EMBRACING TRANSFORMATION | IT AND DIGITAL DEVELOPMENTS
Reviving a sense of urgency Digital transformation should be an urgent priority, as the nuclear sector has much to achieve in a very short time frame. Many decision-makers dislike uncertainty as much as high costs and the dramatic changes instigated by the pandemic may leave them craving processes and solutions they know and can trust. This is deterring them from further investments. Instead, the focus should be on further accelerating the
digital adoption catalysed by the pandemic and embracing the benefits these technologies have provided. For example, the need to keep on-site personnel to a minimum during the pandemic strengthened the business case for the use of reality capture technology. This had been incubated over the previous decade and provided off-site staff with a detailed view of the plant without needing to leave their desk.
These types of solutions have now become business-
as-usual tools, fuelling improved efficiency, better worker safety and a reduction in travel-related carbon emissions. There is much the nuclear sector can learn from the rapid
progress made over the last few years, which only came about thanks to the sense of urgency and necessity the pandemic brought.
The power of incentives Clearly decision-makers need to change their mindsets, and a way to support this could be government incentives or mandates.
In the UK this approach proved successful with the
introduction of the Construction Strategy in 2011, which mandated that all firms working on government projects must be building information modelling (BIM) level 2 certified by 2016. Over time this became an industry-wide standard and has led to the UK being viewed as a global leader in this area. With mandates, or incentives that lower risk or take high
upfront costs out of the equation, significant value can be unlocked. For example, government encouragement towards the handover of design and construction data and establishment of an operational digital twin could reduce operation, maintenance and decommissioning costs and
maximise low-carbon generation. We want to see nuclear become the industry that leads to net zero goals while minimising costs to the consumer.
A culture of fear Another barrier to digital transformation is fear, particularly in areas such as AI, robotics and cyber security. Many working in the nuclear industry – particularly those
later in their career – approach robots and AI with caution, believing they’ll make their work more complex or perhaps replace their role entirely. This is far off the mark. Robots are being introduced to
work alongside, or ‘augment’, rather than replace workers – lowering the risk of undertaking the most dangerous tasks and freeing up staff from mundane, repetitive jobs to work on more creative or subjective tasks. The scale of the net-zero challenge means that we need every available tool in order to cost-effectively deliver new-build projects, generating assets and in decommissioning. There is also a fear moving to digital will introduce new risks from cybercriminals. The reality is, according to Verizon’s 2022 Data Breach Incident Report, that 82% of breaches involved the human element, for example using social engineering techniques such as phishing to trick users into installing malware. It’s not the digital technologies that are risky, it’s the people operating them.
Upskilling Many of the barriers to digital transformation can be overcome through education and communication. Training will help staff better understand how new technologies will benefit both them and the business, as well the industry at large. Equally as important is investing in upskilling and reskilling workers to use them effectively. With an unprecedented build rate required to keep the lights on and a looming skills gap, we can’t really afford not to embrace digital. Success though, will be down to people and the work culture more than business models and the technology itself. Involving staff throughout the digitalisation process will grow, not only their confidence and comfort with new technologies, but likely generate greater advocacy of digital transformation projects. ■
www.neimagazine.com | June 2023 | 25
Above: Robots are being introduced to work alongside workers, lowering the risk of undertaking the most dangerous tasks
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