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SI12 challenge

SI12 Challenge project

We're rethinking water main replacement by enabling smarter, less disruptive in-pipe solutions that cut time, cost, and community impact. 

Project highlights

This project explores the potential to extend allowable water supply interruptions from 3 to 12 hours, enabling the use of innovative in-pipe replacement methods and reducing reliance on disruptive open-cut works.

It aims to deliver faster, lower-impact, and more cost-effective infrastructure upgrades while improving outcomes for customers and communities. 

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Ofwat project funding

£150,000

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Collaboration

We're working with four partner water companies

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Project status

Due to completed by end of January 2030

Challenge: Extending planned water supply outages to reduce overall customer impact 

Water companies must currently perform any planned maintenance within a 3-hour period. This limits the time that our customers will be without a water supply during the day but can extend the overall duration of any planned maintenance across multiple days and limit the use of innovative maintenance methods.

Solution: Rethinking service interruptions

The project will engage closely with customers to understand their needs and explore the benefits of longer water interruptions that lead to a shorter overall period of disruption, enabled by innovative technologies that reduce noise and emissions. 

How the project works

We will work closely with our customers to explore new approaches to service interruptions. This will include working to understand what acceptable levels of interruption could be, and which new technologies that enables. During the project we’ll closely monitor customer satisfaction, efficiencies, and environmental factors such as emissions, noise reduced.

The project will run real-world field trials comparing current open-cut methods with in-pipe alternatives under extended supply interruptions. We'll capture both performance data and customer feedback to evidence benefits and support potential future regulatory approval. 

Timeline and collaboration

The £150,000 project funded by Ofwat is expected to take 40 months. We aim to complete the project by end of January 2030.   

We're collaborating on this project with:

  • Yorkshire Water
  • United Utilities Water Limited
  • South West Water Limited
  • Sutton and East Surrey Water PLC
  • Stantec UK LTD