Maintaining a safe and resilient network

Network Performance

Stakeholders continue to value network reliability as a top priority. In particular, keeping the lights on and providing quick restoration during power cuts is critical.

Stakeholders feel WPD service levels are currently very good, with the number of customers affected and duration of power cuts at their lowest ever levels. However, stakeholders have stated that WPD should seek continual improvement, aiming for further power cut reductions and reducing power cut duration.

Tree Management

Overhead lines carrying power can be a ected by the proximity of trees. To ensure the future resilience of the network, tree management is carried out to prevent the trees damaging the lines and causing power cuts. Stakeholders would like to see WPD carry out tree cutting only where absolutely necessary and in the most cost-effective way possible.

Flood Defences

Flooding can affect network assets and stakeholders want coordination and collaboration with the Environment Agency to share knowledge and get involved in scenario planning and strategy development.

Targeting Investment

Stakeholders recognise that investments need to be prioritised to get the greatest benefit. They support that WPD must maintain a data-driven approach, using high-quality asset data to make informed decisions.

Safe Networks

Stakeholders expect us to operate a safe network, so they would like us to continue our extensive programme of inspections, and maintenance to ensure equipment is safe and does not pose a hazard to customers.

WPD’s network is made up of a huge number of overhead lines, underground cable and substations, many of which were installed during the 1950s and 1960s. To ensure this equipment remains safe and effective, we carry out a programme to replace assets according to their condition. In addition, we identify safety issues and prevent faults through routine inspection and maintenance.

LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is a new innovation we are rolling out across our helicopter fleet to improve the accuracy and targeting our tree clearance activities. It is a remote sensing method that uses lasers to measure distance more accurately and quickly than if we despatched staff on the ground.

Network performance is measured primarily by Customers Interrupted (CIs) and Customer Minutes Lost (CMLs).

For RIIO-ED1, we proposed targets that were more ambitious than those put forward by Ofgem, and indeed, outperformed these targets across all four network areas.

An internal initiative called ‘Target 60’ measures the percentage of customers restored within one hour when a high voltage (HV) fault occurs. During RIIO-ED1, WPD pledged to achieve a Target 60 performance above 85% and successfully exceeded this aim. Since 2012/13, we have reduced the average duration of power cuts by 50%, with 40% less customers a ected by power cuts.

During severe weather, the network must withstand more extreme conditions. We therefore we carry out measures such as resilience tree clearance (of which we have already completed 65% of our RIIO-ED1 target) to prevent vegetation falling into and damaging network assets. We have also installed flood protection at 72 major substations to reduce the impact of flooding on consumer supplies.

Worst served customers are defined as those who experience 12 or more, higher voltage interruptions over a three year period, with a minimum of three in each year. In 2019/20, there were 6,870 worst served customers across the four WPD areas. 

You are currently completing package 2.1 regarding network resilience. 

Within the table there are 4 options to chose from, the highlighted panel, option 2 is WPD's current view. 

Please select one of the 4 options within the form for each commitment, if you feel there should be alternative commitments please select option 5 and then use the free text box to specify. There is also a free text box at the bottom of table for any further commitments.  

Enhancing Cyber Security

The risk of disruption due to hackers and the need for robust cyber protection has risen considerably in importance for stakeholders over the last three years. In particular stakeholders have flagged the importance of ensuring the continuity of electricity supplies and to protect customer data, with the latter raised as the higher priority of the two.

Stakeholders were clear that WPD should build maximum resilience to cyber-attacks, encouraging collaboration between companies to share best practice and stay ahead of hacking technology.

In particular, they asked for assurances that we would take the appropriate actions to mitigate and correct any identified network vulnerabilities, and create and maintain well-tested recovery plans. To identify threats, stakeholders want to see WPD collaborate and work with third party experts, including those in Government.

Disaster Recovery and Future Proofing

The impacts of cyber threats could be severe for customers. Therefore, stakeholders asked for a specific focus to be included on disaster recovery plans.

As the network becomes increasingly digitalised, new threats to cyber security will inevitably emerge. A priority for stakeholders is that WPD introduces mechanisms to keep pace with these changes and ensure continued resilience into the future. Stakeholders want to see planning that covers anticipated changes in future demand and structure as, for example, reliance on electricity in heat and transport becomes greater.

WPD uses IT systems for business processes and to control power flow on the network. These rely upon data being collected from around the network and therefore there is a telecommunications network operated by WPD to provide the communication between devices on site and control centres.

Due to the changing use of the electricity network by our customers, traditional boundaries between Information Technology (IT – e.g. corporate systems), Operational Technology (OT – e.g. communications between systems and physical assets) and customer-owned devices are also changing to become more interconnected.

This has led to an increase in the number of end-points (PCs, smart meters, Remote Terminal Units that WPD has to keep secure. While traditionally, we have taken data from 1,800 primary substation sites, in future we may need to take data from circa 200,000 distribution sites.

As reliance on IT and OT systems and technology has increased, so unfortunately has the volume and sophistication of cyber- attacks. Processes need to be in place to prevent e signi cant network disruption and data loss. Currently we block over 120,000 malicious e-mails per month.

During RIIO-ED2, the cyber security challenge will be to continue to replace and upgrade IT and OT systems and ensure that all future systems and technologies are designed and implemented with the relevant level of cyber security controls.

ou are currently completing package 2.2 regarding business IT security and cyber resilience. 

Within the table there are 4 options to chose from, the highlighted panel, option 2 is WPD's current view. 

Please select one of the 4 options within the form for each commitment, if you feel there should be alternative commitments please select option 5 and then use the free text box to specify. There is also a free text box at the bottom of table for any further commitments.  

Safety

Our engagement with stakeholders reinforced that maintaining a healthy, safe and motivated workforce is a critical priority. They want to see WPD continue to work collaboratively with stakeholders and legislators to co-develop and share the best possible health and safety practices.

Across the industry, communication has been identi ed as an issue and is particularly pertinent to ensuring the health and safety of our sta and customers. Addressing this is important to stakeholders, along with incident management, including debrief procedures, the provision of personal protective equipment

to sta in dangerous environments and up-to-date health and safety training.

Likewise, stakeholders insist that WPD must continue to
plan, install and maintain our existing assets to meet all legal obligations and ensure that they do not compromise health and safety. They would like WPD to extend existing health monitoring programmes and implement plans to minimise any areas
that impact on the health of our staff , such as mental health and the safety implications of connecting new and emerging technologies to the network.

Customer Safety

The safety of our customers is vital, and remains an enduring priority for stakeholders. They want to see us continue to use our profile and industry expertise to raise awareness of the dangers of electricity to members of the public.

The way we approach our outreach is very important to customers. They feel that communication to increase awareness about WPD and the dangers of electricity should start at an early age to promote the greatest possible understanding of electrical safety.

The hazards associated with operating the electricity network require strict controls to minimise the risks to those who work on it. The use of bespoke equipment must be complemented by appropriate information and training, which WPD is constantly looking to review and improve.

During RIIO-ED1, WPD has worked hard to maintain a safety performance which is among the best in the industry, leading the company to significantly outperform national workforce safety statistics.

The Labour Force Survey data shows that the national average incident rate for workplace industries is 1,830 per 100,000, compared with 732 per 100,000 employees at WPD in the last 12 months. Similarly, the national average for days lost per worker across all industries is 0.18, while at WPD, we recorded a much lower rate of 0.013.

In the current regulatory period we aimed to improve performance by 10%, but have exceeded our target with a reduction in accidents of nearly 63% to date.

WPD actively engages with staff on safety issues, carrying out a Safety Climate Survey in 2018 to understand the views of 1,800 employees and identify improvements.

The safety of members of the public is also of paramount importance. It is our aim that no-one involved with or affected by our activities comes to any harm. In RIIO-ED1 to date, we have distributed 540,000 ‘stay safe’ documents to members of the public, and provided electrical safety information to nearly 377,000 school children through a total of 15,840 educational sessions.

You are currently completing package 2.3 regarding safety. 

Within the table there are 4 options to chose from, the highlighted panel, option 2 is WPD's current view. 

Please select one of the 4 options within the form for each commitment, if you feel there should be alternative commitments please select option 5 and then use the free text box to specify. There is also a free text box at the bottom of table for any further commitments.  

Workforce Resilience

In terms of workforce resilience, a happy, healthy and motivated workforce where WPD is the employer of choice is the highest priority for stakeholders. They consider it especially important that employees feel appreciated in their jobs, and that WPD cultivates a culture of ‘belonging’ within its workforce.

To maintain the future resilience of our company and adapt to the changes that will result from the Net Zero transition, good planning is of critical importance for stakeholders, ensuring WPD anticipates future needs and remains well-resourced as an organisation. While they champion the personal development and retention of our employees, stakeholders have acknowledged that outside recruitment can provide a new perspective and a wider set of skills and experiences.

Diversity & Inclusion

As a traditional engineering employer, WPD is not as diverse as it could, or indeed should be. Stakeholders have recognised that there needs to be a conscious effort to reach a demographic outside the traditional white British male population, to diversify and increase the talent pool.

Stakeholders believe it is important for WPD to work with younger generations, offering a range of apprenticeship opportunities and promoting STEM (science, technology engineering, mathematics) subjects in schools.

They want to see diversity prioritised throughout recruitment, from apprenticeship schemes to senior management.

They have recommended ways to diversify WPD’s talent pool by establishing unbiased recruiting processes, for example as well as working with a range of charities and partner organisations and tackling barriers to entry to aid social mobility. Stakeholders also stated that WPD must ensure its company culture is inclusive and fosters equal opportunities, with equal pay for equal skill and closing the gender pay gap, as a minimum.

In 2019, WPD engaged with an external organisation (DNA) to assess our company culture and it’s suitability to future workforce resilience. DNA found: “a strong community culture... that has been nurtured by every employee over many years, lived, breathed and developed, not something handed down from upon high.”

WPD promotes careers in energy in schools and colleges, at community events and through our careers. We must also ensure that our culture and business style remain attractive to new and existing employees from all communities, through recognised accreditations and inclusive communications.

WPD engages with employees through an employee satisfaction survey every 18 months. Based on the feedback from our
most recent surveys, we have developed an action plan to be delivered in RIIO-ED2.

We have updated our Diversity, Inclusion and Equality, Safe-guarding and Anti-harassment policies and introduced the Respect Charter, confirming our commitment to a balanced and diverse workforce and our non-tolerance of discrimination and harassment in the workplace.

To remove unconscious bias in our recruitment process, we have introduced an online Applicant Tracking System (ATS), standardised our approach through a centralised recruitment team and reviewed the inclusive language of our job vacancy advertisements. We have appointed a Diversity Champion, established a number of networking groups and cultivated partnerships with numerous diversity-oriented organisations.

During RIIO-ED1, we began to collect data on the demographics of our workforce. Our most recent Gender Pay Gap (2019) was reported as 10.5%, however the number of female employees increased by 12% in RIIO-ED1. Similarly, the number of BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) employees in our workforce increased by 22 (however it is voluntary for staff to disclose this information so this figure may be higher).

You are currently completing package 2.4 regarding workforce resilience. 

Within the table there are 4 options to chose from, the highlighted panel, option 2 is WPD's current view. 

Please select one of the 4 options within the form for each commitment, if you feel there should be alternative commitments please select option 5 and then use the free text box to specify. There is also a free text box at the bottom of table for any further commitments.