The energy network transition will require more agile, flexible and interconnected networks underpinned by reliable communications networks in particular where services for protection and control are concerned. Operational fibre optic networks are reaching an age where some of the equipment is starting to fail whilst other parts of the network are intact and may be able to provide significant further service life. This project will examine enhanced optical sensing methods to detect and track the ageing process of fibre optic cables and associated fittings with the aim of providing accurate health information and the capability to forecast failures. The research will include new optical sensing methods as well as new algorithms to interpret the data and correlate to other data sources.

Benefits

The fibre health monitoring project will deliver benefits to consumers via two value levers. The first lever concerns the avoidance of in-service failures. Based on recent events and asset data from the last 27 years, fibre optic cables tend to fail at a given rate which is likely to increase with age. On average an in-service failure will lead to service depletions and causes constraint costs to consumers as well as repair costs. On average such an event will cost £500k and the probability of such an event occurring will increase with asset age until the asset is replaced and the likelihood of failure is reset.

The second value lever concerns extended lifetime of fibre optic assets. By monitoring asset health the average useful lifetime of fibre optic cables can be raised from 40 years to 45 years. Delaying replacements and only replacing the assets that have got a high likelihood of failure will provide significant savings.

If successful, it is assumed that the new sensing technology could be available on the market within the next 2 to 3 years. The cost of a rollout on the NGET network is estimated at £2.4M.

Based on the modelling of likelihood of failure and extended asset life whilst considering the project cost and rollout cost the Net Present Value (NPV) of this project, shows a benefit of £2.9M. The benefits will reach consumers in terms of reduced constraint costs and reduced funding requirements for the ongoing provision of a secure and reliable operational telecommunications network.