Sustainability risk management of renewable energy projects in the UK

Renewable energy stands at the forefront of global and national policy agendas because of the immediate need to combat climate change while achieving sustainable development. The UK has made significant advancements in renewable energy expansion yet faces substantial obstacles to achieving project delivery with sustainability and long-term value creation. This research investigates the intricate relationships between sustainability risk management and resource-based strategies and circular economy principles in UK renewable energy projects by studying solar, wind, tidal/wave and hydro sectors. The current literature separates risk management from sustainability and resource strategies, which leads to fragmented knowledge that does not provide sufficient guidance for practitioners. The study implements a pragmatic mixed-methods research design which combines qualitative interviews with UK project managers and the development and application of a new psychometric tool for validation. The study uses the Resource-Based View (RBV) framework to place organisational capabilities and resource alignment as essential elements for sustainable project delivery. The qualitative research stage applied thematic analysis to discover eleven essential themes that revealed sustainability risk management barriers and enablers across the sector. The qualitative findings from the study directly shaped the development of a psychometric measurement tool which underwent thorough psychometric validation through principal component analysis and reliability testing. The four-factor model, which includes sustainability governance, circular economy, resource management, risk strategy, and regulatory and financial uncertainty, was operationalised through a survey of renewable energy professionals across the nation. The validated structure serves as the foundation for the thesis, which uses 4 predictive modelling to study the relationship between organisational capabilities and perceived risk mitigation of social, environmental and economic risks. The research demonstrates that sustainable results from renewable energy technologies require strategic internal capabilities together with effective leadership and adaptive resource management. The analysis demonstrates that circular economy principles remain inconsistently implemented while policy instability and short-term financial pressures continue to block long-term sustainability performance. The thesis presents an empirically validated framework which provides practical tools for sustainability risk assessment and management, thus contributing to academic theory and professional practice. The research provides practical recommendations to policymakers and project practitioners who want to establish sustainability, value creation and resilience in the UK renewable energy sector.