Disruption to national infrastructure is generally expected from time to time, but the last few months have seen a notable increase in the scale and frequency of high-profile incidents, all due to power failures. A fire at one of the substations supplying power to Heathrow Airport brought the entire operation to a halt. Blackouts swept across Spain, Portugal and parts of France. And more recently sections of the London Underground were brought to a standstill. These disruptions shouldn’t be treated as “one-off” events, but warnings against how vulnerable our infrastructure really is to single points of failure.
Mark Coates is vice president, infrastructure policy advancement at Bentley Systems
Each incident offers an example of national infrastructure overlooking key risks during the planning phase. To avoid widespread disruption like we’ve seen, a “measure twice, cut once” approach is needed to ensure infrastructure can serve its intended purpose and provide long-term value. With infrastructure projects vital to advancing the UK economy, ensuring resilience is integrated from the outset has never been more important.
Learning from past events
The Heathrow fire was the first of these events to make the headlines. Airport authorities cancelled all flights for a day and 200,000 passengers were left stranded. Then came a major blackout across parts of Europe, where the cause of the incident remains unknown after weeks of investigation. Separately, following the London Underground substation fire, watchdog London TravelWatch (LTW) accused Transport for London (TfL) of providing a “disappointing” lack of information during its power outage.
But what all these incidents have in common is that they act as clear examples of the need for accurate information on existing assets and the complexity of managing infrastructure resilience in the modern day.
Critical decisions need to be made quickly, under pressure, often with limited information. In Heathrow’s case, the decision to close the airport for a day was clearly taken with safety as the priority. But incidents like this often trigger intense investigations and accusations, so any decision must be backed by conclusive evidence. In an ideal world, national infrastructure would run without disruption, but when issues do arise, having this information on hand is imperative. Ultimately, understanding the risks long before emergencies arise ensures these types of decisions can be made with greater clarity.
But how can this be achieved in practice?
Laying the groundwork
To future-proof infrastructure, data – such as maintenance records and incident reports – needs to be accurate to understand every risk. Without reliable data, it’s impossible to predict how assets will perform in real-world conditions such as high-demand situations or extreme weather events. Whether it’s identifying high-risk areas or diagnosing underperforming components, accurate data provides regulators with a clear understanding of how infrastructure performs under any scenario.
Once accurate data is in place, it creates the platform needed for digital twins to simulate real-world conditions for effective resilience planning. Understandably, a full-scale digital twin of an airport like Heathrow might not be able to pinpoint a single point of failure, but more targeted models that focus on critical infrastructure, like power infrastructure, can flag vulnerabilities before they escalate into bigger issues. Digital twins also enable weak points to be identified, such as systems prone to being overwhelmed and areas at risk of failure before a shovel hits the ground. A proactive approach enables regulators to take measures to address these issues before they escalate into major crises.
Preparing for the unexpected
However, building resilience into infrastructure requires more than integration from the outset. It demands clear guidelines that outline how resilience should be measured once a project is built. Whether from the government, regulators or other industry bodies, specific criteria must be set so resilience can be consistently defined and measured. Among these criteria are developing frameworks to assess risks and identify vulnerabilities and oversight committees to ensure standards are met.
Digital twins can help meet resilience criteria by enabling continuous testing and refinement once a project is constructed. With access to real-time data, these models evolve alongside changing conditions, helping operators assess how infrastructure will perform under changing conditions such as extreme weather and unforeseen events. Over time, the insight gained can predict potential failures and areas that need to be repaired, allowing operators to schedule proactive maintenance to optimise infrastructure performance and longevity.
Built to last
The widespread disruption at Heathrow, the London Underground and parts of Europe are all reminders of the importance of integrating resilience into national infrastructure. With the UK Government investing in projects such as the expansion of Gatwick Airport and the construction of Sizewell C, the time has now come to rethink how major infrastructure is planned and delivered. A digital-first approach that considers every possible risk throughout the infrastructure lifecycle, supported by conclusive evidence, will be pivotal. Ultimately, embedding resilience at the core of all planning and decision-making processes will ensure national infrastructure can stand the test of time and deliver long-term value.
Source: civilengineer
