Utility Week

36 | MAY 2022 | UTILITY WEEK Analysis New Victorians laying the foundations for smart cities Amid the clamour for smarter cities and a green industrial revolution, we showcase five modern utility projects that aim to match the durability and ambition of those laid by Victorians more than a century ago. W hat's the difference between Vic- torian infrastructure and a smart city? Not much, according to Karl Drage, director of strategic business devel- opment at Kensa Engineering. "The core to smart cities of the future is data-driven util- ity services, and although 'smart' sounds very sophisticated, it relies on a foundational structure of pipes in the ground," he tells Utility Week Innovate. Drage says that while interconnected energy use, heat, transport, power and unlocking the benefits of both data and flex- ibility are "the very definition" of today's smart cities, they are built on innovations not dissimilar to those forged by the likes of Britain's great engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In celebration of the ingenuity of today's Brunels, and to mark Utility Week Live tak- ing place this month (see p26), Utility Week Innovate showcases our top five projects pairing cutting-edge technology with Victo- rian scale and longevity to create the founda- tions of tomorrow's smart cities. National Grid's Power Tunnels Some 180 years aŽer the world's first under- river tunnel – designed by Brunel – opened, utility firms have subterranean innovation down to a fine art. In spring 2020, for example, National Grid embarked on a seven-year, £1 billion project, to rewire south London using tunnels 30m below ground to keep the residents of seven boroughs connected to safe and reliable electricity. Totalling 32.5km in length, and 3m in diameter, these "Power Tunnels" have a lifespan of more than a century – although the high-voltage cables they carry will need to be replaced sooner and additional cables added to meet future demand and facilitate city-wide, whole systems growth. "The tunnels are capable of transmitting electricity to power the equivalent of half a million kettles simultaneously." National Grid project director, Gareth Burden, explains. "By scaling up our infrastructure now, future demands can be met for tomor- row, such as increasing the capacity to pro- vide the charging infrastructure required to make the shiŽ to electric vehicles." The project, due to complete and be fully operational in 2027, follows the successful completion of phase one in 2018, a similar scheme to build 32km of tunnels and two substations beneath north London and the first major investment in the capital's elec- tricity transmission system since the 1960s. The Thames Tideway 'Super Sewer' London's Victorian sewers were designed to serve four million people, according to Thames Tideway, which calculates that now more than double that number – some nine Photo: UKPN

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