Reliability Review
What is Reliability?
Is an indication of how well the system performs at delivering power to our customers
Has to do with complete interruptions of power
Does not cover momentary outages or power quality issues
Reliability Factors
Number of customers
Duration of interruption
Frequency of interruptions
How Do We Improve Reliability?
Reliability is improved by reducing outage frequency and duration through:
- Tree trimming and mowing
- Equipment maintenance and replacement
- Adding line reclosers and other protective devices
- Feeder configuration change (add more ties and backup connections)
- Faster customer restoration
Reliability Statistics
What Happened in 2022?
- Higher number of Major Event Days than normal
- More “large” outages than normal
- Multiple widespread storm events
- Multiple large scale vehicle incidents
2022 Overview
Key Outage Indicator Comparison
| EVENT | Totals 2022 | Totals 2021 | Previous 5 Year Average | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outages | 278 | 312 | 312 |  11% |
| Interruptions | 105,949 | 102,091 | 69,262 |  53% |
| Customer Hours | 626,193 | 368,833 | 239,927 | 161% |
Outage Causes
| Equipment outages | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Conductor | 16 | 7 |
| Transformer | 12 | 9 |
| Aluminum (Insul) URD | 10 | 5 |
| Cut-Out | 8 | 21 |
| Fuse | 5 | 8 |
| Insulator | 5 | 1 |
| Aluminum Wire | 4 | 4 |
| Connector/Splice/Jumper | 4 | 3 |
| Copper Wire | 3 | 5 |
| Terminations/Potheads | 2 | 3 |
| Circuit Breaker | 2 | 5 |
| Crossarm | 1 | 2 |
| Recloser | 1 | 1 |
| Poles | 1 | 0 |
| Cubicle/Module | 1 | 1 |
| Lightning Arrester | 1 | 0 |
| Grand Total | 76 | 79 |
Tree Related Outages
Analysis
- Typically, trees cause the majority of our outages
- To more closely reflect the effect that trees have on system outages, we have combined Storm Related, Trees – Broken or Fell, and Wind for analysis
- With these combined causes, we looked at the outages by substation and by circuit
Tree Related Outages by Year
Possible Areas of Focus
Looking at locations with 3 or more outages, we should take a closer look at these areas:
| Area | Outages | Customer Hours | Customers Affected |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Shore Road | 4 | 6,549 | 1,032 |
| Mox Chehalis Road | 4 | 2,415 | 1,318 |
| Wynochee Valley Road | 6 | 2,026 | 672 |
| Black Creek Road | 3 | 1,466 | 134 |
| North River Road | 5 | 1,398 | 285 |
| South Shore Road | 5 | 1,242 | 362 |
| Wiskah Road | 3 | 1,141 | 340 |
| Walker Road | 4 | 939 | 207 |
| Newskah Road | 3 | 484 | 55 |
| McNutt Road | 3 | 249 | 52 |
| West Satsop Road | 3 | 96 | 39 |