From strong foundations to bold horizons: the Empower story

A BMD Group business, Empower was established in 1987, founded to provide clients with trusted engineering design services and a design and construct (D&C) capability.

The business began in land development, delivering a 200-lot subdivision under a D&C contract, and has since grown to deliver land development projects from 50 lots to 8000 lots for both private and public sector clients.

Over the years, Empower expanded alongside BMD into sectors including transport, resources and energy, with a recent focus on clean energy projects. Its fully integrated internal design capability provides BMD with a key point of difference, while collaboration with external consultants ensures successful delivery of projects of all scales. Empower’s construction heritage enables early contractor engagement, resulting in constructible solutions, and a flexible, collaborative approach delivers whole-of-project outcomes.

In 2023, Empower expanded into the United Kingdom with the acquisition of TUSP, forming a specialist advisory business unit engaged in some of the UK’s most significant infrastructure projects. These include nuclear-regulated energy and defence projects of national significance, such as Sizewell C, Hinkley Point C and Devonport Dockyards, as well as transport and water projects like High Speed 2 rail and Fens and Lincoln Reservoirs, the first of its kind to be built in the UK in a generation.

Empower’s Learn and Return program is giving Australian early- and mid-career professionals the chance to live and work in the UK for up to three years. This not only embeds valuable skills in the UK market but also enables teams to gain critical expertise in nuclear and defence industries, with skills that will become essential in Australia as AUKUS projects progress. In 2025, the advisory business unit began operations in Australia to further support growth and address anticipated skills shortages.

Looking ahead, Empower continues to deliver a strong pipeline of work aligned with the BMD Group’s Towards 2032 Strategy, delivering infrastructure outcomes that power futures and create enduring legacies.