TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY
A new resource matching trenchless technology with network owners’ needs
Written by Dr Iain Naismith, Senior Research Fellow at IKT
A wide range of trenchless technologies are available for inspection, rehabilitation and new installation. However, stakeholders' awareness of them can be limited, so solutions to problems can be missed. To overcome this, the International Society of Trenchless Technology (ISTT) has upgraded the information resources it makes freely available through its website
In addition to wanting to improve their selection processes, network owners and their supply chains are always seeking to learn from the experience of peers, to source new solutions from across the world and to encourage recruitment into their sector. Here Iain Naismith, who chairs of the UK Society for Trenchless Technology’s (UKSTT) Technical and Education Sub-committee, considers how such needs can be addressed using the ISTT’s new resource.
The need for trenchless technologies
I once heard a long-serving utility rehabilitation manager pose this question to an audience: “What does a network owner actually own?”. His answer was “a hole in the ground”, and he went on to explain that a network owner’s job was, consequently, to keep that hole open and able to transmit their product, in the required quantity and quality, in perpetuity. This means maintaining and repairing the fabric of the network throughout the expected lifetimes of the construction and transmission materials used to build it; replacing them when necessary, and extending the network when needed. However, along the way, you also have to inspect them and assess their condition in order to properly plan for necessary interventions.
Half a century of trenchless innovation to access Most networks have been in place for barely a century, and
4 | July 2025 |
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whilst utilities are aware of the need for renewal/replacement, the public and governments are not so appreciative. Consequently, there is intolerance of the disruption caused by street works and of funding such investments. This has driven a half-century of innovation in trenchless technologies to provide convenient technical solutions that offer lower costs, faster resolution of issues and minimise disruption.
The sheer scope and pace of trenchless technology innovation have meant that network owners, their supply chains and other stakeholders may not be aware of all the proven options that are available to them when they are selecting solutions. Therefore, even well-proven and established trenchless
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