Utility Week

28 | MAY 2022 | UTILITY WEEK Pan-utility Download report Build back bigger with better data A new Utility Week report, produced in association with Ordnance Survey, explores how utilities are embracing new technology and ways of working to improve the efficiency of infrastructure projects. M uch of the infrastructure that forms the backbone of the UK water indus- try is over 100 years old, and while other elements are obviously newer, the last round of major water infrastructure projects in the UK was finalised in the 1980s. In the subsequent 40 years the water situ- ation in the UK has drastically changed due to population growth and climate change, which is resulting in excess water in some areas, and a shortage in others. These problems can be solved only by investing in new infrastructure, and this means water companies face under taking new physical infrastructure projects for the first time in a generation. New water supplies equivalent to the water consumed by over nine million people will be needed by the mid-2030s, so time is not on their side. Helpfully, water companies will be able to take advantage of new ways of working, new training methods and collaboration across the sector in project delivery over the past 40 years to complete these new projects on time and on budget. In a new report commissioned by Util- ity Week and Ordnance Survey, Eradicating Delays and Friction: Transforming Project Delivery with Better Data, researchers talked to water and energy companies to glean insights into how technology can be a game- changer in delivering big projects. The challenge of delivering infrastructure projects The Water Resources National Framework is clear that urgent action must be taken to ensure many areas of England don't face water shortages by 2050. This includes devel- oping new supplies such as reservoirs and desalination plants, and new schemes to move water to where it is most needed. Water companies can look to Portsmouth Water to learn how best to approach these projects, because it has already embarked on constructing the first water storage reservoir to be built in 40 years. Similarly, Anglian Water has already begun a project to build 500km of new pipe- line – and has seized the opportunity to test new ways of managing infrastructure pro- jects to create project efficiencies. The Thames Tideway project has also tested out the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and a digital first approach to overcome many of the common challenges of infrastructure projects on this scale. These include sourcing reliable data on which to build the project and collaborating with contractors.

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