 40 years of experience, Prakash Dey leads Jacobs’ Transmission & Distribution market across the U.K., Europe and Middle East. A specialist in high-voltage substations and HVDC infrastructure, he helps utilities modernize power grids through digitally enabled delivery and program-scale engineering.
Prakash brings a systems approach to modernizing transmission networks. He works closely with clients to standardize engineering approaches, integrate digital delivery and improve the predictability of large capital programs spanning hundreds of assets. A Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (FIET), Prakash combines technical leadership with strategic oversight to help utilities deliver resilient, digitally enabled grids that connect renewable energy and support the evolving needs of modern power systems.
