UK Power Networks (UKPN) has successfully led a trial for an automated roadworks planning tool which aims to cut connection times for customers.
The software, called 1Streetworks and developed by 1Spatial, was used in phase one of a trial and was able to reduce the hours surveyors spent on labour-intensive street works design plans from hours to just minute, said the distribution network operator (DNO).
The average time taken to connect new or altered power connections, for example, was reduced by 25% across 300 Surrey roadworks sites.
The technology will now be rolled out on a larger trial in Kent to test if it can be used to benefit customers served by other workstreams across UKPN.
A roadworks plan for a smaller power connection, overhead line or underground cable repair usually needs a surveyor to assess the site and take measurements, then plot signage on a Computer-Aided Design (CAD) system.
Once the user plots the location of the work on a map, the software automatically plans site-specific traffic management, taking into account the layers of maps with main roads, bus stops, lane rentals, and streetworks rules.
It should be noted that not all roadworks jobs can be planned using 1Streetworks, but the system could enable streetworks surveyors to concentrate on more complex jobs, like streetworks near roundabouts.
Paul Dooley, streetworks performance manager at UKPN, said: “Planning streetworks to the high standards we expect takes time, and few have tried to revolutionise the process during my 23 years in the sector. So, I am excited about the potential of 1Streetworks to streamline complex traffic management plans, enable better communication with customers and highway authorities and improve the speed and accuracy of streetworks plans.”
UKPN’s growth
This follows other exciting news for the DNO, including the announcement of the firm’s distribution system operator (DSO) launching a joint venture with power marketer EPEX SPOT to host its flexibility market.
The DSO aims to save customers £410 million by 2028 through utilising flexibility, a method by which it already made £60 million worth of savings in 2023.
As an independent DSO, UKPN has already awarded contracts for more than 1GW of flexibility, so the impact of EPEX SPOT’s trading capacity should significantly improve energy efficiency for UKPN.
