Global Methodology for Electrical Utilities Maintenance Assessment Based on Risk-Informed Decision Making

Mohamed Gaha, Bilal Chabane, Dragan Komljenovic, Alain Côté, Claude Hébert, Olivier Blancke, Atieh Delavari and Georges Abdul-Nour
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Mohamed Gaha: Hydro-Québec’s Research Institute—IREQ, Varennes, QC J3X 1P7, Canada
Bilal Chabane: Département de Mathématiques et de Statistiques, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H2L 2C, Canada
Dragan Komljenovic: Hydro-Québec’s Research Institute—IREQ, Varennes, QC J3X 1P7, Canada
Alain Côté: Hydro-Québec’s Research Institute—IREQ, Varennes, QC J3X 1P7, Canada
Claude Hébert: Hydro-Québec TransÉnergie, Montréal, QC H2Z 1A4, Canada
Olivier Blancke: Hydro-Québec’s Research Institute—IREQ, Varennes, QC J3X 1P7, Canada
Atieh Delavari: Hydro-Québec’s Research Institute—IREQ, Varennes, QC J3X 1P7, Canada
Georges Abdul-Nour: Département de Génie Industriel, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR), Trois-Rivières, QC G8Z 4M3, Canada

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 16, 1-23

Abstract: Modern electrical power utilities must deal with the replacement of large portions of their assets as they reach the end of their useful life. Their assets may also become obsolete due to technological changes or due to reaching their capacity limits. Major upgrades are also often necessary due to the need to grow capacity or because of the transition to more efficient and carbon-free power alternatives. Consequently, electrical power utilities are exposed to significant risks and uncertainties that have mostly external origins. In this context, an effective framework should be developed and implemented to maximize value from assets, ensure sustainable operations and deliver adequate customer service. Recent developments show that combining the concepts of asset management and resilience offers strong potential for such a framework—not only for electrical utilities, but for industry, too. Given that the quality and continuity of service are critical factors, the concept of Value of Lost Load (VoLL) is an important indicator for assessing the value of undelivered electrical energy due to planned or unplanned outages. This paper presents a novel approach for integrating the power grid reliability simulator into a holistic framework for asset management and electrical power utility resilience. The proposed approach provides a sound foundation for Risk-Informed Decision Making in asset management. Among other things, it considers asset performance as well as the impact of both current grid topology and customer profiles on grid reliability and VoLL. A case study on a major North American electrical power utility demonstrates the applicability of the proposed methodology in assessing maintenance strategy.

Keywords: asset management; complexity; electrical power utilities; maintenance; reliability; resilience; risk-informed decision making; value of lost load (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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