Efficient coordination in major power disruption

Abstract

Obtaining the right and up-to-date information is crucial for distribution system operators (DSOs) when coordinating a situation during weather-related major power disruptions. A typical challenge is that the needed information is scattered in various sources, databases, and systems. Gathering and delivering the information to internal and external parties is inefficient without a clear and centralised system. Situation awareness has understandably a significant impact on decision-making and thus also on the overall performance for recovering from a major power disruption. Major power disruptions cause notable consequences for the different parts of society which is nowadays highly dependent on reliable electricity distribution. Major power disruptions have also significant impact on a DSOs' financial performance due to the regulation model which has a factor related to the energy that is not served during the outages. Recognising the worst affected areas and allocating the sufficient resources for these at an early stage is very important. This study will present in detail the situational awareness tool which was designed to meet the requirements for the overall situation awareness. The study will also give practical examples of how the utilisation of the situational awareness tool has changed the overall picture in a major power disruption.