Anglian Water’s Strategic Pipeline Alliance, along with their partners including Mott MacDonald Bentley (MMB), were announced as a finalist in the Digital Transformation category at the Utility Week Awards, held at Grosvenor Hotel in Mayfair.
The event was attended by UK water companies and other industry-leading utilities companies, with Anglian Water being announced as the winner of the flagship ‘Utility of the Year’ award.
MMB and the other Alliance Partners represented the Strategic Pipeline Alliance (SPA), one of the largest strategic water infrastructure projects in the UK. Taking a forward thinking and innovative approach, the ambitious project will create hundreds of kilometres of interconnecting mains and associated pumping equipment. The aim is to ensure the East Anglian region is resilient to the risk of drought by securing water supplies for future generations.
The purpose of the Digital Transformation award is to recognise ‘outstanding leadership, ambition and success among utilities in embracing digital opportunities to transform their businesses and deliver better outcomes for customers.’ The Strategic Pipeline Alliance’s submission focused on the use of Geospatial Digital Solutions (GIS) at the heart of all decision making, specifically showcasing how SPA is using the Project 13 Principles to deliver better outcomes. Project 13 is an industry-led initiative that supports an enterprise led approach to the delivery of the UK’s national infrastructure programme. Built on five core principles, of which digital transformation is one, the approach prioritises customers and focuses on long-term social and economic value.
GIS is a key component in the development of a Digital Twin for SPA, part of Anglian Water’s wider digital transformation plans. The Digital Twin will assist with asset management and connectivity, unlocking value by enabling improved insights that support better decisions.
The Alliance’s use of GIS and Land Management technology (both powered by Moata) offers an innovative way of approaching land access for surveys, improving customer and client relationships. On the SPA project, so far over 10,000 surveys have been facilitated.
Following the event, MMB’s Jon Gray, Design Manager working on the SPA project, commented:
“We were very pleased to receive this high-level recognition at one of the utility industry’s biggest awards evenings. Our digital transformation strategy forms a core part of the successful delivery of SPA, showcasing the potential of this technology to the wider sector and delivering better outcomes for Anglian Water’s customers. Well done to all involved in the project.”
Read more about our work on SPA in our latest Annual Review.
