The challenge of monitoring Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) is evolving at speed. As nuclear decommissioning sites progress through their lifecycle, security risks decrease, yet traditional high-security monitoring systems remain expensive and resource-intensive. This creates an opportunity for innovative technology transfer which we’ve been exploring through our collaboration with Espanaro.
The technical challenge
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) faces a unique engineering problem: how to maintain effective monitoring across 17 UK nuclear sites whilst reducing costs as security requirements change. Traditional approaches were designed for peak-risk scenarios, making them increasingly disproportionate as sites progress through decommissioning.
Working within UK Defence Innovation (UKDI)’s Remote Monitoring of Sensitive Sites Challenge, we needed to develop an Autonomous Security Alarm and Interdiction Network (ASAIN) that could integrate multiple technologies on a single platform whilst maintaining detection reliability.
Cross-sector innovation in practice
The solution demonstrates how proven commercial technology can be successfully adapted for critical infrastructure applications. We integrated our configurable mmWave low-SWaP radar technology with Espanaro’s Consilium automated security and command platform, creating an intelligent monitoring system that scales responses to real-world site requirements.
The radar technology itself exemplifies successful cross-sector transfer. Originally developed for automotive applications, the Texas Instruments mmWave sensors demonstrated during the trial the reliability and performance required for nuclear site monitoring whilst significantly reducing deployment costs compared to traditional security systems. This approach uses established supply chains and proven field reliability from automotive deployment experience.
Technical results and integration
Initial deployment results have demonstrated the viability of our approach. Four mmWave radars provided effective site coverage during the trial, with zero hardware failures during deployment and a significant reduction in false positives from vegetation clutter. Following integration, all units maintained stable detection messaging throughout structured testing phases.
Integration with Espanaro’s Consilium platform was successfully achieved following comprehensive development work, enabling multi-sensor data fusion, automated compliance monitoring, and centralised command control within a single, sovereign system architecture. During the trial, Consilium’s automated policy management demonstrated the capability to enable proportionate security responses that adapt to changing site requirements whilst maintaining the stringent compliance standards essential for critical infrastructure.
Engineering lessons and broader applications
This project offers several valuable insights for engineers working on similar challenges:
- Technology Transfer methodology: Commercial-grade sensors can be elevated to meet stringent security requirements when properly integrated with intelligent management platforms. The key is understanding how to adapt existing capabilities rather than developing from scratch.
- Scalable architecture: Following successful multi-sensor integration, our four-unit coverage model demonstrates the potential for effective site coverage when combined with intelligent processing platforms. This scalability is crucial for organisations managing multiple sites with varying requirements.
- Environmental performance: Real-world validation in challenging RF environments confirmed that proper clutter rejection algorithms can significantly reduce false alarms whilst maintaining detection sensitivity.
- System integration: The successful radar-to-platform integration demonstrates a methodology for connecting sensing hardware with automated management systems, with potential to reduce operational overhead whilst enhancing compliance.
Strategic impact
This successful collaboration aligns with the NDA’s Innovation Strategy, demonstrating how intelligent sensing combined with automated decision-making can replace resource-intensive methods. The approach supports a proportionate shift in security posture, delivering long-term cost savings whilst enhancing safety and ensuring compliance.
The project now enters a 12-month evaluation at an NDA site, which will enable technical validation, gather long-term reliability data, and assess cost-benefit metrics to inform broader deployment decisions across the nuclear estate.
Building smarter security solutions
As critical infrastructure operators seek more efficient monitoring solutions, the principles demonstrated in this project offer a replicable model. The combination of proven commercial sensing technology with intelligent automated platforms creates opportunities to enhance security whilst reducing operational burden.
The success of cross-sector technology transfer in this application suggests broader potential across infrastructure monitoring challenges. By using established commercial technologies and adapting them through intelligent integration platforms, we can accelerate innovation whilst reducing development risks and costs.
For engineers working on similar challenges, the key insight is that innovation often comes not from developing entirely new technologies, but from intelligently adapting proven solutions to meet new requirements. This project demonstrates this principle in practice, delivering real value through thoughtful technology integration rather than revolutionary new development.
Dan Gardner is Solutions Lead at Plextek, specialising in radar and sensing solutions for defence and security applications