Utility Week

24 | AUGUST 2022 | UTILITY WEEK Electricity distribution Download report Tech innovation is key to protecting network assets DNOs believe a clear focus on innovation and rolling out technology ahead of RIIO-ED2 can help tackle rapidly escalating cyber and climate-related threats to asset resilience. S ince 2016, DNOs have spent in the region of £12 billion on reliability and resilience measures, according to the Energy Networks Association (ENA) – which forecasts that this outlay will increase by around 20% in the next five years subject to Ofgem approval. On top of this, given just 1% of annual infrastructure stock is new, the National Infrastructure Commission's chief execu- tive, James Heath, classed adaptation and resilience alongside economic growth, level- ling up and net zero as contemporary policy priorities. This charge is not lost on distribution net- works operators (DNOs). Christopher Bratt, director of asset man- agement at Scottish and Southern Electric- ity Networks (SSEN) says that the company's role in delivering a safe, reliable supply of electricity has never been more important. "We're planning for the expected three- fold increase in electricity demand that these technologies will bring and working to anticipate where and when new demand will emerge, while managing the anticipated impacts of climate change and cyber-attacks for our network," he says. Likewise, Mark Shaw, RIIO-ED2 deliv- ery manager at Western Power Distribution (WPD) recognises that there is an unprec- edented focus on network resilience and reliability. "For stakeholders, this remains a top pri- ority," he says. "While they want to see big changes by DNOs to enable them to achieve net zero decades ahead of UK and Welsh gov- ernment targets of 2050, they remain clear that network reliability must come first." Climate and cyber threats While Jonathan Booth, head of asset man- agement at Electricity North West (ENW), acknowledges that many resilience chal- lenges pre-date network price controls, their frequency and impact are intensifying due to a range of factors from climate change to cyber threat. The latest State of the UK Climate report – published annually to compare weather and climate trends to historical benchmarks – for example, states that the UK is becoming wet- ter and subject to more storms and extreme weather events. Findings revealed that 2011-20 was 9% wetter than 1961-1990, while Met Office fig- ures state that six of the ten wettest years on record have occurred since 1998. The ENA says asset management and electricity network resilience are becoming increasingly focused on mitigating the effects of climate change, which has also seen the 10 warmest years since 1884 all recorded since 2002 and none of the coldest years on record transpiring this century. Further Met Office data flags that only seven summers between 1961 and 2010 yielded temperatures of 34°C – whereas seven summers since 2010 have already hit that mark. One side-effect of such climes, according to SSEN's Bratt, is that higher tem- peratures affect soil structure, altering how it interacts with underground assets, and holds up against flooding in milder weather. "Networks have developed consider- able knowledge and experience through voluntary adaptation reporting cycles on the threats posed by changing weather pat- terns," the ENA's head of engineering Mark Dunk adds. Bratt summarises that climate change is creating "major new challenges" for net- works. "Our design standards for new sub- stations have also been revised to ensure resilience to flooding is built-in to the con- struction of upgrades and new substations." On top of this, according to ENW's Booth, the cyber threat facing networks has been brought into sharper focus by events such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with the ENA pledging that DNOs will continue to enhance their defences in order to protect networks, secure data, and keep the public safe during RIIO-2. "There's always been a vulnerability to cyber-attacks but the vast majority of that is low level and caught by relatively stand- ard security procedures," Booth says. "But the use of cyber-attack for malicious gain is potentially on the increase and a significant risk to us." WPD's Shaw adds that such measures have, and will continue to gain, increased significance as "huge volumes" of low car- bon technologies connect to the system, and networks are charged with both ensuring that capacity is available and that the grid is not overwhelmed. "To do so the network is becoming sig- nificantly smarter and more interconnected, which in turn introduces a heightened risk

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