The Ultimate Question Deserves the Ultimate Answer.

Do you ever feel the need to ask a really big question?

I was at a conference a couple of weeks ago in London at which there was a panel discussion on “exploiting location information to save your organisation money” when someone from the audience had an overwhelming urge to do just that. The question was: “Who owns the data?”

This is one of those questions that always moves me to raise my hand and ask for the microphone. The question of course dates back to ancient times – even before the pestilence of computers descended upon us – ever since it was decided to store data centrally. The answer is “whoever is responsible for creating, amending and deleting it”, of course.

All field-based staff create, amend and delete data as they carry out their duties, so they must be ultimately responsible for the companies’ data – right? So what do Utilities’ give their field staff and contractors to complete this vital and important task – a pen and paper and a list of instructions that would confuse a Philadelphia lawyer.

What field staff need is a tool that is easy to use and completes the data update at the same time as the work is carried out. It doesn’t need a GIS system, Work Management or Scheduling System, or even a computer like “Deep Thought”, but a tool like Sigma Seven’s GeoField.

In search of the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Answer_to_Life,_the_Universe,_and_Everything#Answer_to_the_Ultimate_Question_of_Life.2C_the_Universe_and_Everything_.2842.29

If this doesn’t work you can always try something else!

http://www.sigmaseven.co.uk/

Is this a surprise?

Back in July this year I posted a piece on Smart Grids and how the "DNO's needed to get their strategic hats on and to start delivering if they are to have any hope of surviving in this brave new world". Now GIS giant ESRI has commissioned a survey "Is your GIS Smart Grid Ready" http://www.esri.com/software/landing_pages/smart-grid/docs/smartgridreport.pdf

It also reported some of the results in April's Edition of the GIS Professional magazine. http://www.esri.com/library/articles/smart-grid.pdf

Out of 226 participants, ESRI reported that "The results are perhaps not too surprising – most ranked ‘smart grid readiness’ as strategic to their plans,though none has achieved readiness in all areas." Summarising some of the findings:

  • Only 10% of the companies update GIS data within 1 day of work completion.
  • About 25% indicate that they have work orders older than 6 months still to be added to the GIS database.
  • Over 30% of respondents take 31-90 days to update their GIS to reflect the completion of construction/maintenance.
  • Over 60% reported integration as being "data both extracted and imported between GIS and other systems"
  • Only 5% use a SOA/Web Services approach to GIS
  • Only 70% have a complete model of their network.

If this is a true and accurate reflection on the Utilities' GIS data and their supporting business processes, it can only be imagined what state the rest of their data and processes are in.

On this evidence Utilities data and supporting data management processes are in a complete mess - but I guess that anyone close to the Utilities knows that already?

Business as Usual at the Utilities

It is over two years since I posted here that the new ESQCR Regulations should force the Utilities to consider changing their Vegetation Management strategies. Well, nothing much has changed since that time - the tree cutting world still looks very much like it has always done.

Even the showcase National Utility Arboricultural Conference back in July was poorly attended when compared to the previous year - nearly all of the Utilities hadn't even bothered to send delegates, never mind make a contribution.

Now the Utilities have the climate change specter looming over them, threatening a "30% increase in tree growth by 2020". I fear that even this won't shake them out of their apathy.


Study shows faster tree growth poses challenge for power networks

Written by: Roger Milne | 06 August 2010

Electricity network companies will have to revise vegetation management strategies following results from a study which has shown that trees are growing faster in the warmer, wetter conditions caused by climate change. That is the key finding from early data collected during a collaborative large-scale study led by environmental consultancy ADAS and five major utility companies.

The study, which began in 2008, is the first of its kind to investigate the effect of climate change on vegetation growth patterns for UK utilities like energy transmission and distribution companies.


The project used forecast climate change data from 2020 and 2050 and current growth rates to predict future growth rates right across the UK. This showed a potentially strong relationship between growth rates and climate with some areas showing a 30 per cent increase in growth rates by 2020.


Study leader Jon Abbatt, a principal consultant with ADAS, said: "Ultimately, if climate change predictions materialise as expected, energy utility companies will have to cope with trees growing much faster. They will need to change their vegetation management strategies to continue to ensure the safety of their networks and the security of electricity supply to consumers".


The study, which involved the National Grid, Central Networks, Electricity North West Ltd, Scottish Power and EDF Energy Networks, analysed vegetation growth data collected periodically from 1,665 sites from the South East to the North West of the UK since 2008.

Field Force Deployment - a Lesson Learned

It is not very often that I come across an article that grabs my attention but this one has. The main article is all about a large field force deployment project in the electricity utility, Exelon, and describes their journey from concept to delivery. A journey that has taken them over 4 years to complete at a cost of $40 million.

What got my attention is the lessons learned and the fact that they sum up my personal and business experiences perfectly.
  • New business processes must be paperless,
  • Do your homework,
  • Don't rush the deployment - take your organisation and staff with you on the journey.
Despite projects like this one having the "technology" label, its implementation really isn't rocket science. Take on board the experience of others and you won't go far wrong.

DNO's Need to Act Now - And Quickly

In my profile piece I describe how working in the Utilities' World is exciting because it is ever-challenging and changing. Now that the Regulator has laid out its policies and plans designed to address the Smart Grids challenge, it is easy to see how everyone could get swept away by the euphoria of it all - including me!

The Regulator freely admits that the future is uncertain, yet expects the DNO's to act now if they are to cope with the planned changes and to take advantage of the opportunities that this new world presents. Paradoxically however, the same Regulator forces the DNOs to operate in a world that is certain, through a Distribution Price Control Review that constrains capital expenditure and has reduced Research and Development funding to almost nil. So what are DNO's to do?

Firstly, a sub-standard network will never cope with the increased demands of a smart grid so there needs to be a renewed focus on the performance of the existing network through improvements in asset management. Secondly, the current operational resource model, with its high dependency on contractors, will inevitably breakdown, so there needs to be improvements in contractor management, coupled with improved operator efficiency and multi-discipline operation.

DNO's need to get their strategic hats on and to start delivering if they are to have any hope of surviving in this brave new world.

Where 2+2 Might Equal 4, (But Maybe Not)




Just as summer is heralded by warmer rain, MP's holiday's are heralded by government announcements. One such announcement is the long-awaited "RPI-X@20 Recommendations" that sets out the regulated future of the Electricty and Gas industry.

http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Networks/rpix20/ConsultDocs/Documents1/RPI-X@Recommendations.pdf

The Industry has got until the 6th September to get its thoughts and reactions back into the melting pot. It will be interesting to see what comes back.

The future world that is described in the document is, as might be expected, full of all the current buzz words such as "low carbon"; "sustainable", and "smart" and has at its heart the RIIO equation where Revenue=Incentives+Innovation+Outputs.

However there is another equation buried deep down in the document that doesn't get any attention, the "CIUR" equation: Challenge=Invest+Uncertain+Return . In the words of the document; "greatest Challenge since the construction of the national grid and the conversion to North Sea gas."= "Invest an estimated £32bn by 2020"+"the outlook is Uncertain"+"WACC-based allowed Return".

Even Einstein would struggle to get this equation to add up, especially given the recent experience of the Water Industry.


A digital field map can influence and change organisational behaviour, True or False?

Ask any organisation about their top strategic objective and they will typically respond with “Safety Improvement”. Then ask the same organisation what is the biggest hurdle they have to tackle if they are to achieve this objective and nearly all will respond with "poor communication". So why then is it that most organisations fail to recognise the role that digital mapping has to play in improving communication. It is, after all, one of the best communication mediums available to them.

Often, it is because the provision of digital mapping is seen as a support or back-office function, delivered by specialists in an IT world that is riddled with techno-babble. At the same time, there is little or no pull from the user community because they are conditioned to believe that their business processes can only use paper maps and that technology will only let them down. Finally, justifying significant financial investment in a large scale project is not easy at the best of times, so now that there is increased financial pressure and conflicting demands on scarce resources, it has just got even harder.

The bottom line is that companies are looking for step changes. In other words they need to challenge and re-invent themselves, because spending time and money on a system or process refresh and/or making marginal improvements are not even considered. Companies need to be innovative and even take calculated risks if they are to succeed in tackling their big strategic objectives,

Cost and efficiency Improvements in GPS; more generally-available and affordable aerial photography and, improved data access opportunities, have all combined in a way that kick starts innovation. Finding ways to embrace these opportunities is the challenge, especially when delivering into business areas that traditionally have been viewed as inflexible and resistant to change?

Smart Grids are Coming

Smart Grids are the future and it is the Smart Utilities that will operate and maintain them. The government set out their Smart Grid Vision on the 2nd December 2009 and the network operators are only just starting to come to terms with its technical, commercial and regulatory implications. In effect it means that Network Operators face their biggest challenge since rural electrification back in the late 40s and 50s.

The final outcome remains unclear but there are already some certainties. There will no longer be the traditional distinction of Transmission and Distribution networks, with distributed intelligence becoming the norm. Operators will not simply invest in assets as they have historically, but will invest heavily in the operational side of their business.

The investment will be biased towards the use of technology, supported by near-real-time monitoring and control. Huge amounts of data will be required to run a Smart Grid, so IT support systems will be extended and adapted to meet the changing needs. The response of GIS will be to move away from analytical and desk bound, towards a distributed and field-based resource, where mapping data is readily available to everyone with operational responsibility wherever they may be.

Ofgem lays down the Law


This week energy regulator Ofgem published its initial proposals for the allowed revenue levels for electricity Distibution Network Operators for the next five years. (See the "Useful Knowledge" block).

Ofgem propose to cut 19 per cent from companies' spending plans although this still leaves them with £13 billion to spend for maintaining and expanding their networks over the next five years from April 2010.

There is still a huge variation in companies' efficiency and their spending needs, which Ofgem puts down to the poor performance of some networks and the wide range of operational inefficiency. Ofgem say, "Twenty years after privatisation, there is still a wide range of operational efficiency between DNOs."

It has promised to penalise poor performers and expect shareholders to fund the poor performers until efficiency improves.


How much does it cost to get attention?


Electricity utilities only really attract the attention of their customers on the rare occasion of a power outage. A recent review of overhead network reliability during storms concluded that the most significant risk of a power outage comes when vegetation grows too close to overhead lines. The trees come in contact with the overhead lines, cutting off the power until the resultant damage is located and repaired. The incidence of this type of event has increased dramatically over recent years as winter storms have become much more frequent and intense.

There is some serious money involved when it comes to managing these types of power outages. Ofgem has just announced that they “are minded” to allocate an additional £37m for utilities to improve on their tree cutting performance, whilst the insurer Aegis reports that there have been 18 claims associated with power outages of over £100m each in the last 10 years.

If these numbers don’t make people sit up and take this issue seriously then nothing will!

New Regulator for the UK?


My Google Reader threw up an interesting item yesterday from Utility Week that really caught my attention.

The government is reported to be planning to set up a new UK Regulator to replace Ofgem, Ofwat and Wics - to be known as Ofsweg. Given my interest in utilities regulation I couldn't believe my eyes because it seems to me that given the current regulatory "challenges", a new replacement and combined Regulator would be the last thing the industry needs right now.

But it got worse! The article went on to state that "to avoid offending national sensibilities and for tax purposes, Ofsweg will initially be based on the Isle of Man. Later it may relocate to Belfast to share best practice with the Northern Ireland utility regulator or rotate its meetings between London, Edinburgh and Cardiff".

Having now really got my attention, I looked up the article in Utility Week only to find that the article was published on 1 April. This has to be a joke - right?

Field Views from Sigma Seven



For those of you that have been lucky enough to receive the latest edition of Sigma Seven's in-house newsletter, Field Views, you will see that I have been "inserted" into page 4. I am flattered of course that I am worthy of a mention.

http://www.sigmaseven.co.uk/files/Field_Views_Issue_3.pdf

My personal blog gets a bit of free advertising which is always welcome. So for those of you that have used this route to discover my first steps into cyber space, I hope that you are motivated enough to use my site to share your own opinions on the things that happen in the world that is utilities. I must admit that when I was in the thick of the action when working with ScottishPower I never thought much about the outside world.

I have choosen to create and use this blog as somewhere I can share my thoughts and views on current utility related topics but you will see that it has been a while since I published my last post. That is not because I don't have any thoughts or views, (quite the contrary as my friends and colleagues will no doubt testify!), it is just that I have had other distractions, (which is a polite way of saying I haven't made enough effort!).

My insertion in Field Views has recharged my interest so I will be redoubling my efforts. Create a link to my blog, become one of my followers or post your own comments and see if I can keep to my side of the commitment.

The Economic Downturn Reduces the Pressure on Ofgem to Deliver a Viable Competition in Connections Market

As the customers’ champion, Ofgem has spent over ten years trying to breathe life into a competitive electricity connections market in the UK; a market where developers no longer have to rely on their local utility and can choose from independent connections companies to provide their utility connections. In their latest connections market review, Ofgem appears to have finally recognised that despite their best efforts, their competitive electricity connections market is not working and that they are finally running out of regulatory ammunition. http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Networks/Connectns/ConnIndRev/Documents1/Connections%20Industry%20Review%202007%2008.pdf It now seems likely that the economic downturn will spare Ofgem’s blushes because the competitive connections market has all but collapsed completely.

Over the years Ofgem have thrown everything at the utilities in an attempt to turn its connections’ dream into a reality. They have formally investigated some companies for alleged anti-competitive behaviour and have gone on to issue enforcement notices and fines. When this traditional form of Ofgem “punishment” failed to deliver a working market, they then went on to “encourage” the creation of voluntary performance standards and were forced into making theses mandatory. The latest “threat” in Ofgem’s words is at that “we noted that if performance did not improve, there would be an opportunity to include additional measures as part of the next price control settlement”. Is this their final push before they admit defeat and go back to the drawing board?

In a single-minded attempt to force their wishes onto the electricity utilities it appears that Ofgem has not considered that perhaps the reason the market is not working has little to do with the behaviour of the utilities and more to do with the fact that the connections market does not provide what the customer wants. There are so many problems with the way this market has been created that any advantages that might be accrued by the buyer of the services are lost almost from day one.

One of the key principles in a competitive world is that the customers want to be engaged fully and to have the opportunity to influence any decisions that are made on their behalf. They want to understand and can compare what they are getting for their money and have a form of redress should things go wrong rather than going to another provider where they will get the same kind of service.

The whole process for the customer is like buying a new kitchen where they are asked to provide a drawing of the kitchen space and where a kitchen supplier designs and costs a kitchen to suit themselves, without providing any detail of what the kitchen will look like or what the customer is paying for. Little wonder then that site installation becomes another battle ground between suppler and customer when what is to be provided, and when, has never been formally agreed.

With the activity in the competitive connections market reduced to a trickle, Ofgem should take this opportunity to change the market parameters in a way that gives the customer what they want and need. Otherwise, understandably, developers will always look towards the safety of the utilities to provide their connections and the competitive connections market will remain a very remote and distant prospect for Ofgem.

Ofgem and NJUG give Utilities some Traffic Management Act thoughts and opinions

When Ofgem and NJUG panel representatives presented their views at the Smart Utility 2008 conference, everyone thought that peace had broken out and that we would receive some inspirational thoughts and opinions. Well we did receive some thoughts and opinions – but inspirational?

The main topic of conversation was the Traffic Management Act, TMA, in particular how the Act will “make new provision for regulating the carrying out of works and other activities in the street” and how this will impact on Utilities.

The problem with roads is that they have a dual purpose - they are a conduit for traffic but they are also a conduit for utilities’ assets. Utilities using this conduit are labelled “bad” because they cause traffic disruption and when they are really bad they deserve to be fined and then made an example of. So how does this play out in reality? Well, based on the panel’s thoughts, the TMA’s regulating success to date seems to be measured in how many fines have been handed out and who is the top of the “fine league”.

I suppose this comes as no surprise. What maybe is more surprising though, is that when asked how this problem could be addressed it was suggested that utilities should divert their equipment down quieter streets and should also start to consider weighing up the cost of overtime versus the scale of the fine. I bet the the utilities wish that they had thought of these ideas first.

Whether you use the roads as a utility or you are a transport user, the problem is the same in both cases – it is congestion. Pavements are congested with assets which spill over into the roads and the roads are congested with traffic. Until someone is inspirational enough to address both of these problems at the same time, then utilities will keep on paying the fines and road users will continue to simmer in a traffic jam.

A timely reminder to Utilities about their Pitt Review obligations?

There were a few interesting and perhaps timely messages at this week's Smart Utility 2008 conference held in London http://www.iqpc.com/ShowEvent.aspx?id=123092&details=123110 where the Environment Agency took the opportunity to remind the assembled Utility representatives of their Pitt Review obligations. The Pitt Review made 92 recommendations following the 2007 Flooding, resulting in the Environment Agency taking on the overview role of all inland flooding.

Asset Managers were reminded that the focus is on critical assets and that their criticality must be based on a broad assessment of National need. Whilst the Environment Agency will offer whatever help and assistance it can, it is down to each utility to make the assessment and to put actions in place for themselves. It is the view of the Environment Agency that a few simple preparations will provide significant benefits, such as emergency power arrangements, considering how the site will be accessed and the location of key components.

The Environment Agency will feel, quite rightly, that their presentation has given guidance and provided fair warning of what to expect when the enivitable happens again, although, I am left wondering if this week's article in EDIE.net http://www.edie.net/news/news_story.asp?id=15712 about the lessons from the flooding already being forgotten should be viewed as another timely reminder or as another angle on a campaign to get some joined up thinking in place. Joined up thinking would be a refreshing change!

In case anyone needs reminding, the experience of those who have ever been involved in managing an emergency is that the most critical resource are maps and drawings - they are the first thing that are asked for and without them everyone is quite literally lost.

So it will interesting to see if the utilities have received the message by taking up the challenge of getting their field mapping needs sorted out in time for the next big event.

Hole in the Road? Don't worry, someone is looking into it!

It has been reported that United Utilties are to be fined £20,000 for "forgetting" to reinstate a hole in the road. When asked for a comment their spokesman said " there appears to be some confusion between the contractor and ourselves.... we will be taking the matter further with the contractor"

How much confusion can there be over filling a hole? Quite a lot apparently, which is great for the authorities because they can claim up to £2,000 a day from the utility bad boys. However, given that UU blames their "forgetfulness" on confusion between themselves and their contractor it looks like the councils' nice little earner is a recipe for a big arguement that will only be resolved by the legal profession.

Surely there is nothing difficult or confusing about drawing a hole location onto a map and taken some supporting photos - or is there?

The Credit Crunch and its effect on Utilities' data

Who would have believed you if you’d claimed to see a world where major banks would go out of business because they had run out of money! That is because there was always an unshakeable confidence in the banks’ systems, people and processes. Recent banking history has proved that such confidence can be misplaced and that we should all look to answer some fundamental questions, such as: who actually owns the money; where is it right now; who has it; what are they doing with it and am I happy with what they are using it for?

The similarities between the banking industry and the utilities have always been recognised. Indeed, investing in utilities is often described as putting money in the bank! Dull and boring they may be to the risk-taking stock market, but it is a fact that utilities have an unquestionable track record when it comes to prudent capital investment in tangible assets and for providing essential services to a never-ending market. Yet, no matter how enduring the utilities appear to be on the surface, they still depend on the basic fundamentals. Where money is described as the lubricant of the economic system, asset data is the lifeblood of the utilities.

Utilities have thousands of people trying to access and manage asset data, day-in day-out, just so that they can carry out their job or task in hand. To an industry outsider it may come as a surprise to learn that despite the scale of the utilities’ operations and the huge volume of data transactions, there are teams of people extracting and returning asset data back and forth to field staff and contractors on pieces of paper. We may live in a Space Age world but utilities’ data management processes are still very much in the Stone Age!

The more enlightened utilities are introducing their staff to mobile mapping where the field operator can view, create, amend and delete asset data as part of carrying out their job. For those utilities, it has given confidence that they are improving their asset data management and removing the barriers to becoming more effective at the same time. So much so that using a map-based workflow now defines their culture.

It is important to us all that utilities remain mindful of what makes them tick and that they treat their asset data in a way that keeps their business healthy. Mobilising their field staff with maps is part of this process. It is a big task, but if the banking industry can be nationalised in a weekend imagine what utilities could achieve in a week!

Web2.0 Mashup will cure all Data Ills

Glasgow University is world-famous as an educational establishment but I had never thought of it as a place where I would be presented with a look into the future. It would have been nice for it to have been the place where I found out what next weekend’s lottery numbers will be, but unfortunately what I saw and heard was not quite so life changing, but it was significant nevertheless.

The occasion was the annual AGI Scotland conference http://www.agi.org.uk/POOLED/articles/bf_eventart/view.asp?Q=bf_eventart_299755 where I was representing and flying the flag for Sigma Seven. The title of this year’s event was “thinking outside the silo” but none of the speakers were insightful enough to tell the assembled audience exactly what silo we should be thinking out off! It was a pretty tame event really, although to be fair all the speakers did well to present their particular speciality.

My view of the future was reinforced by Charles Kennelly of ESRI (UK), their technical chief. His presentation on “the power of the Mashup” was the highlight of the day for me, not only because of the quality of Charles’ delivery, but because he painted a picture that addressed the “bee in my utilities’ bonnet”, that of corporate data. Like all asset heavy organisations, utilities really struggle on a number of levels with corporate data – who owns it; where is it stored; who is responsible for its capture and amendment; who maintains the IT systems; who is responsible for the data management standards and policies; how should be it used and presented; who is managing its security – the list goes on and on!

Utilities’ key competencies lie in operating and maintaining assets, which is just as well because their competency in managing corporate data is at best questionable and at worst, non-existent . Because of the huge volume of data that their operations generates, historically they have turned to IT to get them out of the proverbial “data hole”. The current prescription that is dispensed by the IT doctor for the debilitating data problem is the concept of the “data warehouse”. It is seen as the cure-all but the experience so far for the ones who have been brave enough, or desperate enough, to take this medicine is that its implementation costs a fortune, typically a big number with at least six zeros on the end, and although it may well tackle the problems from an IT view, it most certainly doesn’t from the operations view, especially when it comes to mobilising their field workers.

The paradigm shift in the corporate data world comes with the emerging Web2.0 technology and the power of the Mashup, where the web is used as an application that uses the map to locate and present the user-selected data from multiple storage areas. It is the new world that we can look forward to - it is on its way and I for one can’t wait.

The ESRI EMEA Conference was a Real Pain in the Neck

Last week was spent at the ESRI EMEA Conference held in the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in London. With the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey as neighbours it is in a great location with iconic views on the outside, but inside it is more like Hampton Court Maze. Nobody, and I mean nobody, including the many guides standing on each corner, had a clue as to how to find their way around the purpose built conference centre. In the end it became quite comical to watch the antics of the 1500 delegates as they made their way between the 15 or so similtaneuos tracks. No matter where you were in the building there were people parading back and forth and peering round corners trying to find their way around. I am sure most of them must be suffering pain from craning their necks for three days.

In the end it was a small price to pay for what turned out to be an enjoyable and well run conference. ESRI are to be commended for tackling such a large scale event so succesfully. I attended as many of the user presentations as I was able and I have to say that the quality of the presentations were of a high standard. Also, the track managers, if that is what they were called, worked hard to keep proceedings on track.

The plenary sessions were enjoyable but I have to report that I didn't find ESRI's innovative view of the future to be particularly inspirational. It sounded a bit like old wine in new bottles to me so I didn't find it particularly palettable. Probably that is because, as a user, my IT wants are very basic - quite simply I want everything all the time and I would like it now!! Unachievable it may be, however, I think ESRI and the rest of their partners are going to have to work a whole lot harder if they are to persuade their impressive customer list to be inspired enough to put their hands in their pockets.

The party event was special and turned out to be a most enjoyable evening. The location of the Science museum was a great idea and the catering and the evening's events were memorable. I had a good chat with Winston Churchill who proudly told me that he was 133 years old and an argument with the David Beckham look-alike because we told him that he had been beaten into second place by Paul Reid from Sigma Seven.

Security to the Museum was tight - no ticket no entry was the warning. However it caused me some amusement when Jack Dangermouse, the ESRI big cheese, turned up without a ticket only to be refused entry. Anyway in no time at all Jack was surrounded by a hoard of his "hangers on" and the steward was persuaded to loosen his grip on the evening's host. Diplomatic incident averted but it was close one!

Vegetation Management in Utilities and the Reaction of the Key Players to the ESQCR Regulations

Power companies have always had the duty of maintaining a safe distance between any overhead line and trees. The Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations (ESQCR) are still aimed at protecting the general public and consumers from danger, but the recent amendments have placed the additional duty of power reliability onto the distribution license holders.

Despite the implementation deadline of January 2009 looming and the prospect of having to significantly increase their tree cutting activities to comply with Regulations, it is not yet clear how the new world of vegetation management in electricity utilities will look in the future.

If past performance is anything to go by, it will fall on the contractors to sort it all out. It will be a tough task though without the support of the utility companies, especially when they are being continually pushed contractually to provide more for less.

And where is BERR in all this. They have made a throrough job of assessing the Regulatory Impact http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file30697.pdf and have threatened strong policing of utilities performance but have they got the will and resources to make any impact - few believe that they have.

So perhaps we are in a period of "wait and see"! It will be interesting to see who has the strongest nerve with the prospect of prosecution hanging over them and who will blink first?
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