innovation as a necessity in the uk water sector
DESCRIPTION
A summary of the challenges and options that lie ahead for UK water utilities in the AMP 6 regulatory cycleTRANSCRIPT
Innovation as a Necessity An Introduction to TrunkMinder
“Service Delivery” Open Innovation Event
11th October, 2012
• Northumbrian Water Group undoubtedly takes its performance seriously
• NW does so • not just as regards OFWAT • but as part of its broader community
pursuing best practice internally and externally
• It is also important to acknowledge the “headaches” of operating a water system simply on a day to day basis • the bursts • the OFWAT queries and consultations • the local press and radio asking for
comments when things have gone awry
• But a broader picture that will potentially transform the operation of utilities in the UK and with innovation at its core
• The audience is already familiar with how the water sector currently works • OFWAT has itself acknowledged
the current CapEx bias • Detailed OFWAT targets have
also undoubtedly dominated much of utility activity to date
• and all against a background, until recently, of economic growth and debt-financed capital structuring
• But the context is changing and potentially significantly
• Whilst important in the long-term the change is not just about smart network management and data-led automisation which is some way down the road
• Instead the change is more immediate • TotEx in place of CapEx • broader outcomes in place of detailed
outputs • outperformers keeping the benefits
• Unfortunately this is against a backdrop of economic frailty not just in the short term but at least the medium term too
• The current backdrop is also one • where OFWAT has been
criticised earlier in the year over leakage, criticism that is likely to get passed on to you in the course of the AMP6 process
• where those who hope to respond simply with a “well we’ll replace all the pipes then” are likely to get pretty short shrift
• As ever, the key issue will be the financials • but not in a “spend to improve
infrastructure” kind of way that has applied before
• instead in a “you’ve got to do more with less…you’ve got to be smarter” kind of way
Option 1 – Business as Usual • As a result, water utilities have a choice • They can carry on as they are, continuing with
• current pain points • having only limited knowledge of what is going on on their trunk
main network • paying compensation for bursts and having their brand undermined • having employees and contractors out in the roads running manual
inspections and repairing and replacing cheap kit with all the health and safety risks that go with that
• with making the same old submissions to OFWAT, and have them rejected as not reflecting the new realities
Trunk Main Option 1 – Business As Usual
Option 2 – Outperforming • Or utilities can position themselves for the future as outperformers
• working on credible regulatory plans that reflect the diminishing scope for CapEx
• lessening the disruption and costs of bursts by repairing leaks before they become bursts
• applying automation to know real time what is happening on their critical mains
• having a single supplier providing four points of critical information rather than four suppliers each providing one each
• using resilient technology • to reduce health and safety exposure • that allows reports and data to be gathered and viewed not in a Day-Glo jacket in the
middle of the road but when • it is needed • before customers know about it • from wherever the utility operator happens to be
Trunk Main Option 2 - Permanent Monitoring
TrunkMinder • Because that is what Syrinix’s TrunkMinder
provides • 150 being deployed across London • Providing real time information • Allowing leaks to be located on trunk mains within 1 metre and
repaired before bursts occur • Automatically monitoring utility strategic networks every second of
every day • Guarding critical pipes with a web-based configurable interface • Guarding critical brands • With a sub-3 year payback
• Whilst swimming in a river, the overall direction can seem unclear
• But viewed from above, the direction in which the UK water sector is heading, with AMP6 preparations well underway, is very clear indeed and that is • towards spending less to do more • towards acting on an informed basis • towards innovation at the core of your
activities • Syrinix’s aim with TrunkMinder
is to work very much with water utilities as they adapt to those trends and continue as the leading company that they are