Data-driven asset management could play a central role in improving the resilience of the UK’s ageing water infrastructure, as industry experts highlight the need for stronger data frameworks to support new regulatory ambitions.
Policy focus on water security and resilience
The UK government’s proposed strategy, outlined in its ‘A New Vision for Water’, places water security at the centre of its response to the Independent Water Commission’s 2025 review of the regulatory system in England and Wales.
The review calls for improved asset data, enhanced engineering oversight and the introduction of statutory resilience standards. These measures are intended to strengthen infrastructure performance and support long-term system reliability.
Need for improved asset data and monitoring
According to Mitsubishi Electric, the scale of UK water infrastructure presents a significant challenge for asset management. Existing monitoring approaches have often relied on failure rates as a primary indicator of condition.
“Given the scale of our water infrastructure, with major assets comprising of 10,000 pumping stations, nearly 1,500 water treatment works and over 2,000 large, raised reservoirs, it was not surprising to see failure rate used as the default condition monitoring metric,” said David Bean, Business Development Group Manager at Mitsubishi Electric’s Automation Systems Division.
Shift towards predictive and prescriptive maintenance
Industry stakeholders suggest that future resilience standards will depend on a transition from reactive maintenance approaches to predictive and prescriptive models. This includes improved understanding of asset health, degradation patterns and performance optimisation.
“There needs to be a major shift from reactive to preventative to predictive maintenance, and then onto prescriptive,” Bean said. “This should sit at the heart of any future resilience standards.”
Role of digital technologies and edge analytics
Digital technologies, including edge computing and condition monitoring systems, are increasingly being deployed to support real-time asset management. These systems can enable early identification of performance issues and reduce reliance on on-site inspections.
Applications include monitoring operational variables such as pH and dissolved oxygen in treatment processes, as well as the use of digital twins to compare real-time performance against modelled conditions.
Collaboration and standardisation across the sector
Alongside technological adoption, the sector is being encouraged to improve collaboration and share best practice across utilities and related industries. Standardised design approaches may also support more efficient deployment of infrastructure upgrades.
While data-led approaches offer a pathway to improved resilience, the effectiveness of proposed regulatory changes will depend on how these measures are implemented in practice.
