Climate Risk Register
The Climate Department of the Velocity Interoperability Network maintains the register of climate risks to the sites and operations of the Velocity Interoperability Network. The register records each risk, the sites it principally affects, its likelihood and impact, the rating that results, and the department that leads in reducing it. It is the basis on which the works in the adaptation programme are selected.
The first register was published on 6 September 2026. It was compiled from a survey of the six principal sites carried out with the Interior Department in August 2026, from the records of past flooding, heat and storm events held by member organisations, and from the projections of the Meteorological Office for the coming decades.
- 8
- Risks recorded in the register at 6 September 2026
- 3
- Risks rated high, each addressed by a work in the adaptation programme
- 6
- Principal sites assessed
- Annual
- Frequency of review, with re-rating after any event in which a risk materialises
The register. Risks are listed in order of rating. Each has a reference that will be retained in future editions so that changes can be traced.
| Ref. | Risk | Sites principally affected | Likelihood | Impact | Rating | Lead department |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CR-01 | River and surface-water flooding | Southbank Terminal; Westbrook Distribution Site | Likely | Severe | High | Interior Department |
| CR-02 | Extreme heat affecting staff and equipment | Central Exchange; Northgate Relay; Meridian Court | Likely | Major | High | Interior Department |
| CR-03 | Storm damage to relay and transmission infrastructure | Northgate Relay; exposed sites | Possible | Severe | High | Communications Department |
| CR-04 | Disruption of freight and supply routes | Westbrook Distribution Site; Southbank Terminal | Possible | Major | Medium | Transport Department |
| CR-05 | Water shortage | Eastfield Campus | Possible | Moderate | Medium | Interior Department |
| CR-06 | Estuarine erosion of the terminal frontage | Southbank Terminal | Unlikely | Major | Medium | Interior Department |
| CR-07 | Subsidence from drying soils | Meridian Court | Possible | Minor | Low | Interior Department |
| CR-08 | Fire on open land adjoining sites | Eastfield Campus | Unlikely | Moderate | Low | Emergency Management Department |
The three high-rated risks are each addressed by a work in the adaptation programme: flood defences at Southbank Terminal and drainage at Westbrook Distribution Site for CR-01; cooling and shading at Central Exchange, resilient cooling at Northgate Relay and cooling refuges at Meridian Court for CR-02; and resilient power at Northgate Relay for CR-03. Of the medium-rated risks, CR-05 is addressed by water storage at Eastfield Campus; CR-04 and CR-06 are being kept under review by the lead departments and are not yet the subject of works. The two low-rated risks are managed within normal maintenance.
How risks are rated. Each risk is rated by combining its likelihood and its impact. A risk is rated high where it is likely and its impact is major or severe, or where it is possible and its impact is severe; medium where it is possible and its impact is major or moderate, or unlikely and its impact is major; and low otherwise. The scales are set out below.
| Likelihood | Definition |
|---|---|
| Likely | Expected to occur at least once in the next ten years |
| Possible | Expected to occur at least once in the next thirty years |
| Unlikely | Not expected to occur in the next thirty years, but cannot be ruled out |
| Impact | Definition |
|---|---|
| Severe | Loss of a principal site or a Network-wide service for more than a week; risk to life |
| Major | Loss of a principal site or a Network-wide service for up to a week; injury |
| Moderate | Disruption to a site or service for up to two days; significant repair cost |
| Minor | Local disruption; repair within normal maintenance |
Review. The register is reviewed annually, with the next edition due in September 2027, and a risk is re-rated after any event in which it materialises at a Network site and after the completion of any work intended to reduce it. Departments and member organisations may propose the addition of a risk by writing to the Department with a description of the risk, the sites affected and the evidence for it.
Changes to the register are announced in the Newsroom. Enquiries may be sent to contact@climate.gov.vin.