Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/796215
NETWORK / 21 / MARCH 2017 WPD: Resilience investment in RiiO-eD1 flood waters to an equivalent standard to the emergency services (thus relieving pressure on those emergency services when they are in demand). The training includes the use of specialist equipment like our argocat all-terrain vehicles. Also, our fleet of five helicopters assists us and other DNOs in storm and flood conditions, and we have special dispensation to carry and deliver our contingency stock of high-volume mobile water pumps, supporting accessories and fuel, enabling us to bring specialist equipment into areas that are not accessible by normal ground transportation. Phil Swift, operations director, WPD For the year 2015/16, we spent over £55 million on network resilience designed to reduce the impact of severe weather on our network and improve supply reliability for customers. This investment includes continued focus on – and advancement of – our tree-clearance programme. We intend to clear 700km of overhead lines of trees every year during RIIO-ED1 to the more onerous resilience standard. This initiative reduces safety problems caused by trees and debris coming into contact with overhead lines, as well as network damage and power cuts. It has helped reduce customer power supply interruptions per unplanned HV incident across all four of our licence areas during the year, and helped us restore many customers quickly in very challenging conditions – as was the case during Storm Doris recently. Flood protection We have spent £23 million since 2011 protecting 122 sites identified as being at risk of flooding. We are committed to spending a further £14 million to protect a further 71 sites by 2023, but we aim to complete this work much sooner. As well as coastal and river flood protection schemes, our RIIO-ED1 programme also includes sites that have to be protected against ground water flooding, following guidance based on Environment Agency/Natural Resources Wales pluvial risk data. Site-specific surveys (which include factors such as substation ground levels, water sources and drainage) have been undertaken at sites deemed to be in pluvial risk zones, and the results of these surveys will be used to refine our protection programme for the remainder of RIIO-ED1. Interim measures have also been taken at substations, as necessary, such as flood alarms that identify rising flood waters, enabling us to deploy temporary flood protection until permanent protection is in place. Flood resources During floods, we possess a number of resources designed to protect our own network and to support other DNOs. We own seven flood response vehicles, which are modified former fire engines. Each contains high-volume water pumps and high-capacity hoses to remove water from affected areas. The vehicles contain floodgates, self-inflating sandbags and water-absorbent cushions. We also have mobile flood defence barriers, 800 metres in total, that can be transported and deployed to an area quickly. These are standard barriers that can be linked together and filled with water to create a defence. We provided one of the sets to SSE in 2014 to protect a bulk supply point in Slough and Osney. About 80 of our staff have had specialised training, enabling us to operate safely in