British energy companies OVO Energy and SSE Energy Services today announced plans to cut 2,600 jobs, more than one-tenth of their total workforce, as the Covid-19 pandemic accelerates a transition to more streamlined operating practices in the power sector.

OVO noted that the redundancies have been in place since September last year, when OVO acquired SSE in a $500m merger, and planned to cut jobs related to physical energy infrastructure as demand for these services falls. The company noted that since the lockdown began in the UK, the country has seen a 69% drop in engineering works carried out at home and a 92% reduction in smart meter installations.

Read more about OVO’s redundancies amid the pandemic here.