Flood risk assessment and review of climate change impacts for a number of gas utility assets in South West England and Wales.
The Situation
The core business at Wales & West Utilities is the safe and secure transportation of gas across their distribution network throughout Wales and the south west of England. With a gas network of more than 35,000 km of mains, gas is transported to the homes and businesses of two and a half million consumers across a geography covering one sixth of the United Kingdom, serving a population of more than seven million people.
Approach
Advisian was commissioned by Wales and West Utilities to undertake flood risk assessments and climate change impact analyses for a number of their operational sites as part of a wider study considering environmental liabilities and opportunities for remediation at those sites.
The objectives of the studies were to identify potential sources of flood risk and how these may change in severity over time due to climate change, and to design appropriate measures to mitigate those risks.
Advisian provided the following services:
- Liaison with statutory consultees on behalf of Wales and West Utilities
- Review of available flood, rainfall and climate change data
- Determination of the potential changes in design rainfall intensities as a result of climate change (UKCIP09 high emissions scenarios)
- Identification of potential sources of flood risk
- Detailed assessment of sources of medium and high flood risks
- Identification of appropriate flood risk mitigation measures
- Preparation of standalone flood risk assessment reports for each site
Results
Our consultancy services provided Wales and West Utilities with a clear understanding of the potential flood risk and climate change impacts at their sites, which enabled them to successfully plan and budget for the engineering measures required to mitigate the flood risk.
