Project summary

We’ve developed an automated severe weather alert tool that’s helping us protect vulnerable assets at risk from extreme weather events. It’s also helping us better react to threats when they emerge.  

Developed though our Environmental Risk and Assurance (ERA) project, the proof-of-concept tool is providing us with a valuable stream of weather-related data. We’re initially focusing on flooding risks – using the tool to pinpoint where and when network assets could be at risk from flooding and erosion, so we can decide how to manage an emergency. It will play an important role in helping us maintain uninterrupted electricity supplies.

Background

Extreme weather events including severe storms, flooding and erosion are becoming more frequent. They pose a threat to vulnerable assets on our network, such as substations and overhead lines, bringing potential disruption to electricity supply.

Until recently, we relied on general weather alerts that needed to be interpreted and categorised by human specialists. This was a time-consuming and complex process, so we wanted to find a more reliable and effective way to manage and predict the ever-growing complexity of climatic environmental risks.

Through our Environmental Risk and Assurance (ERA) project, we’ve developed a proof of concept  automated weather alert tool with a dashboard that can provide an early warning system for imminent flooding risk.
Collaboration

We worked with three external partners (Frazer-Nash Consultancy Limited, University of Liverpool and Previsico Limited) to create a bespoke modelling and impact assessment tool.

This tool can predict specific points on the network at risk of flooding five to seven days ahead of time. It also provides us with long-term erosion forecasts for the next 30 years and beyond.

How it works 

Our new modelling tool uses data from the Environmental Agency, the Flood Forecasting Centre, Natural Resources Wales and Previsico’s surface water flood risk forecasts – all coupled with Previsico’s radar-based sensors at high flood-risk sites. The sensors allow remote monitoring of the sites, while providing a real-time threat assessment of environmental flooding risk.

It’s the first time all these flood gauge sources have been brought together to provide a single dashboard providing an overview of flood and erosion risk to sites on our network.

Each site has a ‘trigger point’, where we’ll take action depending on water proximity and its depth.

Through our pilot project, we installed 55 flood sensors on vulnerable assets across 35 sites on our network. Our Transmission Network Control Centre (TNCC) is also using the tool, so engineers can monitor and intervene if severe flooding events threaten to affect at-risk substations.

Moving to business-as-usual

Following the successful testing of the tool and sensors, we’re working with Previsico to install some 700 additional sensors and cameras at around 200 flood risk sites. We’re placing cameras on some of the sensors at each site, so we avoid false alerts resulting from snow accumulation and vegetation growth.

As part of a separate erosion project, we’re also planning to install salinity arrays at 50 coastal locations, so we can monitor coastal erosion data. This will help us better understand risks to these sites, and plan maintenance schedules.

During the RIIO-T3 price control, we plan to further develop the proof-of-concept tool and increase the types of severe weather the tool monitors.

Benefits for energy consumers

We’ve estimated that the increasing frequency and scale of extreme weather events poses a risk of damage at vulnerable sites that could cost up to £6 million to repair. 

Our new weather alert tool and the valuable data it’s giving us will reduce the need for site callouts during flooding risk periods. This means we can avoid unnecessary expenditure, as well as the need for our employees to travel into at-risk areas.

Ultimately, we’ll be able to reduce damage to our assets, spend less time on repairs, reduce operational costs and boost the resilience of our network. 

Douglas Dodds, Flood Management & Climate Change Engineer:

We all recognise that severe weather events are happening more often. Our new automated weather alert tool will help us to protect vulnerable assets and keep power flowing to customers.