CLIQ helps to keep power flowing to north-west England

Challenge

Electricity North West Limited is the distribution network operator for the North-West, England. The company serves around 5 million people via 57,000 km of overhead lines and underground cables, and more than 34,000  transformers. Electricity North West Limited sought a solution to control access at its sites, which are spread across urban and remote rural locations.

Key requirements included:

• Locks that meet the industry security standard for attack resistance, to ensure the continuity and safety of electricity supply
• Padlocks which are not made of brass
• A locking solution which enables Electricity North West Limited to control keys more easily
• The ability to generate audit trails on demand, identifying when keys and locks were operated
• A survey and installation service

Solution

In advance of installation, ASSA ABLOY provided a detailed survey and introduced their trusted reseller and partner. To date, almost 15,000 locking cylinders and padlocks have been fitted at Electricity North West Limited multiple sites. The installed CLIQ system offers high flexibility, as mechanical cylinders and padlocks were installed in conjunction with the electromechanical CLIQ cylinders across all the sites. Electricity North West Limited is also using almost 2,000 CLIQ user keys and over 40 CLIQ programming devices to update access rights of keys remotely. Electricity North West Limited old brass padlocks had on occasion been targeted by thieves for their scrap value. The new padlocks all meet required security standards, are tested to BS EN12320 and are certified to LPS 1654.

The CLIQ software supports the complex workflow of the utility company, by enabling audit trails to be generated for individual locks, keys or system users. If a key is not returned or lost, this no longer creates a major security risk because all keys can be activated, access changed or removed using the CLIQ web manager software, making a truly dynamic secure system.

The battery-powered CLIQ keys are programmable; for example, a temporary contractor can be issued with a key that permits entry to specific sites for a limited time period. After the authorisation period ends, the key is not able to open the lock. Abloy UK is proud to be helping Electricity North West Limited secure the electricity supply to 5 million people, with the CLIQ locking solution.