System Hardening
Securing utility infrastructure through effective storm planning and resilience management
Increasing incidence and severity of storm events and related high-profile power outages are creating new challenges for utilities. Regulators, policy makers and the public are demanding that utilities do more to prevent long-term, widespread outages. An infrastructure can be built that will withstand severe weather. But the cost is prohibitive to customers and regulators.
System hardening is not simply about putting in stronger poles or placing facilities underground. It is about doing the best possible job with the resources available—all while maintaining a reasonable cost structure balanced against good service reliability.
Analysis and strategies for effective, targeted storm resilience
KEMA offers emergency planning and asset management solutions -- helping utilities ensure their electric system has adequate storm and disaster resilience. We help clients understand what they are doing right, what more they can be doing and how to prioritize needed investments. The result is getting the highest added value from investments in asset planning, management and replacement.
We provide high-level analysis and strategy to support effective, targeted storm hardening initiatives. We examine the performance of utility facilities during a storm event to help clients better understand whether transmission and distribution structures performed appropriately. We base recommendations for improvement on detailed post-event forensic analysis -- undertaking extensive analysis to quantify both the probability of certain weather conditions and the probability of the infrastructure to withstand those conditions over an expected facility life threshold.
Insight into the complexities of a storm-hardened system
We work from a position of knowledge and experience. We understand that the variables to consider in building a storm-hardened system are quite numerous. And we understand the added complexities resulting from changes in community development, community regulations on utility construction, growth of vegetation and impact of private landowners and public official management of vegetation.
We help clients tap into utility leading practices from around the world – helping their engineers benchmark and collect that information. We also offer detailed engineering solutions to help clients incorporate the practices most applicable to their system and design standards.
Emerging smart grid and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) technologies and systems also provide new opportunities to further strengthen storm and disaster resilience. A leading global authority on smart grid, KEMA helps clients harness their smart grid installation and modify their restoration plan to enable faster system restoration.
KEMA system hardening assessments and solutions cover the full utility asset base, including: