YORKSHIRE BASED COMPANY PROVIDES ESSENTIAL PROTECTION OF CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

We are all increasingly reliant on quality infrastructure for energy, services and communications. With this reliance comes the ever-increasing threat of disruption caused by terrorist activity, sabotage, theft, material failure or accidental damage.

Using fibre optics, Brighouse-based SDH Project Services have developed industry leading solutions to monitor pipelines and communications cables that are installed on the land or in the sea. The company has a successful track record for installing communication systems in various countries since 2008 and is currently installing fibre optic networks that service homes and businesses in the Huddersfield area as part of the digital transformation of Britain.

Colin Brown – CEO explains, “We successfully tested the monitoring technology with a major communications cable operator at the end of last year, during which we were able to detect unauthorized vessel activities, human intervention and the effects of seabed erosion – possibly as a consequence of climate change. Our solution can offer a significant increase to the reliability and resilience of these critical networks, without which our economy could fail very quickly.

Based on that excellent result we are now rolling out the service by offering it to both cable and pipeline operators around the world. Every day around 74.8 million barrels of oil is pumped through about 6.2 million kilometers of pipelines. Add to that the vast number of communications cables supporting the internet globally and we think there are several million kilometers of pipe and cable that can benefit from our monitoring service”.

In an average year the oil and gas pipelines that supply the world suffer about 550 breakages. Damage can occur due to a number of reasons but whatever the cause of the leak the impact on the environment can be catastrophic as can the cost of the clean up and the inevitable compensation claims. Pipeline operators need to know in real-time activities which, if left un-checked would lead to spillage and loss and to have precise information regarding when and where these breakages occur so they can get their repair crews on-site and fast – minimizing disruption and contamination. In addition of the threats posed to Oil & Gas infrastructure, subsea cable infrastructure near to inshore waters is also a national critical infrastructure which equally have threats presented to it by sabotage and climate change..

Using fibre optics, SDH Project Services have developed industry leading techniques to monitor any pipeline or communications cable that is installed on the land or in the sea. The company is also known for installing fibre optic cables that service homes and businesses in the Huddersfield area.

Colin Brown – CEO explains, “We successfully tested the monitoring technology with a major communications cable operator at the end of last year. Based on that excellent result we are now rolling out the service by offering it to both cable and pipeline operators around the world. Every day around 74.8 million barrels of oil is pumped through about 6.2 million kilometers of pipelines. Add to that the vast number of communications cables supporting the internet and we think there are several million kilometers of pipe and cable that can benefit from our monitoring service”.

To capitalize on this opportunity Colin and his team have formed a new company called Infrastructure Services Group and engaged tech corporate finance house Racefields to secure £12 million of new equity. David Gammond, CEO of Racefields stated, “We are very excited to have Colin and his team at Infrastructure Services Group as a client. In the 35 years I have been in corporate finance I have never seen growth potential like this for a local business. It’s not just about money either, the assurance of reliable connectivity and the environmental benefits of preventing or accurately locating pipeline damage in real-time are obvious as are the ever-changing conditions around our coastal waters that equally pose a new and real-time threat to our communications infrastructure. The more that can be done to protect our critical infrastructure against nefarious activities and to prevent hydrocarbons leaking and destroying wildlife and our environment the better. It is a never-ending problem for operators, but this technology can and does make a difference”.

For further information on the technology please contact:

Colin Brown on 07875 624936 – colin.brown@sdh-ps.com

For further information on the fund raise please contact:

David Gammond 07545 264638 – david.gammond@racefields.com