Aliaxis is a client of Business Reporter.
With the forecast of regional droughts, there is a clear need to strengthen the resilience of the UK’s water infrastructure. Rich Pedley, Infrastructure Networks Segment Manager at Aliaxis UK, analyzes the challenges facing the water industry and how they can be overcome
Business Reporter – Aliaxis
With increasing environmental uncertainty caused by climate change, there is a clear and pressing need to prepare for its worst effects – namely those in the form of water scarcity. The situation is clear: water companies will need to increase investment to modernize an aging infrastructure, with tens of thousands of kilometers of leaking pipes needing replacement. The process has already begun, but it is a challenging logistical task.
When we look at the facts, it is not surprising that droughts occur in the UK, despite the country having more than its fair share of rainfall. According to Ofwat, the Water Services Regulatory Authority, the network in London and the Southeast is leaking 600 million liters of water per day – the equivalent of 270 Olympic swimming pools of water.
Droughts are a relatively common product of the UK’s climate, typically occurring every five to ten years. The summer of 2022 was one of the driest ever recorded in England and Wales, with an extended heatwave and below-average rainfall leading to a declared drought in eight regions during the month of August. By late last summer, daily river flows – a key metric of drought – were among the lowest levels ever recorded for some hydrographic basins in the South and East of England. Sometimes, the levels even exceeded those reached in previous record droughts, including those of 1976, 1995 and 2018.
However, the UK’s experience – like the rest of the world – is due to changing weather patterns, with some experts believing that droughts will become a more common feature of the British summer.
We are increasingly seeing failures in energy and water-related infrastructure in parts of industrial Britain. At the heart of this is an aging infrastructure legacy of old cast iron pipe systems – some more than 100 years old – requiring replacement.
Designed infrastructure is perhaps the most crucial aspect of water resilience and is the area over which water companies and public service providers have the most control. With water scarcity a growing concern for the UK, it is imperative that the infrastructure is in good working condition to protect against leaks.
One of the biggest burdens placed on water companies is that of sudden, unplanned maintenance projects that require urgent repairs. The additional expenses of repairs and pipe replacement take money away from other planned projects.
Regardless, the modernization of the UK’s water infrastructure clearly needs to be accelerated. This situation has resulted, in part, from a combination of underfunding and the effect of short-term CAPEX decisions. Opting for seemingly cost-effective solutions in terms of material acquisition at the beginning of a project can end up costing much more due to the need for higher levels of maintenance and repair.
Therefore, taking a long-term approach is the right solution – not looking at the immediate future and immediate CAPEX, but rather at a term of over 50 years for water pipe infrastructures. It is important to consider supporting design at the specification stage and ensuring that the products and services included in the system are created to last half a century or more.
In recent years, there has been a clear movement towards plastic rather than metallic pipes due to the numerous advantages they offer. These benefits include the material’s ease of installation, lightweight and flexible composition, its ability to withstand corrosion, reduced leaks, protection against all known contaminants, and minimal maintenance requirements.
Electrofusion
The way pipes are joined is as important as the material they are made of. With plastic pipes, the electrofusion process diffuses heat through the joining surfaces to create a homogenous, safe, and reliable welded joint, able to withstand the pressures observed in typical power networks.
The electrofusion joint using fittings made of high-quality polymers with low degradation rates is the obvious choice for water and gas installations, but it needs to be installed correctly for the benefits to be realized and to protect against unnecessary leaks. A lack of proper training, high labor turnover, and skill shortages can lead to poor installation.
The Aliaxis Solution
Aliaxis is committed to providing the highest quality electrofusion products and training to ensure maximum peace of mind throughout the system’s life cycle.
At the heart of our offering is our line of Frialen safety connections, a unique and high-quality electrofusion solution, precisely designed to meet installation challenges. We focus on the needs of the designer, installer, and asset owner, and that is why it is extremely important for us to provide dedicated technical support throughout the supply chain.
This includes personalized product training and a range of resources designed to provide contractors with the tools they need to get it right every time, including step-by-step installation guides, on-site technical support, and a dedicated e-learning platform for continuous training opportunities.
As the climate in the UK changes, it has never been so important to consider the central role we all play in strengthening the country’s water resilience.
To find out more about our Frialen electrofusion line, visit aliaxis.co.uk/potablewater.
About Aliaxis
Aliaxis is a global leader in fluid management solutions, providing innovative and sustainable solutions to address global water challenges and accelerate the transition to clean energy.
Operating in over 40 countries, Aliaxis employs over 14,000 people worldwide and provides piping and fitting solutions to meet the most demanding needs of the construction, infrastructure, industry, and agriculture sectors.
Aliaxis collaborates with its partners on projects from start to finish, sharing its wealth of industry experience to help solve problems in a safer, smarter, and more effective way. From this, Aliaxis strives to create reliable and sustainable fluid management solutions, complete performance, and total peace of mind.
