Learnings

Outcomes

The project has delivered the first phase of activity, providing us the basis for the digital twin – the virtual twin and the data twin.  The development of the virtual twin has been aligned with our reopener activity “digital construction” and learning has been shared across the programmes.   In future phases we plan to utilise the digital construction ecosystem to enable a trial run of our business as usual system development.  The data twin has provided a base to discuss internal data storage systems and how the business separation could look to improve our data structures as we migrate out of national grid systems.  The end result for the project has created a project space for FutureGrid that aligns to our current internal structures but also considers locational aspects and begins to support the integration with GIS and virtual twin information.

The project has identified several benefit areas and we are currently working with the data team to build a robust business case for each use case as described above[NC(G1] [JC(G2] . The below table describes the high-level benefits of a digital twin system, which will be common across all use cases deployed.                  

Value tracking

                                           Data Point                                        Data Point Definition

Maturity                             TRL 4                                                 We have produced the virtual and data twin elements of the digital twin 

and identified the methods for connecting the two systems.  These have been demonstrated offline to provide confidence for future phase 

development

Opportunity                       100% of assets                                  The solution can be deployed on all assets but easier to deploy on AGIs and 

Compressor stations as these have above ground assets that make it easier to accurately locate the facilities against drawing data.  

Deployment costs              -                                                        The cost of deploying the full system is not yet fully understood, the virtual 

twin elements are underway through the digital construction reopener and the data elements are already in development at national grid.  Once these base systems are fully operational, various APIs can interact with the data to extract data and provide insights.  This makes the cost of the API development very competitive and dependant on the use case it is supplying. Therefor individual business cases are being developed for each use case to demonstrate the value for each API.

Innovation cost                  £882k Phase 1 / £1.3m Phase 2         The cost for developing this strategy is high due to the number of project 

partners and the complexity of managing both the FutureGrid facility requirements and our business as usual deployment. However, it will provide value in reducing the cost of deploying OEM solutions that can not provide the full functionality required and tie us into single source solutions.

Financial Saving                 >£10m                                              Cost avoidance in deploying unsuitable solutions – direct

Costs savings in construction projects and asset management due to accurate data accessibility and offline rehearsal - indirect

Safety                                 -                                                        There will be huge opportunities in improving safety of both construction 

and management of the network through the ability to access accurate information quickly and rehearsing activities, this becomes more important as we move to hydrogen and processes and procedures will be updated.    

Environment                      -                                                        Environmental impact could be assessed more readily for new projects and 

in an accelerated manner.

Compliance                        Supports compliance                       There is a limited regulatory impact, obviously data accessibility will enable 

the internal teams to provide insight to Ofgem more readily and should improve the ability to communicate complex project activities

Skills & Competencies       -                                                        Skills and competencies will be improved across the business with a greater 

wealth of knowledge at each employees finger tips and an easier level of accessibility.  Whilst this will be the case we will need to build capabilities not yet in the business such as 3D modelling and data analytics to manage change and drive improvements in the system.

Future proof                      Supports business strategy              This project is aligned to the gathering and management of network data in 

the transition to hydrogen.  Much of this information has not been required for the management of the designed natural gas system, however, when considering hydrogen repurposing and the potential for new connections much of the original design data needs to be readily available.

Lessons Learnt

The project has many technical learning points to enable future workstreams[NC(G1] [JC(G2] , these alongside learning from our interoperability project and other network projects will enable us to ensure the longevity of this solution.  These lessons have been built into the proposal for the phase 2 project defined and shared. The key technical lessons:

·       Whilst there are many off the shelf solutions from one provider, no single solution can be deployed for all use cases of the digital twin and developing a single providers system to do this can be a lengthy and expensive process.  Enabling multiple suppliers to provide the digital twin although providing complexity in multiple models provides competitiveness in approach and cost, whilst also enabling the solution to be more appropriate for the customer requirements.  Interactions between APIs are also possible and therefore do not limit the opportunity for the system in the future

·       Data systems need to be further developed in RIIO-2 to ensure our business data is available in a secure manner for relevant uses.  CNI restrictions could cause issues for some future use cases and need careful thought as we approach phase 2.

·       Many systems today have extensive capabilities not fully utilised by our NGT teams, building this in house capability to understand and maximise what we have will be a key implementation activity as we move through phase 2.

Several project management lessons were identified through the project, such as:

·       Refining regular communication sessions throughout the project at an early stage and encouraging more face-to-face meetings

·       Engagement with business stakeholders whilst the company was transitioning to being a separate entity led to variation in the guidance provided due to the business change, managing this change to ensure the 

·       Providing an understudy for the project lead to ensure continued progress of activities in their absence