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ENERGY SYSTEM natural hazards have become heightened in recent years with the potential impacts of climate change on the environment. The impact of climate change is likely to drive alterations in the way that energy is used. Climate change is also expected to influence the frequency and intensity of natural hazards which could impact the production and distribution of energy. Major shi• s in the UK energy system are expected to oc- cur soon, with pre-existing energy infrastructure reaching end of life. Future infrastructure design is being driven by economics, innovation and social accept- ability. These changes mean that a shared understanding of the risks and impacts climate change can have on natural hazards is crucial. It is essential that the UK en- ergy system changes to not only become more resilient, but also to deliver decarbonisation and e€ ciency improvements. Indeed, it is expected that the country's existing energy infrastructure will be completely overhauled or replaced by 2050 as it continues to evolve to take advantage of new technologies and innova- tions that could provide cleaner and green energy solutions. This will likely have a greater reliance on system integration and com- puting technology. As it evolves, it is crucial that the UK's energy infrastructure meets future needs with adequate resilience to the impact of natural hazards. Planning and design The process of characterisa- tion of natural hazards can be used within safety analysis and operation of di‡ erent infrastruc- ture. More speciˆ cally, it can be focused on the initial planning, design and build of infrastruc- ture and adaptation over time to account for new hazards and the e‡ ects of climate change. During the initial planning, design and build of any infrastructure it is important to characterise the impact that natural hazards may have on safety and operations. Decisions need to be made as to what level of protection is NETWORK / 20 / APRIL 2019 going to be provided against natural hazards and whether there are any hazards that can be screened out, for being either very unlikely to occur, or very unlikely to impact upon the infrastructure under considera- tion. A rigorous characterisation of natural hazards ensures that these decisions are robust and provide the level of protection that they should. This will depend on the asset, its vulnerability to the natural hazard, and the rarity of the natu- ral hazard under consideration. Further to these considerations, the potential for future adapta- tion also needs to be taken into account should the magnitude of the frequency of the natural hazard alter, such as increasing sea levels leading to a higher probability of coastal Š ooding. Natural hazard characterisa- tion is not only important for new build infrastructure projects. Existing energy infrastructure assets also require approaches for natural hazard characterisation to ensure that they are robust to any weather disasters that may strike. However, they pose a slightly di‡ erent challenge as many of these projects were built using earlier techniques for characteris- ing natural hazards that have since been supplanted. Many of these did not take climate change into consideration. As such, the process of periodic safety review is especially important for ageing infrastructure. Resilience is the capability to recover quickly from difficulties. The UK energy infrastructure, as it transitions to a low carbon, efficient and integrated system, needs to maintain this capability central to its development. Under- standing, characterising and mitigating the impacts of natural hazards are more important than ever to enable resilient UK energy infrastructure that is ˆ t for the future. Find out more about the research provided by Mott MacDonald, The Met Offi ce and EDF Energy, here: https://www.icheme.org/knowl- edge/natural-hazards/ This year's Utility Week Live conference sees the unveiling of the gas network industry's fl agship stand – the fi rst ever Gas Innovation Showcase (GIS). With customers at the heart of the innovations being displayed and discussed, it promises to excite and engage a wide audience. The showcase will bring together the fi ve UK gas distribution and transmission networks – Cadent, National Grid Gas Transmission, Northern Gas Networks, SGN, and Wales & West Utilities – and the industry's trade association, the Energy Networks Association (ENA). Traditionally the gas networks have attended the Low Carbon Networks and Innovation (LCNI) conference, but this year things are changing – where the 2019 LCNI conference will focus on electricity, the gas networks are launching this exciting new showcase. Throughout the two-day event you can learn more about the opportunities and challenges faced by the gas networks. All innovations, updates and effi ciencies are made with the people who will eventually use the gas in mind – both today and tomorrow. You can meet a variety of industry experts from each network and see these latest developments in innovation at Stand F2. Why not join the series of talks happening throughout the day? You can read the overall Gas Network Innovation Strategy on the ENA's website. If you have any questions, please come and meet us at Utility Week Live 21-22 May 2019. If you can't make it, then get in touch at gas@ energynetworks.org I N D U S T RY I N S I G H T Presenting a united front