New standards can help ensure more resilient infrastructure, says NIC

A new report from the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) says that new standards are needed to help ensure vital infrastructure in the UK remains resilient.

'Anticipate, React, Recover: Resilient infrastructure systems' sets out a framework to support change across infrastructure sectors. It calls for clear resilience standards for infrastructure operators, as well as stress tests overseen by regulators similar to those used in the financial sector. It also argues that operators should be required to develop and maintain long-term resilience strategies. Together, it says, these steps will ensure the country's infrastructure can better resist, absorb and recover from shocks.

Based on research undertaken before the COVID-19 pandemic, the report focuses on previous disruptions and failures and the response of the UK's energy, water, digital, road and rail infrastructure. It draws on examples including the widescale power outage of August 2019 and the various flooding incidents experienced in the UK over recent years.

The Commission goes on to warn that the UK's 'generally robust historic resilience' may be challenged in the future by factors that cannot be foreseen, alongside better understood challenges like climate change.

Acknowledging the recent pressures placed on infrastructure operators, Sir John Armitt, Chair of the NIC, said: 'The Commission pays tribute to all those who are helping to minimize the impact to infrastructure during this period, often at significant personal risk.

'While this report draws on evidence collected before the pandemic, this study can inform thinking about the recovery and help ensure that we can be resilient to future challenges.

'To safeguard the systems our communities rely on, everyone involved in running infrastructure needs to anticipate and prepare for potential future challenges. The framework proposed in our report offers the tools to face uncomfortable truths, value resilience properly, test for vulnerabilities and drive adaptation before it is too late.'

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