March 2013

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CONTENTS
Vol. 65 No. 3
MARCH2013
C O V E R S T O R Y
24
Get It Done From the Air

Idaho Power uses helicopter-based live-line maintenance to get the job done in a timely, outage-free manner. By Tom Barber, Idaho Power r
30
30 36
Distributed Generation Drives System Planning

Network planning benets from geographic information system data and user-oriented software. By Jozef Tomcik, Peter Mento andJaroslav Serdula, VSE Group
FERC Order 1000

New regulations allow independent developers to compete against traditional utilities. By Cathy Swirbul, Contributing Writer
36
42
Reinforcing Rhode Island

National Grid nears completion of a challenging component of the New England East-West Solution suite of transmission projects. By David Beron, National Grid, Andrew Alexiades, POWER Engineers, and Scott Ryder, Energy Initiatives Group r
50
Incipient Faults: Can They Be Seen?

Real-time waveform analytics identify looming failures, bringing us into the realm of distribution fault anticipation technology. By Ken Sanford, Arizona Public Service Co., and John S. Bowers, Pickwick Electric Cooperative
58
GIS Enhances Hazard Tree Control

Mid-South Synergy uses a GIS-based spatial analysis plan to control and schedule vegetation management activities. By Comfort Manyame, Mid-South Synergy Electric Coop
42
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March 2013 | www.tdworld.com 3
CONTENTS
Departments
8
GlobalVIEWPOINT
Sustain and Renew. Over time, we learn what we can sustain and what we can renew, and that there are differences between the two. By Rick Bush, Editorial Director
16
10 14 16 20 22
BUSINESSDevelopments
NPPD Contracts POWER Engineers to Design 220-Mile Transmission Line Duke Energy Sues Cincinnati Over Line Relocation for Streetcar Project
SMARTGrid
CenterPoint Energy Makes Giant Strides in AMI Initiative EUs Energy-Efciency Directive Is a Hammer Blow for Smart Metering in Europe, Warns GlobalData Energy Consultant
22
TECHNOLOGYUpdates
MLGW Takes Unique Approach to Distribution Automation Project Tucson Activates New 5-MW Solar Plant
QuarterlyREPORT
Tree Care: Key to Storm Recovery. The Arbor Day Foundation helps to educate both utilities and their customers how to prevent storm-related damage to trees. By Randy Gordon, Arbor Day Foundation
CHARACTERSwithCharacter
A Woman with a Plan. When it comes to creating and executing a plan, Catie Plante, a transmission project manager and emergency coordinator specialist at Connecticut Light & Power, gets the job done, personally and professionally. By James R. Dukart, Contributing Writer
62
62 72
PRODUCTS&Services
High-Impedance Fault Detection Volt/VAR Optimization Technology
StraightTALK
Counterintuitive Strategies. For a utility to turn its storm performance around, it must recognize that the effects of many improvement initiatives are counterintuitive. By Richard Brown, WorleyParsons
In Every Issue
68 71
4
March 2013 | www.tdworld.com
ClassiedADVERTISING ADVERTISINGIndex
ABOUT OUR COVER: This helicopter-supported line maintenance was completed in considerably less time than ground deployment would have required.
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GlobalViewpoint
Sustain and Renew

was visiting with my buddy Vito maybe a decade ago and we were walking around in San Francisco when I happened into a shop that touted sustainability. Vito lives in the land of the politically and environmentally correct, so I asked, Hey, Vito, what does this sign mean? He couldnt give me a precise denition of what sustainability meant, although he was sure the proprietors goal was to project an environmentally friendly hue that would result in additional sales. Vito couldnt nd any obvious sustainably traits to the products for sale. And I was pretty sure the products couldnt sustain themselves. Sustainability in our culture has become such a feel-good word that, as long as a product doesnt overtly damage the environment, it can be claimed to be sustainable. And things are ever murkier now that the marketing world has embraced sustainability as its own. Being an editor, I checked the meaning of the term in my favorite dictionary, Merriam-Webster. There, I discovered that sustainability is relating to or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged. Okay, so using that denition on myself, I can state that my sense of humor is denitely sustainable. Ive had it dogging me for years. But to keep from using it up, to keep it sustainable, I try to parse it out. My wife is a psychologist and tells me that at least some of my aberrant behavior could be attributed to the fact that I am left-handed and (thus by association) right-brained. She sees in me common lefty traits, including creativity and speaking without mind engaged. Here is a typical speak before you think experience. I was in a room full of engineers and managers, and the discussion was being dominated by one particularly difcult manager who was quite critical of others opinions while quite fond of his own. In a gathering of 15 or so, Mr. Odious got on the topic of diet and made this statement: You are what you eat. Before I could stop my mouth, it responded to this irritant with: Then Buddy, you need to change your diet. I expected this comment would garner a few snickers or a laugh or two, but the room instead was lled with tomb quiet. Oh, no. This was awkward, and I could think of no way out. Evidently, I had hit too close to home with what others were thinking, and there was no way I could glib myself out of this bit of selfinduced ugly. I could only wait for a seemingly eternity of silence to pass. My condence was dinged. Any desire to deliver another zinger was squelched. But time restores, and my temporarily depleted well of off-the-cuff comments was replenished over time. With a lifetime of rebounding from comments of this
sort, I can positively state that my sense of humor is sustainable. Now I am a aming environmentalist compared to Vito. This Italian, Louisiana Cajun scrunches up his nose when politically correct people make unresearched statements like We need more renewable energy without any true understanding of the impact of their energy opinions. As you might imagine, when Vito and I talk, discussions can get a little heated when the word renewable works its way into our talks. Renewable seems to take on some of the same attributes as sustainable but with maybe a slightly more radical connotation. Going back to my man Merriam, renewable is capable of being replaced by natural ecological cycles or sound management practices. Im not often accused of demonstrating sound management practices, so lets take a look at my natural ecological cycle. After a day of heavy pondering, when I disengage the brain, it seems to renew and refresh on its own. Yes, I am here to state here and now that my brain is renewable. Heres how it works. When my brain is overly engaged, it simulates an overloaded transformer and saturates (a real transformer term); no more will ow in without some downtime. But the brain wont stop churning on a topic unless it is given something else to obsess over. In my instance, the best activities to refresh the brain are golf and shing. When golng, my mind churns on a dozen swing thoughts as I try to make that little white ball go in a straight line. When shing, my thoughts typically turn to casting techniques, shortly followed by analyzing methods to extract lures from tree limbs and underwater snags. In fact, these activities kick up such a fast brainial refresh rate that I could make a case for being paid to golf and sh. The best proof of my own renewable ecological cycle is that I have not lacked for an editorial topic in 18 years. Once the brain is renewed and those old synapses start ring again, I will surely get riled up or tickled by something. And then, as I sit down at the keyboard, words start jumping up on the screen. Not all editorials ow that easily, but I can say with condence that after the brain is refreshed, a renewable ow of consciousness will show its handiwork again. In full disclosure, I have to admit this editorial is not what I started out to write. I intended to write a column on economic sustainability, a much more serious topic. And now, well, my mind is saturated. I have hit my 850-word limit. Its time to hit refresh and hit the links.
Editorial Director
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BusinessDevelopments
Hydro-Qubec Awards Alstom FACTS Order

Hydro-Qubec has awarded Alstom Grid a contract to design, supply and install a 315-kV static var compensator at the Figuery Substation in Amos, Qubec. This substation is critical to the Abitibi-Tmiscamingue region of the province, which is facing growing industrial demand. Reinforcing the transmission system near Amos with proven, power electronics-based Flexible AC Transmission System (FACTS) equipment will improve the electric transmission capacity of the region. The Hydro-Qubec transmission system comprises 33,630 km (20,897 miles) of lines, 514 substations and interconnections with electric grids in Atlantic Canada, Ontario and the Northeastern U.S. There are 1,682 km (1,045 miles) of lines in the Abitbi-Tmiscamingue region of Qubec where industrial activities represent approximately 64% of all electricity sales in the area. Visit www.alstom.com.
NPPD Contracts POWER Engineers to Design 220-Mile Transmission Line

POWER Engineers has been awarded a contract to design, route and manage the construction of an approximately 220-mile (354-km) transmission line across northcentral Nebraska for the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD). The new 345-kV transmission line aims to enhance reliability, reduce system congestion and provide opportunities for the development of additional renewable energy projects on NPPDs electric grid. The line will be constructed from the existing Gerald Gentleman Station, extending north to a new substation in or near Cherry County, Nebraska, and then east to a new substation near the eastern border of Holt County. The new line may also require rerouting up to 2 miles (3.2 km) of an existing 345-kV transmission line into the new substation near the Holt County line. POWER will provide NPPD services related to preliminary engineering, route selection, environmental surveying, right-of-way acquisition, permitting, design engineering, structure and foundation design, electrical systems engineering and studies, surveying, and construction management services. The proposed line is part of a 10-year transmission expansion plan approved in 2012 by the Southwest Power Pool, which is responsible for ensuring adequate transmission infrastructure in a nine-state region that includes Nebraska. This is an important project for the Nebraska transmission system, and POWER is honored to work with NPPD to deliver an efcient, cost-effective and environmentally responsible transmission line, said Lynn Askew, POWERs senior project manager for environmental services. For more information, visit www.nppd.com or www.powereng.com.
Duke Energy Sues Cincinnati Over Utility Line Relocation for Streetcar Project
Duke Energy Corp. has led a lawsuit against the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S., arguing that a city ordinance requiring the company to pay to relocate utility lines for a streetcar project is unconstitutional. The lawsuit seeks to shift the estimated US$15 million cost back to the city. However, Duke has warned that the cost may be shifted to Duke customers if the city does not pay. Duke and the city were unable to settle the matter between them and have agreed to allow the courts to decide who should be responsible for the cost of moving utility lines to make room for streetcar stations and tracks. The suit, which was expected, states that Duke should not have to pay to relocate utility lines that wouldnt have to be moved if there were no planned streetcars. The city argues that it should not have to pay Duke for moving utility lines as part of a public improvement project. The utility argues that the city cannot give its own streetcar preferential treatment and cannot force other utilities operating in the street to relocate at their own cost to make way for the streetcar. To avoid delaying the project while awaiting the court ruling, the city has agreed to allocate the estimated $15 million needed for the relocation work and Duke has agreed to begin the work. City ofcials hope the project, estimated to cost $110 million, can open in 2016. The 3.6-mile (5.8-km) streetcar line will link popular spots throughout the citys downtown and riverfront areas with the trendy Over-the-Rhine district. For more information, visit www.duke-energy.com or www.cincinnati-oh.gov.
G&W Receives KEMA Product Certication

G&W Electric Co. is the rst recipient of a new Product Certi cate presented by the prestigious KEMA Laboratory in the Netherlands. The new Product Certi cate includes passing the conventional Type Test, which veri es the design parameters and ratings of the product to international standards, but further adds the following: l Sampling, which requires the manufacturer to supply more than one product sample, allowing lab personnel to randomly select which sample to test. l Quality system, which requires the manufacturer to be ISO 9001 certi ed for their quality systems. l Code of conduct, which requires the manufacturer to have a mission statement and company policies to guide the operations of the company toward product quality and customer satisfaction. G&W received the Product Certi cate for the latest extension to its Viper recloser product line, the Viper-LT. Visit www.gwelec.com
10
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BusinessDevelopments
PSE&G Unveils 10-Year Proposal to Make New Jersey Energy Strong

Public Service Electric and Gas Co. (PSE&G) proposed to invest US$3.9 billion during the next 10 years to proactively protect and strengthen its electric and gas systems against increasingly frequent severe weather conditions. In a ling with the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, PSE&G asked for initial funding approval of $2.6 billion during the rst ve years. Since some of the improvements will take more than ve years to implement, the utility may seek approval to spend an additional $1.3 billion in the following ve years to complete the program. PSE&Gs Energy Strong program would include protecting more than 40 utility installations from storm surges, strengthening distribution lines, making the electric grid smarter and thereby easier to restore customers, and modernizing the gas distribution system. PSE&G has been recognized repeatedly for providing safe, highly reliable service, said Ralph Izzo, PSE&G chairman and CEO. But reliability is no longer enough; we must also focus on the resiliency of our systems to withstand natural disasters. Its clear that Sandy, Hurricane Irene and the October ice storm in 2011 represent extreme weather patterns that have become commonplace, Izzo said. Its equally clear that how we live and do business is so dependent on energy that any outage is hard to tolerate. Sandy was a dening event for all of us; the states entire energy infrastructure needs to be rethought in light of weather conditions that many predict will continue to occur. PSE&G is responding to Sandy with a program that looks to the future with investments that would better protect homes and businesses when the next storm hits, while also improving day-to-day reliability, added Ralph LaRossa, PSE&G president and COO. During Sandy, 2 million of PSE&Gs 2.2 million electric customers lost power due to damaged switching and substations, damaged poles and electrical equipment, and downed trees that brought down wires. With the protections outlined in the ling in place, about 800,000 of those affected by a storm like Sandy would have remained with power, and restoration times for the rest would be reduced. A new report from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) warns that the failure to make adequate infrastructure investments in the U.S. electric grid could signicantly affect business productivity, employment and competitiveness. ASCE nds that by 2020, closing the investment gap in our electrical grid would save American businesses $126 billion, prevent the loss of 529,000 jobs and avert $656 billion in personal income losses. The cost of inaction is too high, Izzo said. We have a choice: continue to make incremental improvements and repairs to our electric and gas systems as we have always done. Or, we can be truly forward-looking and make more substantial investments that will help our state be better prepared for the next Irene, Sandy or other catastrophic event. PSE&G outlined key provisions for its 10-year plan: l $1.7 billion to raise, relocate or protect all switching and substations affected by recent storms as well as those in newly designated ood zones l $1.04 billion to replace and modernize 750 miles (1,207 km) of low-pressure cast-iron gas mains in or near ood areas l $454 million to deploy smart grid technologies to better monitor system operations to increase our ability to deploy repair teams more swiftly l $215 million to improve pole distribution systems l $200 million to create redundancy in the system, reducing outages when damage occurs l $60 million to move 20 miles (32 km) of overhead distribution lines underground l $140 million to protect natural gas metering stations and a liqueed natural gas station affected by Sandy or located in ood zones. For more information, visit www.pseg.com.
CG Opens Power Transformer Factory in Saudi Arabia

SPTC, a joint venture between CG and Saudi Transformer Co., inaugurated its agship power transformer factory in Dammam Industrial City in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Feb. 12. The joint venture is dedicated to the design, engineering and manufacture of power transformers and mobile substations. The factory has a capacity of 5,000 MVA. The rst transformer manufactured will leave the factory by mid-April. The joint venture has already received a ve-year framework contract for substation services. The rst orders are for one mobile substation and six 25-MVA power transformers. The products will be delivered to Saudi Electricity Co. Visit www.cgglobal.com.
Seattle City Light Partners on Campus Micro-Grid Project

Seattle City Light is partnering with the University of Washington in a portion of a regional smart grid demonstration project to build a micro-grid for its new campus housing. The US$10 million project, which received $5.1 million in federal grant money, is one of 11 subprojects that are part of the Pacic Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration Project managed by Battelle. The UW Smart Campus Demonstration Project, which began in early 2010, installed approximately 235 smart meters that began collecting data in July 2012 on real-time electricity use in 178 buildings. The project included construction of a secure communications network (FacNet) to gather meter data; a central meter data warehouse to archive historical energy use; a meter management system to retrieve, validate and monitor meter data in near real time; and custom energy analysis, reporting and visualization tools. Seattle City Light contributed $600,000 toward the project for data collection, automation controls and additional metering. Visit www.pnwsmartgrid.org.
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SMARTGrid
CenterPoint Energy Makes Giant Strides in AMI Initiative

CenterPoint Energy, a Texas transmission and distribution service provider (TDSP), has installed 2.2 million smart meters for residential and commercial customers, and is nearing completion of its communications infrastructure installation. A $200 million Smart Grid Investment Grant enabled the project, which also includes distribution automation capabilities. Advanced metering infrastructure provides automated service connection and disconnection and meter reading, as well as an 80% improvement in metering accuracy. Each of these automated transactions translates into an avoided truck roll. In our market in Texas, we have a high volume of service order management, said Kenny Mercado, senior vice president of grid and market operations. Its a competitive market so customers will change from one retailer to another retailer. We automatically disconnect and reconnect power on the order of about 7,000 transactions per day, so we have executed 3.5 million orders remotely since we went live. Another advantage of the meters is automatic noti cation of outages. As soon as the outage noti cation system becomes fully operational, CenterPoint will no longer need to wait to hear from customers to learn when an outage occurs or where crews must be dispatched. Smart meters also help determine the type of outage and the number of customers affected. The smart meters also offer customers the potential for signi cant electricity savings. CenterPoint owns and operates the electricity delivery equipment leading to the customer premises, including the customer meters. More than 100 retail electricity providers (REPs) compete with each other to sign up customers to sell them electricity. In addition to delivering the electricity, the TDSPs provide consumers consumption data to the REPS that then bill the customers. The Smart Meter Texas web portal enables customers to access their detailed consumption data, provides the REPs the ability to offer prepay or timeof-use programs, and enables both parties to connect home area network devices to the meter for real-time usage data. The CenterPoint initiative is highly complex and impacts numerous areas within the utility. In order to get the technology to work properly, you must have a solid set of requirements, have good communication within the organization and work with vendors that you trust, Mercado said. We went with large vendors for our project. Itron provided the metering hardware and designed the mesh network that served as the rst stage of communication back to the cell relays. Siemens provided the meter data management system. General Electric built the backhaul system IBM did all of the software integration, and Quanta Services was the contractor hired by Itron to do the labor. For more information, visit www.centerpointenergy.com.
EUs Energy-Efciency Directive Is a Hammer Blow for Smart Metering in Europe, Warns GlobalData Energy Consultant
European countries that can afford electricity smart metering programs will continue with their plans, but smaller nations and new accession states are now likely to back out of smart metering schemes, as the Energy-Ef ciency Directive agreed by the European Unions (EUs) member states late last year signi cantly waters down the billing and metering requirements found in previous drafts. Countries yet to complete cost-bene t analyses (CBAs) for electricity include Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Latvia and Portugal. Belgium, the Czech Republic and Lithuania already have completed negative CBAs and will not be implementing smart metering and smart grids. Jonathan Lane, GlobalDatas head of consulting for power and utilities, considers the fate of these countries smart grid plans: Whilst it is inconceivable that Germany will not implement smart metering given its large solar and wind generation sector, all the other undecided countries look like a signi cant risk and only Poland has a strong chance of a positive result. The smart metering industry must take some responsibility for this result. It has been unable to deliver a simple, massmarket product to Europe such as those found in the U.S. The lack of an available frequency for radio mesh products used in the U.S. has been a problem, but the industry has failed to nd a solution that works across Europe at a reasonable cost. Why would a utility in Hungary buy a GPRS-enabled smart meter for 100 euros, when it can buy a single-phase electronic meter for 10 euros? Many European countries, including Hungary, already have ripple control system to manage the peaks produced by electric hot water heaters and do not need smart meters for demand response. Lane also argues that policy makers at the EU and national level are to blame because of their inability to articulate the purpose of smart metering in Europe. Is it to drive energy efciency, he asks, reduce non-technical losses, to enable large quantities of intermittent renewables to be connected to the grid, to support electric vehicles, to deliver demand response? Again, Europe can learn from the U.S., which has a clear focus on the biggest challenge alleviating the peaks produced by air conditioning. GlobalData expects countries in Eastern Europe to focus on district heating measures to support their energy-ef ciency goals, and perhaps smart meterings time will come again for these countries perhaps when a frequency can be made available for radio mesh. For more information, visit www.globaldata.com.
14
Count on DuPont to help keep your customers out of the dark

DuPont Viewpoint and Streamline herbicides can help keep the lights on by limiting service interruptions caused by unchecked brush. Measured in ounces instead of pounds, these products can increase worker productivity and control hard-to-manage species. Viewpoint offers the broadest spectrum of brush control in a single product. Streamline manages tough brush while promoting grass understory. Contact your local DuPont representative for more information. viewpoint.dupont.com streamline.dupont.com
DuPont Streamline and Viewpoint are not available in all states. See your DuPont sales representative for details and availability in your state. Always read and follow all label directions and precautions for use. Te DuPont Oval Logo, DuPont, Te miracles of science, Streamline and Viewpoint are trademarks or registered trademarks of DuPont or its aliates. Copyright 2013 E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. All Rights Reserved. LANDM026893P125A
TechnologyUpdates
ATC Synchrophaser Initiative Advances

American Transmission Co. (ATC) provides electric transmission service for Michigans Upper Peninsula, eastern Wisconsin and portions of Illinois through 9,440 miles (15,192 km) of highvoltage transmission lines and more than 500 substations. ATCs US$2.6 million phasor measurement unit (PMU) project, which received a $1.3 million federal grant, is expanding the collection of phasor data from 45 to 90 substations throughout its transmission system. ATC has 85 PMUs in service, 18 of which are digital fault recorders (DFRs) with synchrophasor output enabled. ATC is installing stand-alone Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories PMUs at sites that do not currently have DFRs and upgrading existing ERLPhase and Mehta Tech DFRs to give them PMU functionality. Data from 35 PMUs is being sent to Midwest ISO with plans to enable all data later. The last ve Department of Energysponsored PMU sites will be completed in 2013. ATCs project is also using new phasor data concentrators from Cooper Power, and improved data collection and historian software from OSIsoft. Ultimately, ATC will use synchrophasor monitoring to improve system reliability and restoration procedures. Wide-area monitoring, visualization and system control enables a more expansive view of the bulk transmission system while revealing dynamic operating details. ATC soon will have PMUs installed and providing data at all 345-kV substations and large generating stations. Long term, Jim Kleitsch, ATCs operation lead, sees the data becoming increasingly integrated with ATCs existing processes so that operations, planning, system protection and asset maintenance personnel can analyze the data to determine how the system is performing. Starting in 2014, ATC will shift from getting the data owing to analysis of the data and implementation of changes based on the results. ATC plans to extend synchrophasor visibility outside its operational footprint by leveraging data that will be made available from other companies as well as from the Midwest ISO. Visit www.atcllc.com
MLGW Takes Unique Approach to Distribution Automation Project

Memphis Light, Gas and Waters (MLGWs) US$13 million smart grid project is unique in that it is an internal distribution automation project without a large customer component. In fact, while most customers might not be aware of the project, the results will be very real for the utility and the customers. As part of its smart grid project, MLGW installed more than 500 intelligent relays, obtained from ETI/Richards and Digital Grid Technologies, with communications capabilities for the network electric distribution system that serves the downtown and medical center districts. These network protector relays work in conjunction with a variety of sensors to monitor operating parameters of the transformer and protector as well as the environment within the underground vaults. To enable communication between the smart grid components, ber-optic and copper instrument cables were installed throughout the area. RuggedCom provided the communications routers for the system. This communications network integrates the new automated distribution equipment in the eld with an upgraded supervisory control and data acquisition system and expansion of the current outage management system into a distribution management system. All of the equipment was installed at the end of 2012, and MLGW is currently conguring the control programs to interpret the data being delivered from the system. When complete, MLGW will have unprecedented knowledge of the condition of its system, remote control of network protectors and a wealth of analysis tools to improve the quality of engineering and operational studies. Memphis intends this automated distribution management to reduce operating costs. It improves distribution system reliability by providing a fast and coordinated response to grid outages, as well as improved preventative maintenance due to equipment monitoring. Worker safety is improved by reducing the number of trips into the vaults, particularly under dangerous conditions. For more information, visit www.mlgw.com.
Tucson Activates New 5-MW Solar Plant

Tucson Electric Power (TEP) announces the completion of the 5-MW Prairie Fire Solar Plant in Tucson, Arizona, U.S. Over the course of a year, the Prairie Fire array is expected to produce nearly 9,000 MWh, enough to power more than 850 homes. The xed-tilt system was designed and constructed by SOLON. TEP will own and operate the solar production facility. The 5-MW system spans 28 acres (11 hectares) and is composed of more than 17,000 solar panels. The construction of the system, located near East Valencia and East Old Vail roads, took just 10 weeks and created the equivalent of 75 full-time local jobs. The Prairie Fire system is the third utility-scale solar array SOLON has developed for TEP in Tucson. By the end of 2013, the utility expects to have more than 250 MW of renewable generating capacity, enough energy to power the equivalent of approximately 50,000 homes. For more information, visit www.tep.com and www.solon.com.
16
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technologyUpdates
Tennessee Valley Authority and NEETRAC Pilot Smart Wire Technology to Improve Grid Reliability
A pilot demonstration of Smart Wire technology is now under way on the Tennessee Valley Authoritys power transmission system. Installed on a 161-kV transmission line near Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S., the Smart Wire system is designed to provide congestion relief by redistributing power ow onto underused lines, thereby optimizing transmission system operations. Smart Wire technology, manufactured by Smart Wire Grid Inc., consists of an array of distributed series reactance units (DSRs) that easily attach to a transmission line. The units limit the electrical current ow on the line by injecting inductive reactance. The DSRs can be operated autonomously or with full operator control and provide distributed line sensing and monitoring. This represents a milestone in moving the Smart Wire technology from concept through development and into utility operation, said Bruce Rogers, director of technology innovations for TVA. We saw the critical need for this technology and became an early funder of the Smart Wire concept. For several years, TVA has continued support of the Smart Wire technology development effort through the Georgia Tech/National Electric Energy Testing, Research & Application Center (NEETRAC) and the Smart Wire Focused Initiative (SWFI). The U.S. Department of Energys Advanced Research Program AgencyElectric (ARPA-E) will monitor the 99 units for a year to verify performance. Each unit weighs about 150 lb (68 kg) and looks like a long rectangle box. The technology offers our transmission grid planners and operators a new tool that helps address a wide range of issues facing TVA today, said Rob Manning, executive vice president and chief energy delivery ofcer for TVA. The number of challenges that transmission system owners must meet increases every year. We are asked to improve grid reliability, facilitate efcient electricity markets along with integrating renewables. We think Smart Wire technology will help us do this. The DSR units were rigorously tested to electric utility standards for fault current, corona, lightning impulse and vibration by Georgia Tech/NEETRAC at its high-voltage test facilities. The TVA team of engineers, operations, planners and eld crews were phenomenal. Crews installed the 99 DSR units in half the time expected, stated Stewart Ramsay, CEO for SWG Inc. Support and funding for the development of the Smart Wire technology and units was provided by TVA and other utilities as part of NEETRAC/SWFI participation and by the Department of Energy ARPA-E GENI program. TVA provided additional funding to support the pilot demonstration installation. Visit tva.gov, www.neetrac.gatech.edu and www.smartwiregrid.com.
18
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QuarterlyRepoRt
Tree Care: Key to Storm Recovery

By Randy
n the wake of a disaster like Hurricane Sandy, the rst priority is to protect life, safety and property. But once the emergency response has ended, addressing damage to neighborhood trees becomes central to long-term recovery. Electric utility providers are already among the rstresponders in the wake of the storm, working to keep the lights on and keep people safe in their homes. They also eld frequent calls from customers concerned about the intersection of trees and power lines, and whether trees in their own yard pose a signicant risk. These companies also have a crucial role to play in tree care and recovery, alongside elected ofcials, neighborhood leaders and the media. The Arbor Day Foundation is actively engaged with utility providers seeking proactive steps to prepare customers at risk during storms. Through customer education, planting the right tree in the right place and a commitment to proper pruning and care, a great deal of tree-related damage can be prevented during disasters. These important steps also preserve the year-round benets of urban forestry.
Gordon, Arbor Day Foundation

mends that they hire a professional arborist. Some tree specialists may offer their services, but they may be scam artists who dont know the industry or have the expertise to get the job done right. If a homeowner decides to care for a damaged tree on their own, they must follow proper safety precautions and best practices. Finally, homeowners can prepare their trees for future storms. With proper care, much of the worst damage to trees and property can be prevented.
Partnering with Utilities

In addition to helping utilities to educate their customers, the Arbor Day Foundation is working with them to protect the tree canopy and improve the health of urban forests. Even so, there is room for even deeper partnerships. Nearly 150 utility companies are already recognized by the foundation as a Tree Line USA, in honor of their commitment to proper tree planting, pruning and care in their respective service areas. Tree Line USA honors both public and private utilities for pursuing practices that protect and enhance Americas urban trees and for helping customers to plant the right tree in the right place to save energy. The healthy intersection between urban forestry and utility providers also informs the Energy-Saving Trees program. Launched by the Arbor Day Foundation as a pilot initiative in 2011, Energy-Saving Trees gives customers of participating utilities the chance to conserve energy and reduce electricity bills by receiving a free tree to plant in their own yard. Through the program, an online tool allows customers to order trees and plant them in a location that will result is the highest possible savings through the shading effect. In addition to providing approximate energy savings, the tool also estimates the trees other benets, many of which are felt throughout the community. Atlantic Cities Utilities, Delmarva and Pepco, serving millions of customers in Hurricane Sandy-affected areas, are three of the utilities participating in the Energy-Saving Trees Program. Both now and in the future, the foundation looks forward to continuing its work with private and public sector partners on effective urban forest management solutions.
Randy Gordon (rgordon@arborday.org) is a program manager for the Arbor Day Foundation. The foundation began in 1972 and has grown to include about 1 million members nationwide who plant millions of trees annually.
Investing in Proper Tree Maintenance

One of the community benets of a robust tree canopy is reduced municipal costs. A typical urban forest of 10,000 trees will retain 10 million gallons (3.78 million liters) of rainwater per year, improving storm water management and reducing the expenditures needed for the citys sewer and wastewater infrastructure. Another key advantage is the boost to local economies. Communities with ample tree-life attract more homeowners and professionals, and see property values rise between 10% and 20%, while retail areas with more trees draw more shoppers who stay longer.
Educating Homeowners
The Arbor Day Foundation offers counsel on how to properly assess damage to trees and provide needed care through a comprehensive Storm Recovery Kit. The kit contains both written materials and videos, and broadcast-quality DVDs are also available upon request. In this kit, the Arbor Day Foundation gives a variety of key storm-recovery tips to electric utilities customers, which, in turn, can minimize tree damage and prevent unnecessary outages. For example, homeowners are advised not to panic following a storm and consider waiting a few weeks or months before making their nal decision about a tree. If a fallen tree does require immediate attention, the foundation recom-
20 March 2013 | www.tdworld.com
Choosing the right pole for the right application is the key to a successful project.
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A Broad Structure Offering Because every installation has its specic challenges, Valmont Newmark knows the key to success is being able to use the right structure for a given application. That is why Valmont Newmark, a leader in the industry, provides the products necessary to meet your specic needs.
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CHARACTERSwithCharacter
A Woman with a Plan

By James
R. Dukart, Contributing Writer
Catie Plante,
he rst thing you need to know about Catie Plante is contained in the rst four letters of her last name. As if divined by birth, this is a young woman with a P-L-A-N. For Plante, a project manager and emergency coordination specialists at Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P), planning and executing plans has been part of her DNA since childhood. She was introduced to the utility business as a young girl, tagging along with her father, a transmission project manager at Public Service New Hampshire (PSNH), as he would inspect transmission lines and visit substations. I loved what he did, Plante recalls. I knew right away I wanted to follow in his footsteps. She wasted no time in doing so, enrolling in Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, in civil engineering. Her experience in the business began with a transmission maintenance internship at PSNH. Plante spent her rst two college summers hiking the woods of New Hampshire, inspecting lines, and observing planning and construction. She spent her senior year of college interning in the Albany, New York area. Coming out of college, Plante knew she wanted to be in transmission project management, but she felt working at PSNH while her father was still there might constitute a conict of interest. So she joined another of the Northeast Utilities family of companies, CL&P. She started in the transmission systems planning group, which she notes was staffed with electrical engineers who were experts on network planning and reliability but not as familiar with civil engineering constraints such as terrain, climate and pre-existing structures. Plante characterizes her time with this group as a bidirectional learning experience: she learned about network design from within a utility, while other group members gained from her background in civil engineering and familiarity with the geographic and demographic characteristics of CL&Ps service territory. Plante spent a year and a half with the transmission planning group, followed by a year as a civil engineer designing structures for substations and specializing in culvert designs and engineering. I like the dirt and steel, something you can wrap your arms around, she notes. Her next role was as a transmission project manager. And in June, Plante joined CL&Ps emergency preparedness group. The combination and experience of all her CL&P roles came into play in a major way in early November, Plante notes, when
Connecticut Light & Power

Superstorm Sandy slammed the Connecticut coast. In the weeks leading up to the storm, weather reports gave Plante and her emergency preparedness colleagues a fairly accurate picture that Sandy would land between New Jersey and New England, so CL&P knew it was in the bulls-eye, so to speak. The company was able to do pre-landfall assessments and, in particular, line up help ahead of time for what would surely be major outages. We really wanted to make sure we had all hands on deck, says the consummate planner Plante. And we did. We had updated maps and plans for communications. That is so important, because when the power goes out, you also lose communications networks. Once the storm hit, CL&Ps most important charge was to assess emergency or 911 situations, addressing rst and foremost any life-threatening conditions or outages. CL&P restored power to an estimated 800,000 customers throughout the restoration process following the storm, with many of the outages due to costal ooding. The next task was to clear roads so emergency vehicles could pass and crews could get in to restore power. It felt like the entire company, she says, worked 16-plus-hour days for at least a week straight, but in the end, it was able to restore power to large majority of its customers within days. We learned a lot from previous storms, too, Plante adds, citing in particular Hurricane Irene, which hit the East Coast in 2011. Among the more interesting notes to Superstorm Sandy, Plante observes, is that it hit exactly during a full moon, meaning tides were as high as they could possibly be, leading to increased ooding. One of the more memorable crises of the storm was when CL&P learned that a backup generator had caught re at a high-security womens prison in the southern part of the state. At rst, we had to evaluate whether to try to get a new generator there, or try to restore the circuit, Plante says. With weeks of long work days now behind her, Plante is turning to her next series of plans, which is to compete in a couple more half marathons this year. Last year, she trained for and competed in her rst full marathon, an experience she likens to emergency preparedness planning. You have to make a plan and execute it, she exudes. You can probably tell I would like that. She also plans to participate in the Ragnar Relay from Logan to Park City, Utah, in June. Its a 192-mile (309-km) run in which 12 runners per team have to plan out their overnight trek through Utahs canyons and mountains. Sounds pretty much perfect for Catie Plante.
22
Me and my brandnew CIBANO 500!

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My Dad tests circuit breakers

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LiveLine
24
Idaho Power uses helicopter-based live-line maintenance to get the job done in a timely, outage-free manner.
By Tom
Get It Done From the Air

Barber, Idaho Power
surements to create a detailed project plan. Each project task was listed, the associated hazards for that task were identied, work procedures were written and appropriate mitigation steps were developed. In addition, specialized tooling needs were identied to reduce hazards. Tailboard discussions were held every morning to review operational tasks, identify potential safety hazards and list mitigation measures to be used for every particular phase of the project.
daho Power maintains nearly 5,000 miles (8,047 km) of transmission lines stretching across some of the most rugged and remote landscape throughout Idaho and Oregon, U.S. Moving equipment necessary to maintain the lines by ground is difcult, sometimes requiring permission from landowners and environmental assessments, as well as the addition of new roads. Beyond access issues, it is becoming increasingly difcult to get permission for outages to perform maintenance work. Although Idaho Power has some redundancy, high electrical load in the summer and winter prevents outages during these months; however, outages are possible in the spring and fall. Idaho Power supplies electricity to more than 500,000 customers that span 24,000 sq miles (62,160 sq km). Since the 1980s, Idaho Powers load has increased by 1,075 MW and continues to grow at about 50 MW per year, with the most rapid growth occurring in Boise and the surrounding area.
The Implementation
Following a tailboard meeting, one of Haverelds 21 McDonnell Douglas MD500 helicopters would long-line the linemen and necessary equipment to the rst structure. Typical tools used for the work included attachment hardware and brackets, berglass work sticks and ladders, strain poles and
Specialized Live-Line Crews

An inspection of BrownleeBoise Bench transmission lines showed many insulators and dampers needed to be replaced. The project included 103 miles (166 km) of transmission lines between the Brownlee Station in Hells Canyon and the Boise Bench Substation in the Boise metro area. Idaho Power does not integrate bare-hand hot crews in its internal workforce to perform energized work on its 230-kV lines; therefore, the utility outsourced this project to contractors who provide options for live-line maintenance. Idaho Power selected Havereld Aviation, an aerial utility contractor, based on its ability to navigate close tolerances and tight electrical clearances as well as its line worker expertise. Working closely together, Idaho Powers project team and Haverelds specialized services and safety teams developed a detailed health and safety plan tailored to the utilitys project. Contractor personnel went to each structure and took mea-
A helicopter provides a long-line delivery of a crew to the structure.
www.tdworld.com | March 2013
25
LiveLine
innovations in Aerial Situations

It is becoming increasingly difcult to obtain permission for outages during maintenance on transmission lines. Environmental concerns and a lack of muchneeded new power line construction have complicated the situation even more. The burden placed on utilities and their systems by constantly increasing consumer demand and the fact certain areas are fed by radial lines make energized maintenance the only viable solution. Recognizing a need to address this issue, Havereld developed a specialty operations division. Composed of a team of experienced pilots, foremen, linemen and groundmen, this division has been tasked with the development of solutions for situations with complex energized maintenance work and construction projects. As many projects present unique problems, the team continues to invent solutions. A recently completed project presented difculties that resulted in the design and fabrication of a unique device that will be useful in many future situations. The project required work on structures that were designed for 69-kV lines but installed with 115-kV lines, which made conventional work methods a challenge. The issue was addressed with the development of a hydraulically adjustable, extruded berglass baker board with adjustable attachment brackets. This allowed work on The crew, lifts, platforms and gear were delivered to this structure by the structures to be performed safely, which consisted of helicopter to perform a complex set of energized maintenance actions. switching out pinning plates, insulators and any necessary conductor repairs. In another instance, a customer requested insulators be replaced on 400-ft (122-m) towers, which spanned over a river crossing. This work needed to be performed energized. The conductors were 3,500 million circular mils and weighed 12,000 lb (5,443 kg) each. In response to the challenge the weight of the conductors created, the team developed a winch capable of lifting 24,000 lb (10,886 kg). The winch was to be mounted above the arm of the structure to help overcome clearance concerns that the situation presented. In addition, strain sticks and lifting plates large enough to handle the extreme wire weight were fabricated. Because the lines were 345 kV with vertical construction, the team had to attach 80 ft (24 m) of strain sticks together to allow optimal positioning of equipment and linemen to make working on the conductors safe. The nal development for the project was a small spacer cart that would work on a single conductor for the change-out of 3,000 lb (1,361 kg) of conductor dampers. Clearance issues with the middle phase on a 500-kV line for another job required the development of a spacer cart that could be own and suspended below the helicopter using the human external cargo (HEC) system. The HEC system is used when a lineman is suspended by a long line, 50 ft (15 m) or more in the air from the base of a hovering helicopter. Using the HEC system, the newly designed spacer cart, equipped with a lineman and tools, landed into position successfully on the energized middle phase of the 500-kV line, directly on the conductor. On another water-crossing job, the customer had 400-ft towers with 5,000-ft (1,524-m) spans. The project required the replacement of conductor weights and spacers. Conventional spacer carts could not travel up the wire without slipping. This required the team to engineer a four-wheel-drive spacer cart that could handle the centenary of the wire without slipping.
ratchet wrenches. Specialized equipment also was lifted into place. Some examples of specialized equipment that could be used on a particular structure follow: l Custom-designed baker boards and support brackets for conductor shoe and insulator replacement l Deadend strain stick assemblies for insulator and deadend shoe replacement l Long custom berglass strain sticks for the human exter-
nal cargo system to position personnel on the structure, conductor or baker boards as needed.
Repairs and Change-Outs

Conductor, damper and hardware repairs at the structure and insulator change-outs were facilitated using a patented support assembly attached to the structure body. These specialty baker boards were extruded berglass platforms tted
26
LIVELine
would be landed, swung into position and connected to the conductor. Fiberglass strain sticks would be installed into position on the structure by the linemen on the ladder to break the load, to allow the insulators to be changed.
The Results
Work on the BrownleeBoise Bench Project began on Sept. 3, 2012, and was completed on schedule 15 days later. At the conclusion of the project, 42 suspension strings and two deadend strings were replaced, conductor repairs were made as needed and damper installations were done at 66 lattice structures. While the costs are comparable, a ground-based crew would have needed about three-and-a-half months to complete the same work.
Tom Barber (tbarber@idahopower.com) is a project manager at Idaho Power Co. and has 15 years of experience in the electric utility industry. Prior to working at Idaho Power, he spent ve years working in consulting at Ralph M. Parsons and POWER Engineers. Barber holds a BSEE degree from the University of Idaho and is a professional engineer registered in Idaho.
Companies mentioned:
Havereld Aviation | www.havereld.com Idaho Power | www.idahopower.com A helicopter eye view of delivering linemen to the structure via the long line.
with specially fabricated brackets and hydraulic jacks that could be attached to a variety of structures. The boards were lifted by helicopter and tted into place just under the conductors. A linemen would raise the conductor with a hydraulic lift, disconnect it from the insulators and slide it outward from the structure. Another lineman would then be long-lined onto the platform where he would use an arc wand and bond clamp hooked to his hot suit to energize and connect himself to the power line. Next, the lineman on the berglass board would perform work on the conductor while the lineman on the structure would replace the old insulators with new ones using the helicopter. On angle structures, special adapter brackets and strain sticks were used to hold the conductor and break the load. Two linemen would then be own to the structure on a mini platform connected to the helicopter with the long-line system. They would be bonded onto the conductor with wands and bond clamps while the helicopter would hover above the conductor. Then the lineman would disconnect the conductor from the insulators and return to the ground. The linemen on the structure would perform insulator change-outs with the assistance of the helicopter and a long line. The process was reversed to reconnect the conductor. Any work needed on the conductor dampers was done at that time with the mini platform. On double-deadend structures, linemen would be own to the structure by helicopter and long-lined, and then the equipment would be own to the structure. Fiberglass ladders
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NOW 27
S&Cs IntelliTeam isnt just automatic service restoration

ince its introduction in 1997, S&Cs IntelliTeam Automatic Restoration System has become the industrys standard. The latest version IntelliTeam SGis a universal solution for improving grid reliability. It works with S&C IntelliRupter PulseClosers, Scada-Mate and ScadaMate CX Switches, Remote Supervisory Pad-Mounted Gear, and Remote Supervisory Vista Underground Distribution Switchgear. And, using S&Cs IntelliNode Interface Module, IntelliTeam SG works with protection relays and recloser controls from other manufacturers too. But we didnt stop there. Now weve developed IntelliTeam VV and IntelliTeam DEM, along with leading-edge communication products, to meet other important needs of the intelligent grid. S&Cs IntelliTeam VV Volt-Var Optimization System greatly increases grid capacity and efciency. It works with load-tap changers, voltage regulators, and capacitor controls to optimize system voltage and power factor based on real-time conditions. Our IntelliTeam DEM Distributed Energy Management System can manage a eet of up to a thousand S&C PureWave Community Energy Storage Units, to isolate consumers from distribution system operations and transients for hours, and also integrate the communitys wind and solar power sources. And S&Cs SpeedNet Radios and IntelliCom WAN Mesh Radios are ideal for a wide range of Smart Grid applications.
IntelliRupter PulseCloser, available in voltage ratings of 14.4 kV through 38 kV, features PulseClosing Technologya unique means for verifying that the line is clear of faults before initiating a closing operation. Pulseclosing is superior to conventional reclosing. It greatly reduces stress on system components, as well as voltage sags experienced by customers upstream of the fault.
Scada-Mate Switching System, in voltage ratings of 14.4 kV through 34.5 kV, is ideal for automating overhead distribution feeders. All necessary functionssensing, control, and communicationsare provided in one economical, self-contained package.
6800 Series Automatic Switch Controls provide remote reporting of switch status points, current, voltage, watts, and VARs via a variety of protocols.
IntelliNode Interface Module allows IntelliTeam SG to work with a wide array of new and existing intelligent electronic devices from other manufacturers.
Automation needs change and grow with increased load, capacity, and demands for more reliable service. Scada-Mate CX Switches meet these changing needs, economically, in voltage ratings of 14.4 kV through 25 kV.
S&C ELECTRIC COMPANY
Remote Supervisory Vista Underground Distribution Switchgear, in ratings of 15.5 kV through 38 kV, provides automated switching and fault protection, and can also perform auto-sectionalizing without tripping the main breaker. Up to six loadinterrupter switches or fault interrupters can be motor operated in a single unit.
IntelliCom WAN Mesh Radios provide reliable, high-capacity, self-healing wireless mesh network communication for a wide range of applications requiring high throughput and very low latency. SpeedNet Radio has been optimized for IntelliTeam SG, distribution automation, and SCADA applications. Its high speed and low latency provides the fastestpossible communication for priority trafc.
Remote Supervisory PMH and PME Pad-Mounted Gear feature power-operated switches which respond to opening and closing signals from a remote location. This gear, available in ratings of 14.4 kV and 25 kV, can be specied with a communication and control equipment group, for a completely integrated and selfpowered automated switching and protection package.
IntelliTeam V V Volt-Var Optimization System achieves optimal power factor and voltage levels. It regulates VARs and voltage simultaneously.
The IntelliTeam DEM Distributed Energy Management System aggregates PureWave Community Energy Storage Units into a dispatchable energy source. It provides fully automated charging and discharging of the energy storage units, either at scheduled times or to meet target demand at feeder and substation transformer levels.
2012 S&C Electric Company
PureWave Community Energy Storage System provides distributed electric energy storage, for reliable, local backup power for consumers. The multiplicity of unitsintegrated and controlled by the IntelliTeam DEM Distributed Energy Management Systemoffers higher aggregated availability . . . keeping the grid functioning for more consumers.
S&Cs solutions for improved grid reliability, increased grid capacity and efciency, and grid communication include a wide range of supporting engineering and design, and construction and implementation services. These services can be provided individually or on a turnkey basis with the equipment. Contact S&C today to see how we can design and implement a solution for your system. Visit us at sandc.com/intelliteam or call us today at 773-338-1000.
1044-A1202
Scan this QR Code on your smartphone to learn more about S&Cs comprehensive solutions.
HIGHReliability
Distributed Generation Drives System Planning

Network planning benets from geographic information system data and user-oriented software.
By Jozef
Tomcik, Peter Mento and Jaroslav Serdula, VSE Group

response to a massive update of VSE Groups business applications, network information and control systems SAP, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and geographic information system (GIS) installed from 2004 to 2009. Systematic implementation of NPS was one of the last pieces of the puzzle when it came to VSE Groups IT tools. NPS is expected to replace the manual creation of network models, which is less precise, very time-consuming and not exible with regard to maintenance needs and updates. This form of network modeling affected, in a negative way, the quantity and technical capability of network analysis. The NPS now available on the market offers plenty of analytical and calculation functions that often exceed the quality and range of technical network data grid operators typically maintain. VSE Groups minimum requirements for NPS comprised the calculation of symmetrical load ows, symmetrical three-phase, and unsymmetrical single-phase and two-phase short-circuit currents. Other voltage-related analytical functions included rationalizing the feeder measurements (PQ values), determination of the capacitive currents in the 22-kV network, contingency analysis in the 110-kV system and determination of low-voltage (LV) fuse ratings. The duration of large network model calculators of up to 100,000 nodes should be minimal (completed within a minute). However, these performance functions were not the main driver of this project, as they were already specied by the NPS. The resulting technical specication focused mainly on data conversion and the consequential software processing. The data had to be convertible from any voltage level so users could analyze the high-voltage (HV) system and domestic load conditions. The large geographical HV/medium-voltage (MV) network models had to be capable of representing the grid, which has an area of 16,200 sq km (6,255 sq miles). Thus, it was essential for the NPS to have simple graphical representation of the results on the network diagram. This would enable users to distinguish individual feeder/substation-based supply areas or devices with some of the parameters beyond the area being studied. Editing, exporting and printing functions completed the VSE Groups requirements package, which was used as a basis
etwork planning specialists at VSD a distribution system operator in Slovakia and part of the European RWE Group process applications on a daily basis for the connection of additional load and distributed generation. These connections result in the need for minor and, at times, major modications to the distribution system. The utilitys internal guidelines for grid planning dene the basic framework for such modications. This often results in the need to quantify the impact of the distribution system on the newly connected load/generation and, vice versa, to assess the impact of these connections on the distribution system. In those cases, it is necessary to model the section of the distribution system either in very simple form using some of the available tabular calculators or in a more complex form using professional system planning software.
Planning Specication
In 2009, a team of engineers from the VSE Group, also part of the RWE Group, outlined the requirements for network planning software (NPS) from the users perspective by dening both the engineering and IT architectures. This was in
An example of a general user interface of PSS SINCAL.
30
HIGHReliability
for the contract tendering process. The source network database from the GIS had to be able to store three independent geographical grid models for the HV, MV and LV grids. The parameters for each of the grid models were specied as follows: High-voltage grid. The HV model would represent specically the 110-kV grid in the complete supply area of VSD. The (external) transmission system operators 400-kV grid would be represented by the in-feeds connected to a 400-kV bus bar. The subsequent transformers Graphical representation of the distribution system voltage levels. 400/110-kV and 110-kV overhead lines would be represented by electric parameters while bus bars 400-kV and 110-kV grid would be connected to a 110-kV bus and switching components would be converted from the GIS bar. Unlike in the HV grid, the 110/22-kV transformers would without any simplication. The end stations 110/22-kV trans- be modeled by the transformers electrical parameters. The formers would be represented as a load. The HV grid would downstream 22-kV lines and 22/0.4-kV transformers would be be designed to operate as a meshed connected network; there- modeled by standard parameters. Unlike in the 400-kV grid, fore, the contingency analysis would be used to identify bottle- the end stations would be modeled completely, including the necks in the grid. 22/0.4-kV transformers, with loads to represent the outgoMedium-voltage grid. The MV model would represent one ing 0.4-kV feeders. It should be possible to nd the optimum of the eight subregions of the supply area, so, in practice, transformer tap position and analyze the impact of the tap eight different MV models would be required. In-feeder mod- positions on the 110/22-kV and 22/0.4-kV transformers in a els representing the short-circuit conditions in the upstream complex 22-kV model. The load trim function is important for
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highReliability
fuse ratings that protect the equipment and satisfy the 5-second disconnection limit required under fault conditions. All three models (110 kV, 22 kV and 0.4 kV) would need the option to be virtually interconnected to allow for an analysis of mutual impacts between voltage levels in the most precise way.
Network Planning Software Selection

At the end of 2009, the VSE Group circulated a tender for the future supplier. A multi-criteria assessment was used to select the nal supplier. VSE Group made the decision based on the total cost of ownership, including ve years of maintenance, and the evaluation of technical requirements. Total cost and compliance with the technical specication were each assigned a 50% share. In 2010, the rst part of the contract, the Project-related screen shot of medium-voltage grid in PSS using the spectrum of colors business blueprint of the project, was elaborepresents the loading areas: red represents a heavily loaded area and green represents an rated in cooperation with all the interested area with a lighter load. vendors and approved. In 2011, the second this submodel to scale down the loads to real conditions on part of the contract this included modication to the exthe system. isting GIS system, development and supply of the conversion tools and the NPS was considered. This process resulted in l Low-voltage grid. The 0.4-kV model would represent a city or village. Apart from the 22-kV in-feeds, the whole down- the award of the VSE Group contract to Siemens Power Techstream 0.4-kV grid would be converted from GIS with a ratio of nologies International (Siemens PTI) in October 2011. 1:1, respectively. The end loads would represent individual customers and only standard-type parameters would be required The Network Planning Software to model the electrical parameters of individual elements. The The Siemens software package, containing the network dimensioning function would need to check the appropriate planning software PSS SINCAL version 8.5, included the related software to convert network data, background graphics and, last but not least, the updater of network data. User requirements, collected from utility users around the world, are integrated into this NPS in the form of regular updates, which benets both the software development as well as the customer. Two system enhancements within PSS SINCAL were the result of the VSE Groups recommendations. The quality of the distribution system model has a direct, signicant impact on the quality of the analysis; it is even more important than the features of the software. Furthermore, the time spent on creating a model is a critical factor. The project consisted mainly of the creation of a conversion tool representing the interface between two standardized software products. Simply, the conversion tool reads the data in the GIS Coloring of different medium-voltage supply feeders with background vector map (to help the and translates it into the data format language of NPS. utility and others to identify individual feeders in the geographical representation).
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Apart from the GIS, the conversion tool does not communicate with any other system, such as SCADA or SAP. During the conversion, auxiliary information (databases) is added to the converted GIS database. With this feature, it is possible to enter data from the in-feeder database in addition to the equipment and protection databases, including the MV and LV network electrical parameters not available in the GIS. In addition, the recorded power ow measurements database is important as it contains measurements from MV feeders (that is, the most downstream locations in the network, where load and generation proles are systematically and continuously measured). The measured MV data is used in NPS to scale the MV and LV loads (represented by their maximum or installed power values) and model the real conditions in a grid as precisely as possible. These auxiliary databases are prepared by VSE Group administrators. This proved to be much simpler in the creation and maintenance of the interfaces than other systems. The conversion tool, besides mapping an auxiliary database, also creates additional information. For instance, for HV and MV networks, the individual element names are predened within each business or technical system, but this is not applicable for LV grids. Therefore, the tool traces line segments during the conversion process and assigns them names according to the LV feeders in the MV/LV substation. In the solution, the conversion tool is integrated in the GIS system, thus the GIS is used as a middleware when accessing the source database. Therefore, the entire data selection process for future conversions is very interactive. The user can select any area using standard tracing and selection tools in the GIS and then convert it to PSS SINCAL. With this automated conversion of data, the user is able to create an exact distribution system model within a short time. In the past, the modeling of one of the VSE Groups MV subregions, approximately one-eighth of the VSE Groups complete system, took up to 500 hours. Today, the newly automated conversion solution creates a more precise grid model of similar size signicantly faster, in a maximum of 3 hours. This new solution has the potential to reduce the time for creating a distribution system model by some 99%. It is evident the systematic database of technical data in GIS marks an important milestone for the improvement of data modeling and grid analysis.
Planning Software Solution

The solution implemented at the VSE Group has improved the quality of network analysis signicantly. The grid planning specialist now can spend more time analyzing the grid instead of manually creating and maintaining the network model. Because it is a 1:1 conversion from GIS, the results of different calculations can be mapped easily with other systems and linked to equipment in the real network. For example,
34
HigHReliability
System Statistics
The VSE Group, part of the European RWE Group, comprises a number of companies, one of which is VSD, the distribution system operator in Slovakia. Annually, the utility distributes 3,800 GWh of electrical energy to a geographical area equivalent to one-third of eastern Slovakia, some 16,200 sq km (6,255 sq miles). The distribution system supplies more than 610,000 households through 34 110/22- kV substations and 6,000 22/0.4-kV stations. The total length of the 110-kV, 22-kV and 0.4-kV overhead lines and underground cable networks is 21,000 km (13,049 miles).
What the Future Holds

In the future, driven by the increasing penetration of distributed generation, particularly photovoltaic and cogeneration, it can be envisaged that the unbalanced power-ow calculations and dynamics available in PSS SINCAL will be used in the VSE Groups system development studies. The solution adopted by the VSE Group was developed according to the technical specication through the mutual cooperation of experts from Siemens PTI, L&Mark, ArcGEO and the VSE Group. It was approved by successful system acceptance tests in October 2011, creating a solid basis for grid planning support in the VSE Group.
Acknowledgement
The authors wish to acknowledge the excellent services provided during the project and the support given to this article by Dr. Thomas Bopp and Vladimir Kanas of Siemens PTI. Similarly, Janos Drienyovszki and Robert Vuleta, both of L&Mark, and Marin Marcinck of ArcGEO provided invaluable contributions.
Jozef Tomcik (tomcik_jozef@vsds.sk) studied power energy at the Technical University of Koice before joining the VSE Group in April 2004. Since July 2007, Tomcik has been working for the distribution operator as a specialist in grid calculations. Furthermore, he is participating in some external working groups, including CIREDs grid development and Eurelectrics NE T&D Interface. Peter Mento (mento_peter@vsds.sk) studied electrical engineering at the Technical University of Koice and joined the VSE Group in July 1997. Since January 2008, Mento has worked for the distribution operator as a specialist in grid calculations. Jaroslav Serdula (serdula_jaroslav@vse.sk) studied power energy at the Technical University of Koice and joined the VSE Group in July 1995. Since September 2010, Serdula has worked as a specialist in the department for the renewal and development of medium-voltage and low-voltage grids.
currently, the load ow results for MV levels are used as one of the criteria to prioritize equipment maintenance in the utilitys internal software related to optimized maintenance. The available load capability calculated by NPS serves the operational grid planners in their daily work. Three-phase maximum short-circuit currents are used for the dimensioning of lines, bus bars and transformers. Single-phase shortcircuit currents are used for the dimensioning of earthing systems and neutral point impedances (for example, Petersen coil or resistor). The main driver of the project was to be able to analyze and design the so-called HV and MV target networks. Target network means the future design of the network optimized from the capital and operational costs point of view. This type of network should not contain any redundant equipment, but it should still satisfy the N-1 reliability criteria on the HV and MV level. Currently, the VSE Group is in a transitional phase, using NPS to quantify the target network design proposed by the planning specialist according to the utilitys grid planning guidelines. The resulting diagrams of the target network can be exported in some vector picture formats, making it possible to publish it using standard picture viewers for all specialists involved in the entire network planning process and operations, without the need for them to be familiar with the functionalities of NPS. The next step will probably be the export of data from PSS SINCAL to a special optimization tool developed by the RWE Group that will enable the full process of dening the target grid to be fully automated.
ArcGEO | www.arcgeo.sk L&Mark | www.lmark.hu RWE | www.rwe.com Siemens PTI | www.siemens.com/power-technologies VSD | www.vsds.sk VSE | www.vse.sk
35
GRIDRegulation
FERC Order 1000

New regulations allow independent developers to compete against traditional utilities.
By Cathy
Swirbul, Contributing Writer

Owning and Operating Public Utilities, applies to new transmission facilities. Craig Cano, a spokesperson for FERC, explained the reasons for the new order. Order 1000 will remove barriers to the development of transmission, promoting cost-effective planning and the fair allocation of costs for new transmission facilities, Cano said. This enhanced transmission planning will provide a strong foundation for updating the grid to provide reliable transmission service as well as an opportunity to achieve goals that states and local authorities have set for lower emissions, demand-side resources and renewable energy.
ederal Energy Regulatory Commission Order 890 required transmission providers to organize into different regions and that transmission planning be built on coordinated, open and transparent processes. It also set the stage for FERC Order 1000, which requires grid operators to work together on regional planning and allows independent developers to compete with traditional utilities in building new power lines. The order, The Final Rule on Transmission Planning and Cost Allocations by Transmission
Planning Requirements
Public utility transmission providers are required to participate in a regional transmission planning process that satises Order 890s principles and produces a regional transmission plan. Additionally, local and regional transmission planning processes must consider transmission needs driven by public policy requirements, established by state or federal laws or regulations. Specically, transmission lines that help achieve the goal of a public policy, such as a state renewable energy standard, should be considered in the planning and cost allocation process. Also, public utility transmission providers in neighboring transmission planning regions must coordinate to determine
This map generally depicts the borders of regional transmission planning processes through which transmission providers have complied with Order 890. Those borders may not be depicted precisely for several reasons (for example, not all transmission providers complying with Order 890 have a dened service territory). Additionally, transmission planning regions could vary because transmission providers may choose to change regions. Source: Derived from Energy Velocity.
36
GRIDRegulation
6,000 if more efcient or cost-effective solutions are available. 5,000 Each transmission planning region must produce a regional transmission plan 4,000 reecting solutions that meet the regions needs more efciently and cost-effectively. 3,000 Stakeholders must have an opportunity to participate in identifying and evaluating 2,000 potential solutions to regional needs. In terms of interregional coordina1,000 tion, neighboring transmission planning regions must share information regarding 0 the respective needs of each region and poFRCC MRO NPCC RFC SERC SPP TRE WECC tential solutions to those needs. Each also Sources: Data derived brom Staff Database and U.S. Electric Transmission Projects 2013 The Three Group, LLC. should identify and jointly evaluate interDisclaimer: This report contains analysis, presentations and conclusions that may be based on or derived from the data source cited but do not necessarily reect the positions or recommendaregional transmission facilities that may be tions of the data providers. more efcient or cost-effective solutions to those regional needs. Transmission facili- All transmission projects by region with a proposed in-service date by December 2014. ties are considered interregional when located in neighboring transmission planning regions. Costs allocated must be roughly commensurate with estimated benets. Cost-Allocation Requirements Those who do not benet from the transmission do not Regional transmission planning processes must have a re- have to pay for it. gional cost-allocation method for a new transmission facility Benet-to-cost thresholds must not exclude projects with selected in the regional transmission plan. The method must signicant net benets. satisfy the following principles: There will be no allocation of costs outside a region Miles
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unless the other region agrees. l Cost-allocation methods and the identication of beneciaries must be transparent. l Different cost-allocation methods could apply to different types of transmission facilities. l Each region must develop its own proposed cost-allocation method. If the region is unable to decide on a method, FERC will decide based on the record. Also, there will be no interconnection-wide cost allocation. renewable energy as part of the renewable portfolio standards. According to a statement by FERC Chairman John Wellinghoff, The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) projects in its 2010 longterm reliability assessment that approximately 60% of all new resources expected to be added to the bulk power system by 2019 will be new wind and solar resources.
Removal of Federal Right of First Refusal

Order 1000 removes any federal right of rst refusal from FERC-approved tariffs and agreements with respect to new transmission facilities selected in a regional transmission plan for cost-allocation purposes. However, four limitations exist: l This does not apply to a transmission facility that is not selected in a regional transmission plan for purposes of cost allocation. l This does not apply to transmission facility upgrades. l The rule allows, but does not require, the use of competitive bidding to solicit transmission projects or project developers. l Nothing in this requirement affects state or local laws or regulations regarding the construction of transmission facilities. This includes, but is not limited to, authority over siting or permitting of transmission facilities. In terms of a timeline, FERC issued Order 1000 on July 21, 2011, and afrmed it in May 2012 with Order 1000-A. Local and regional compliance lings were due Oct. 11, 2012, and interregional compliance lings will be due on April 11, 2013.
John Wellinghoff
FERC Chairman
Regional Transmission Organizations Weigh In

On the regional side, the Southwest Power Pool Electric Energy Network (SPP) is compliant in practice with Order 1000, said Paul Suskie, SPPs senior vice president of regulatory policy and general counsel. In fact, the day that the FERC approved SPPs highway/ byway cost-allocation plan was the day that the FERC issued the note that led to Order 1000. A month after that, the FERC approved SPPs planning process. On the interregional side, we dont have interregional cost allocation, and we arent as synced up with our seams. The highway/byway methodolPaul Suskie Senior Vice President ogy is part of SPPs ongoing effort of Regulatory Policy to move from a traditional planand General Counsel Southwest Power Pool ning approach that focuses on local reliability issues to one that takes a more holistic approach that meets the needs of the region as a whole. SPP states that one such regional goal is the integration of the western and eastern portions of its grid to enable renewable resources, predominantly in the western areas of the SPP region, to serve load centers in the east. Suskie noted that the challenging aspect of Order 1000 is the elimination of the right of rst refusal. There is a great deal of uncertainty as to what is the law on the right of rst refusal in each of our states. The issue of nonincumbents building transmission in most of our footprint could lead to a lot of litigation. There has been some talk in our region of state legislatures addressing the matter, he said. Nearly all of the utilities in the SPP footprint are vertically integrated. As a result, the utility owns everything from the power plant to the meter in the home. The challenge is that somewhere between the meter and the power plant is a transmission line that could be owned by an entity such as a New York City hedge fund, Suskie said. When the lights are out and we need restoration, will that entity be there to turn the lights on and what is their incentive to do so? The load-serving utilities need to get the power back on to their customers. Suskie noted that Order 1000 is generally a good ruling be-
Increasing Competition
Chris Underwood, a project manager with Burns & McDonnell, noted that Order 1000 is a landmark ruling that aims to increase competition in the electric transmission industry. The electric transmission industry is in the process of evaluating options, Underwood said. Each region has its own set of unique challenges. However, one constant across North America is that the landscape is changing. Chris Underwood
Integrating Renewable Energy
Project Manager Burns & McDonnell
In addition to increasing competition, compliance with FERC Order 1000 would spur the development and use of more renewable energy. Traditionally, planners have considered new transmission for two primary reasons: to improve reliability and to potentially reduce rates by providing more competition in the open market. The public policy aspect of FERC Order 1000 means planners must now consider building lines to wind farms and solar arrays, which often are not located near population centers. These transmission lines would ensure states meet their targets for
38
GRIDRegulation
Order 1000 is generally a good ruling because its intent is to get new transmission built.
Paul Suskie, SPP cause its intent is to get new transmission built. Our concern is that if a nonincumbent is picked to build the transmission line, the ensuing litigation would greatly delay the project, he explained. SPP has a regional state committee of regulators in our footprint and they unanimously support SPPs ling to retain right of rst refusal for projects 300 kV and below, but to bid out projects above 300 kV, Suskie said. The most challenging aspect of Order 1000 for PJM is the right of rst refusal, according to Steve Herling, vice president of planning for PJM. What we led with FERC was a series of proposal windows related to projects in various time frames, Herling said. One of our guiding principles was that whatever procedures we put in place to facilitate greater competition could not be allowed to prevent us from implementing a solution for reliability needs in a timely fashion. To keep projects moving forward, PJM would have a fourmonth proposal window for developers on projects that are more than ve years out. Projects that are four or ve years out would have a one-month proposal window. PJM will evaluate projects that must be completed any sooner to determine
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whether there is sufcient time to evaluate proposals. If that cant be done, then well nd our best solution and designate our incumbent to build it, Herling said. PJM will engage an independent contractor to evaluate the cost of the proposals and the ability to site the project. Herling noted that this ruling will likely Steve Herling increase the number of proposVice President of Planning PJM als to be evaluated. Each year, our board has approved about 450 transmission projects, Herling said. If even 10% of those projects are of interest to developers and if we get 10 proposals for each project, that would be 450 new proposals we must evaluate. In terms of integrating renewable energy, California ISO led signicant tariff amendments in 2010 with the FERC to enable the state to meet ambitious renewable portfolio standards and environmental goals. Those amendments included the public policy requirement and the elimination of right of rst refusal, which put the ISO in compliance with Order 1000. The effort to comply with the interregional requirements will prove more challenging, said Tom Flynn, California ISOs infrastrucTom Flynn ture policy development manInfrastucture Policy ager. The order requires that we Development Manager California ISO hold extensive discussions with our neighboring transmission regions, which are the Columbia Grid, the Northern Tier Transmission Group and West Connect, Flynn said. We started that several months ago, but to put together an interregional proposal and tariff revisions by April 2013 will prove challenging. Here in the West, the transmission providers already did a lot of coordination and sharing of data. This will just increase the sharing of data. Allocating costs on interregional projects will be a new feature, however.
Editors note: This is the second article in a series on the impact of FERC Order 1000 on transmission construction. The rst article was published in the October 2012 issue of T&D World.
Burns & McDonnell | www.burnsmcd.com California ISO | www.caiso.com Federal Energy Regulatory Commission | www.ferc.gov PJM | www.pjm.com Southwest Power Pool | www.spp.org
N o r t h p o r t , A l a b a m a J e ff e r s o n , O h i o A t c h i s o n , K a n s a s B u r l i n g t o n , O n t a r i o
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TRANSMISSIONSystem
Reinforcing Rhode Island

National Grid nears completion of a challenging component of the New England East-West Solution suite of transmission projects.
By David Beron, National Grid, Andrew and Scott Ryder, Energy Initiatives Group
Alexiades, POWER Engineers,

prised of 26 separate component projects. The centerpiece is a new 21-mile (34-km), 345-kV transmission line along an established transmission corridor from West Farnum Substation, located in North Smitheld, Rhode Island, U.S., to the Kent County Substation, located in Warwick, Rhode Island. To t the new 345-kV line on an already built-out 250-ft (76-m)-wide right-of-way (ROW), extensive reconstruction of two existing 115-kV lines was necessary. The transmission line work has proven to be the most visible part of the Rhode Island Reliability Project. Despite the addition of the new 345-kV circuit on the corridor, the project will result in an updated and streamlined ROW appearance, as well as improved reliability, maintainability and accessibility of the facilities located there. Along with the challenges posed by the tight quarters of the existing ROW, eight load-serving substations and two generators are connected to the 115-kV lines, which had to be reconstructed, signicantly complicating the outage planning and work sequencing for the project. Additionally, most of the transmission line route also is occupied by a natural gas transmission pipeline operated by Tennessee Gas Pipeline, a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan.
he Rhode Island Reliability Project soon will be improving transmission system reliability for 480,000 Rhode Island electric customers. This follows placement of 25,000 cu yd (19,114 cu m) of concrete and 5 million lb (2.27 million kg) of reinforcing steel in 743 foundations, erecting 15 million lb (6.8 million kg) of tubular steel structures, stringing 250 miles (402 km) of conductor and performing extensive improvements at multiple substations. The Rhode Island Reliability Project is one of four major components of the New England East-West Solution (NEEWS), conceived by a working group with members from National Grid, Northeast Utilities and ISO New England. NEEWS is one of the largest power delivery projects to be undertaken in New England in more than 30 years. The four major components of NEEWS were developed as a coordinated solution to address multiple southern New England transmission system constraints by creating new 345-kV ties between existing hubs in the transmission network and upgrading numerous existing transmission line and substation facilities.
Right-of-Way
National Grids Rhode Island Reliability Project is comGreater Springeld Reliability Project
Agawam Ludlow Millbury
Project Team
West Farnum
North Bloomeld
Interstate Reliability Project

Lake Road
Rhode Island Reliability Project

Kent County
Frost Bridge
Central Connectcut Reliability Project
Card
The four major components of the NEEWS projects address multiple southern New England transmission system constraints.
The requirements of working safely to install reinforced concrete foundations within 15 ft (4.6 m) of the gas pipeline, coordinating the numerous outages to allow construction of the relocated and new facilities, and dealing with rough terrain and difcult ground conditions all presented signicant project challenges. To meet these challenges National Grid assembled a highly qualied and experienced project team comprised of internal staff and consultants. National Grid assumed a lead role for project management, project licensing and permitting, and stakeholder relations. POWER Engineers served as National Grids owners engineer, performing detailed engineering and providing support
42
TRANSMISSIONSystem
In this right-of-way cross-section of the Rhode Island Reliability Project, the dashed structures denote pre-existing lines that were recongured.
in the areas of material and equipment procurement, construction inspection, commissioning and document management. POWER Engineers was selected as the owners engineer based on its staff qualications, competitive rates, resource availability and collaborative client approach. Other key team members included Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. for permitting and environmental compliance support, Energy Initiatives Group for outage planning and project management support, and New Energy Alliance (a joint venture of Balfour Beatty and MJ Electric) for construction. The integrated team assembled for the Rhode Island Reliability Project was able to identify, manage and mitigate potential risks to the complex project, whether arising from the loss of planned outages, challenging ground conditions impacting foundation designs, or the need for special construction practices and controls to provide for the safe drilling of foundations adjacent to the natural gas pipeline. From the outset of NEEWS, it was realized in-house resources would be spread too thin to execute a project of this scope and magnitude, especially with all of the other system improvements planned and in progress at National Grid. A project delivery model was developed that would preserve National Grids ability to provide high-level management and oversight from talented subject-matter experts while leveraging the deep bench of engineering and project delivery expertise of an organization like POWER Engineers. The Rhode Island Reliability Project required a sharp focus on safety from both the engineering and construction perspectives, strong commitment to environmental stewardship and compliance, and an overarching objective to manage this signicant construction in a manner that would preserve the reliability of the network and service to customers.
Safety, Safety, Safety

With up to 19 foundation drill rigs operating along the project ROW at any point in time, National Grid recognized it would be necessary to put strong controls in place to ensure that foundation construction would be performed in a safe and secure manner. These controls were especially critical due to the presence of the natural gas pipeline and the nearby energized transmission lines. National Grid and Kinder Morgan developed a cooperative work plan that provided specic requirements and procedures necessary for safely performing work adjacent to the natural gas pipeline. Every worker on the project received initial gas pipeline safety training and ongoing refresher training by Kinder Morgan. To date, more than 1,000 training sessions have been conducted. At the outset of the project, the location of the pipeline was clearly marked and delineated in the eld for its entire length along the project ROW. Additionally, a series of improved equipment-crossings were installed along the pipeline. At these locations, the pipeline was excavated and backlled with owable concrete to facilitate the safe passage of construction equipment across the pipeline. These crossing locations also were clearly marked in the eld, delineated on the project plans and monitored by Kinder Morgan inspectors. The project team also developed a Permit to Drill process that involved a series of checks, conrmations and sign-offs from all parties before drilling at any location was allowed to commence. National Grid performed a Process Hazard Analysis to examine any work activity or situation that could possibly introduce a safety risk into the construction process, and then developed appropriate mitigation measures to address and eliminate those exposures. www.tdworld.com | March 2013
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TRANSMISSIONSystem
natural gas pipeline and the energized transmission circuits.
Station Upgrades
The Rhode Island Reliability Project required signicant upgrades to several substations in Warwick, including the Kent County Substation located at the southern terminus of the new 345-kV transmission line. Work at the Kent County Substation included a yard expansion and the installation of two new 345/115-kV autotransformers. The project also included the construction of two new 345-kV breaker-and-a-half bays, two new 115kV breaker-and-a-half bays, two new 115-kV capacitor banks and a new 345/115-kV control building to house new protection and control equipment for the entire 345/115-kV station. The protection and control upgrades included the installation of two independent and redundant protection systems for each network element. In addition, two existing 115-kV bays and bus work were rebuilt and upgraded. Substantial upgrades and additions also were made at National Grids 345-kV West Farnum Substation in North Smitheld, Rhode Island. Much of the existing 345-kV equipment was upgraded to address the increased fault duty re-
A crew drills a foundation along on a congested right-of-way.
Other elements of the safety approach implemented by National Grid for the Rhode Island Reliability Project included the publication of a project-specic safety handbook and the use of real-time vibration monitoring for any foundation drilling that was proximate to the pipeline. The end result was a rigorous program of tools, training, controls and monitoring to ensure safe transmission line construction adjacent to the
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TRANSMISSIONSystem
lated, ve-position ring bus was replaced by a gas-insulated, eight-position four-bay breakerand-a-half conguration, which was all accomplished within the existing footprint while keeping the existing station fully operational. Two new buildings were also constructed at the site one to house the GIS equipment and the other to house the protection and control equipment. Communication capability between substations is also being upgraded as part of the Rhode Island Reliability Project, with the installation of optical ground wires on the new 345-kV transmission line and several existing 115-kV transmission lines.
Nearing Completion
A view inside the West Farnum Substation GIS building.
quirements and existing thermal limitations, while the additions were made to accommodate the three new 345-kV transmission lines, the centerpieces of the NEEWS project. Because the existing substation site is constrained by property limitations and surrounding wetlands, expansion of the substation footprint was not feasible. As a result, National Grid employed gas-insulated substation (GIS) technology to make the most of the existing space. The existing 345-kV air-insu-
Each of the 115-kV transmission lines being reconstructed as part of the Rhode Island Reliability Project is tapped into eight load-serving substations. As such, careful planning and a phased construction approach were required to reconstruct the main lines and modify the tap lines while maintaining dual supply to the substations to the fullest extent possible for reliability purposes. National Grids outage coordinators and project team looked at the collection of all 26 component projects and produced an integrated and coordinated outage plan that took advan-
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acted as part of a unied and integrated project team with shared objectives, rather than as individual companies with separate goals. This way, the sum is truly greater than the parts, which, ultimately, will benet National Grids customers. Engineering and planning continue for the forthcoming Interstate Reliability Project portion of NEEWS, and the project team is poised to continue this collaborative approach, capitalizing on past accomplishments and lessons learned to further enable the programs success on behalf of National Grids customers. The Interstate Reliability Project is moving steadily through the licensing and permitting processes in the states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, and construction of this next phase of NEEWS is anticipated to begin in early 2014.
David Beron (david.beron@nationalgrid.com) is National Grids principal project manager for the New England East-West Solution collection of work. Beron has 25 years of experience in the engineering and management of large-scale transmission infrastructure projects. He is a registered professional engineer in Rhode Island and a certied project management professional. Andrew Alexiades (andrew.alexiades@powereng.com) is a program manager with POWER Engineers for the New England East-West Solution portfolio of projects. Andrew earned a BEEE degree from Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey, U.S. A member of IEEE and Project Management Institute, he has served in numerous project management roles within the energy industry for more than 35 years, including areas of power generation and power delivery both domestically and internationally. Scott Ryder (scottr@eig-llc.com) is a registered professional engineer with more than 40 years experience in the electric power transmission business. He began his career with National Grid and now serves as a consulting engineer with Energy Initiatives Group specializing in transmission line project management.
A lineman performs tap modications at a 115-kV substation.
Rhode Island Reliability Project during 345-kV line conductor stringing.
tage of project synergies and overlapping requirements between work sites. The Rhode Island Reliability Project began construction in late 2010 and is now nearing completion, with the nal elements scheduled to be placed into service in April 2013. The transmission line ROW has taken the form envisioned by the project team in the early planning stages of the massive project. With the completion of the Rhode Island Reliability Project fast approaching, the success of NEEWS to date is a testament to the teamwork and problem-solving approach adopted by National Grid, POWER Engineers and the other consultants on the NEEWS team. All of the companies have worked side by side to implement and execute a program strategy founded on effective planning and ef cient designs to allow for the timely and safe construction of the new overhead transmission line and substation facilities.
Balfour Beatty | www.balfourbeatty.com Energy Initiatives Group | www.eig-llc.com ISO New England | www.iso-ne.com Kinder Morgan | www.kindermorgan.com MJ Electric | www.mjelectric.com National Grid | www.nationalgridus.com Northeast Utilities | www.nu.com POWER Engineers | www.powereng.com Vanasse Hangen Brustlin | www.vhb.com
Collaboration Works
The NEEWS Rhode Island Reliability Project is what a truly collaborative working relationship is like. Each company has
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FAULTLocation a t io n tion
Real time Real-time waveform analytics identify looming failures, bringing us into the realm of distribution fault anticipation technology.
By Ken
thousand customers just lost power because a bushing failed out on a feeder. Did it just happen or were there early warning signs? Could the failure have been predicted in advance or, better yet, prevented? Pickwick Electric Cooperative (PEC) and Arizona Public Service (APS) have been working with a new technology that enables them, for the first time, to avoid faults by detecting incipient problems and responding proactively. The new technology, known as distribution fault anticipation (DFA) technology, works by measuring high-fidelity current transformer (CT) and potential transformer (PT) waveforms, typically at the substation, and applying sophisticated analytics to those waveforms. It detects failures, incipient failures and other misoperations out on the feeder, thus providing situational intelligence and enabling feeder-level condition-based maintenance. It does so without complicated setup and without requiring communication with downstream line devices. Waveform-based analytics represent a new paradigm in distribution system operations and health monitoring. Utilities historically have had little situational intelligence regarding the health of their distribution systems. Modern smart com-
Sanford, Arizona Public Service Co., and John S. Bowers, Pickwick Electric Cooperative
ponents such as advanced metering infrastructure and distribution automation systems may provide feeder loading levels or let the utility determine whether particular customers have service, but they do little, if anything, to detect feeder anomalies or assess line health.
Coordination Mystery
A breaker locked out an APS feeder for a fault past a recloser that should have sectionalized the faulted segment without breaker involvement. APS notes such improper operations and performs root-cause investigations. Investigations require multiple sources of information and labor-intensive analysis. This includes downloading records from field and substation devices, manual analysis and correlation of those records, review of coordination settings, operational testing of the recloser and the breaker/relay, and possibly other steps. Some investigations identify the root cause but others conclude with no cause identified. In the subject case, online DFA waveform analytics saved substantial manpower by automatically identifying the root cause within minutes of the event. The cause was diagnosed as conductor slap, a phenomenon that occurs when fault current induces magnetic forces in upstream conductors, causing them to slap togeth2011/10/06 07:19:21 er. This creates a second fault upstream 12,000 Breaker trip of the first and necessitates operation 10,000 F-(28.0c, 2344A, AB)-1.1sPossible conductor slap AB F-(40.5c, 2861A, AB)-T-5.2s-C-16cof upstream protection, in this case the 8,000 F-(41.0c, 2780A, AB)-T breaker. 6,000 After learning the root cause, APS 4,000 used analytics-derived parameters to lo2,000 cate the offending span, where it found 0 conductors with bright spots and pitting -2,000 consistent with recent arcing. A tradi-4,000 tional investigation would have focused -6,000 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 on identifying a defect in the protecTime (seconds) tion system when, in fact, the root cause IA IB IC IN had nothing to do with the protection Waveforms during APS feeder breaker lockout, with inset showing the automatically gener- system, but rather a problem with the ated diagnosis provided by online waveform analytics. physical span characteristics. APS does
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March 2013 | www.tdworld.com 3
Amps
FAULTLocation
Substation Subject feeder (125 circuit miles of O/H line) Analytics-directed search area
on a feeder-wide basis. Slap-induced arcing causes progressive conductor damage, which, in extreme cases, results in broken conductors. Each slap episode also can throw off particles that might start a re. Knowing a spans susceptibility to slap enables the utility to take corrective action to avoid future events.
Watching Reclosers
Many utilities, including PEC and APS, have supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems that tell them when their substation-based feeder breakers operate. Downstream of the breaker, however, sectionalizing reclosers operate autonomously, often without the utility On this long feeder with a recurring fault, DFA analytics detected an otherwise-unknown problem and allowed the search to be directed to within four pole spans, where PEC found a service being aware of individual operations. transformer with a hole in its lid. Each green rectangular symbol is a recloser. PEC and APS both have long rural feeders with 10, 20 or even more reclosers. Many are hydraulic not believe that, in the subject case, a conventional investigaor, even if electronic, do not have communications installed. tion would have identied the true root cause. From the substation, DFA analytics detect and report reField research has documented that fault-induced conductor slap does not occur at random locations, but rather it recloser operations in great detail. Knowing details of a meacurs over time in spans whose construction is susceptible to sured recloser operating sequence and the estimated load the phenomenon. This makes it important to diagnose con- beyond the recloser often enables a utility to determine which ductor-slap incidents correctly. Each incident causes one or recloser has operated, even on a feeder with many reclosers. It is obvious this provides the ability to know when unsupermore unnecessary interruptions and a possible outage, often
How Distribution Fault Anticipation Works

The distribution fault anticipation (DFA) systems building blocks are 19-inch rack-mount DFA devices, mounted in substations on a per-feeder basis. A feeders DFA device performs high-delity digitization of electrical waveforms from that feeders current transformers and potential transformers. It records even minor anomalies and uses sophisticated analytics to determine the underlying failures or other feeder events. Conguring a DFA deInputs: Substation CT and PT waveforms Waveforms Analytics Outputs vice does not require special Line recloser* programming or entering of tripped 8% of phase-A feeder maps, protection setload twice, but On-line signal reclosed and did not tings, feeder connectivity or procesing and cause outage. pattern recognition device placements. Neither is it analytics Failing hot-line clamp necessary to communicate with on phase B* line devices. Analytics detect the Failed 1200-kVAR line presence of line devices, such capacitor* (Performed by as switched capacitor banks and (Phase B inoperable) device in reclosers, including hydraulics, substation) Breaker lockout caused by analyzing the waveform signaby fault-induced conductor slap tures those devices produce as they operate. *Analytics process high-delity substation waveforms, to report Within each feeders DFA dehydrolic reclosers, switched line capacitors, apparatus failures, etc, without requiring communications to those devices. vice, analytics generate reports that are communicated, through the Internet, back to a central server computer. The central server provides web-based access to reports from DFA devices across the system. Device-to-server communication can use digital subscriber line, cell modem, cable modem or radio.
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observed what appeared to be failure of a recloser to lock out, but a 5-minute analysis of DFA recloser reports showed the recloser was operating correctly. The apparent discrepancy was because 2 to 3 minutes elapsed between operations and the recloser restarted its timing sequence. Using substation measurements, DFA analytics provide ongoing, real-time information on line recloser operations, enabling the utility to validate proper operations and detect improper operations. This complements and enhances periodic inspection and testing.
Finding Failures Without Outages

PEC and APS have detected and proactively repaired failing apparatus and other conditions that cause intermittent faults: l Cracked transformer bushing l Wind-blown conductors clashing in a long (1,000-ft [305This transformer, with a hole punched in its lid, had experienced mulm]) span tiple ashovers but was still in service, serving load, when found. l Failing lightning arrester vised line reclosers operate. What may be less obvious is it also l Service transformer with a hole in its lid provides an opportunity to assess whether a particular reclosl Tree branches bridging conductors or pushing them er has operated correctly. Using DFA recloser reports, PEC has together. detected improper operations, such as a recloser that was supPrior to failure, these conditions often cause intermittent posed to lock out after four trips but instead tripped six times faults. PEC documented such an example, in which a bushing before locking out. Conversely, in another case, a eld crew failed and put 903 customers in the dark. In PECs case, the failing bushing gave six weeks of early warning, during which time it ashed over on ve separate occasions, each time causing an unWeve got the lock on monitored recloser to momentarily interrupt 903 customers. Despite 4,515 affordable security. customer interruptions, no customers complained until a sixth ashover put them in the dark. This failure occurred in the early days of DFA research, before the system worked auSterling One Shot tonomously. More recently, PEC has preempted similar events and is condent it would have preempted this one if it had todays DFA analytics. Proactive notication of these failures is providing multiple advantages: l Sustained outages can be avoidSterling Padlock ed, resulting in improved reliability. l Momentary sags and interruptions can be avoided, resulting in improved power quality. l The rst two advantages improve customer satisfaction and reliability indices, such as SAIFI and SAIDI. Sterling DL-2S-3 l Reducing the number of faults reduces fault-current stress on transformers, lines, switches and other line components. Sterling l Searches and repairs often can Security Systems A Division Of Engineering Unlimited be carried out during normal working (800) 515-4040 www.sterlingpadlocks.com hours and in fair weather.
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FAULTLocation
Recloser Reports
2012/09/05 19:40:04 2,500
Distribution fault anticipation waveF-(3.0c, 585A, BG)-T-(-, 20, 0)%-1.9s-C-2.3s2,000 form analytics examine waveform data Single-phase reclose F-(16.5c, 588A, BG)-T-(0, 20, 0)%-2.0s-C-5.2s- 3 ops to detect and characterize recloser op1,500 F-(17.5c, 591A, BG)-T-(0, 20, 0)%-2.0s-C erations. For example, the graph plots 1,000 a 20-second period of current, with an 500 inset showing the analytics-calculated operating sequence. The operating 0 sequence is interpreted as three trips -500 (one fast and two delayed) and a single-1,000 phase recloser operation for a phase 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 B fault of 585 A to 591 A. Each trip Time (seconds) IA IB IC IN momentarily interrupted 20% of phase B (only) load. Each open interval was 1.9 seconds to 2.0 seconds. The report often provides the utilitys only notice that a recloser has operated. In addition, the utility often can determine exactly which recloser has operated, even on a feeder with numerous reclosers, by comparing reported operating sequences to system-model information.
Amps
Searches can be made while customers lights are on, instead of during an outage. Working in daytime, fair-weather conditions results in greater efciency and improved worker safety as compared to working in the dark or during inclement weather. DFA analytics have enabled PEC and APS to detect and
locate multiple such conditions and make preemptive repairs. One example is a long PEC feeder on which DFA analytics reported an impending failure. PEC used fault parameters, provided by DFA analytics at the substation, to direct the search to a small area of the feeder. Searching that small area, a crew found a service transform-
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er with a hole punched through its lid. The crew then replaced the transformer, during daytime hours on a fair-weather day, thus avoiding further interruptions, sags, outages, system stresses or other trouble (such as the remote possibility of an exploding transformer). This is not an isolated example. PEC and APS have used DFA waveform analytics to detect multiple such conditions and make preemptive repairs.
Lights out. Crew trip 4. Replaced XFMR 2. Flickering lights. Crew trip 3. Replaced clamp. Flickering lights. Crew trip 2. Replaced XFMR 1. Lights out. Crew trip 1. Blown fuse. No cause found. Time
Difcult Diagnoses
Crews responding to lights-out or ickering-lights calls often receive only vague descriptions of symptoms, supplied by customers. Moreover, some problems are intermittent and may not be manifesting themselves when the crew arrives on the scene. The gure above illustrates a sequence of events that required four crew trips and equipment replacements, all ultimately determined to have had a single hard-to-diagnose clamp failure as their root cause. DFA waveform analytics had been alarming this clamp failure, intermittently, for three weeks. But, because the DFA project had experimental status, responding crews were unaware of these alarms. As a result, this single clamp failure cost PEC four customer calls, four crew trips (all on overtime) and the change-out of two customer transformers that later tested good. Giving responders analytics-generated diagnoses will reduce incorrect diagnoses, no-cause-found events, customer
DFA failing-clamp alarms (2,333 episodes over 21-day period) Timeline of customer complaints, crew trips and DFA diagnostic alarms identifying cause of trouble.
complaints, return trips and change-outs of healthy apparatus, such as the two transformers in this case.
Light in the Dark

Figuratively speaking, distribution systems largely operate in the dark, with utilities having little visibility into failures, incipient failures and other feeder misoperations. PEC and APS have been working with the new DFA technology to provide newfound situational intelligence, enabling better operational efciency, and improved reliability and quality of service. It does so with substation-based monitoring, without complicated setup and without requiring sensing, electronics and communications along the feeder. PEC and APS have used
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Dfa Background
Distribution fault anticipation technology was founded on research led by Carl L. Benner (carl.benner@tamu.edu) and Dr. B. Don Russell (bdrussell@tamu. edu) at Texas A&M University, and largely supported by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). More than 10 EPRI-member utilities participated in early research to identify and correlate waveform ngerprints with specic feeder phenomena. The technology has evolved and now uses online 24/7 waveform analytics to recognize faults, incipient failures and other feeder events. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), through EPRI, has been a supporter of these efforts since 2001 and works with Pickwick Electric Cooperative, one of more than 150 TVA distributors, as a host site. Arizona Public Service became involved with DFA on its system in 2011. Texas A&M maintains a website (https://dfaweb.tamu.edu/DfaReports/ DfaSuccess.aspx) that details other examples, illustrating how analytics can improve knowledge of and response to multiple feeder problems, including vegetation faults, capacitor failures and secondary cable failures among others.
He also is working on the smart grid technologies team with the innovation/technology solutions department at APS. Sanford graduated from Arizona State University in 1986 with a bachelors degree in construction engineering. John S. Bowers (jbowers@pickwick-electric.com) is the vice president of operations at Pickwick Electric Cooperative in Selmer, Tennessee, U.S. He is a 1991 graduate of Tennessee Technological University and holds a BSEE degree. Bowers also is a registered professional engineer in Tennessee. He has been actively involved with the distribution fault anticipation technology since 2002.
this technology to avoid multiple faults on their systems and to efciently diagnose problems that otherwise would have taken substantially more effort and likely would not have been resolved at all.
Ken Sanford (charles.sanford@aps.com) is senior engineer at Arizona Public Service Co. (APS). He works in construction and operations for the southeast division covering three counties.
Arizona Public Service | www.aps.com Electric Power Research Institute | www.epri.com Pickwick Electric Co. | www.pickwick-electric.com Texas A&M | www.tamu.edu Tennessee Valley Authority | www.tva.gov
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Ten Common Injury Risk Solutions
ElEctric Utility OpEratiOns
liFELine
William Coleman
United Illuminating Co.
Born in New Haven, Connecticut. Married for 20 years to his wife, Annette, and has two children, William and Jasmine. l Enjoys spending time with his family and playing baseball. l Cant live without his rubber gloves, hot sticks and bucket truck. l Spends time helping out with the line schools and training the future generation of linemen.
l l
William Coleman, a 24-year veteran of United Illuminating Co., is a proud lineman who recognizes the importance of knowing your limitations, working safely and respecting electricity.
Early Years
I grew up in the inner city, and after taking on a few different jobs, I knew I wanted a better life. I looked at several different professions for the re and police departments. I also had heard that the utility industry had good jobs, so at 19 years old, I began reading meters for United Illuminating Co. However, because I had a construction worker mentality, reading meters just wasnt rewarding enough work for me. One day, as I was reading the meters, I saw a lineman in a bucket truck working up on a pole. I stopped what I was doing and said, This is what I want to do. I immediately asked my supervisor how I could become a lineman, and he told me that they offer line school once a year. Our company runs a four-week boot camp for climbing poles, and after nishing it, I went to line school and graduated. I loved the work right off the bat. And I still love it. You either love this type of work or its not for you, and its denitely not for everyone.
ductoring to transformer banks. I also learned about disconnects, air-break switches and high-voltage cable.
Memorable Storm
On the East Coast, we have had many severe storms, but Ill never forget Tropical Storm Irene, which caused signicant damage in our area. Our company was able to get our customers power back on in a short period of time because we were working 16- to 18-hour days for a week straight. We then went on to assist another company away from home for about nine days. We received an award from the Edison Institute on our ability to restore power in a timely fashion.
Safety Lesson
Unfortunately, every year there are near-misses. You can be as careful as possible and follow procedures, but there is always that little bit of unknown when you go on the pole. You dont know what happened the night before, such as if there was lightning damage to the wire. I havent had a near-miss in 20 years, but I remember as an apprentice two phases that got crossed. In the process of removing the bare wire from the pole, I made contact with the energized phase, and it cross-phased. There were no injuries, but it caused structural damage, which required about an hour to x. I was one of the fortunate ones, and from that experience, I learned that you need to know your limitations and have a proper respect for electricity. You cant be afraid of the work, but you need to follow your companys safety procedures and do what the company requires as far as using a cover-up, which can make an unsafe job much safer.
Day in the Life

I am a line group leader, and Ive been with the company for 24 years. I start my day by reviewing my work orders, nding out who is on my crew and securing any materials necessary for the job. I also make sure that I have any safety-related items like signs or cones to set up the parameters within our work zone. Next, I lead a tailboard meeting to make sure that everyone is on the same page so the work can go as safely as possible. Recently, weve been doing a lot of reconductoring work. We take down old conductors and put up heavier ones in our territory.
Favorite Project
In the span of my career so far, the project I would consider my favorite was a road-widening job in North Haven, Connecticut. I had just topped out as a journeyman lineman, and I had a really good working leader. I learned a lot on that job. It involved a little bit of everything, from pole shifts to recon-
Plans for the Future

I have had the opportunity to move into other areas, but Ive never wanted to do anything else. I would like to continue my assistance with Local 471 and contribute to the success of my company through training and wherever else I can bring value.
56B March 2013 | www.tdworld.com
HANDS DOWN.
Hubbell Power Systems is an advocate for safety training and tools to ensure linemen stay safe on the job. For more information on all of our safety products or to request literature, email us at hpsliterature@hubbell.com
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Linemen Transform Safety Culture

By audie foret, Entergy Arkansas
ike other electric utilities, Entergy Arkansas had its share of OSHA recordable incidents. In 2007, the company reported 18 incidents and two years later, the company documented a total of 29 accidents. While this was in line with the industry average, the subsidiary of Entergy Corp. felt like there was room for improvement. Last year, the utility had its best safety record in history by logging the least amount of OSHA recordable incidents. To make this change, management rst focused on enforcement. Supervisors and safety specialists were charged with enforcing the rules; discipline ranged from a verbal warning to suspension to termination, depending on the severity of the offense. This singular approach, however, failed to have the desired result. Safety incidents moved up slightly as did formal grievances, and morale of the workforce took a nosedive. As enforcers handed out citations in increasing number and severity, many linemen complained they were afraid to work at all because the rules were too complex and, sometimes, ambiguous, to be followed to the letter. Periodic face-to-face meetings between frontline employees and company management revealed declining morale, even among supervisors. Trying to change work practices by simply enforcing existing rules was clearly not the answer. What was needed was a change from within. No one disputed that avoiding accidents was in everyones best interest. The question was how to get there. The proposal that grew out of the study was to place the problem in the hands of those most equipped to solve it: the employees.
which coach-observers and management should focus. Here are four ways that the program helped to improve the safety program at the utility. 1. Instill freedom from fear of discipline. The program was focused on linemen helping linemen in a nonthreatening environment. At rst, some of the guys thought we might be spies for the company, said Larry Berry, one of the rst 10 coachobservers who is now retired. But after we did our rst round of visits, the word got around that were out there to help. 2. Focus on workers behavior. Somerville Partners helped guide the discussions, adding insights into the psychological aspects of behavioral-based safety. For instance, the committee determined that it would be important to focus on precursors to incidents and mistakes, rather than waiting until a violation or accident occurred. 3. Improve work practices for efciency and effectiveness. The coach-observers were encouraged to help their fellow linemen get better at their craft, and they did this in part by crosspollinating the population with good ideas. Theyd see one in one part of the state and then share it with the next work crew they visited. 4. Give a sense of autonomy. Coach-observers encouraged employees to use their own judgment, within the framework of safe work practices and rules, more than they previously thought they were allowed to. They gave employees the value of mastering ones craft and purpose.
Reaping Rewards
Due to the success of the program, the number of Fatal Five violations that could kill a lineman dropped 33% over four years. Also, between 2008 and 2012, the OSHA recordable accidents decreased by 30%. The coach-observers have had a positive inuence on Entergy Arkansas by advocating for safety rule changes and improving the relationship between linemen and management. They have become trusted counselors and educators, providing on-the-spot training and guidance in the eld. Weve always known our people had the training, desire and determination to truly make safety our top priority. I am thankful we came up with a feedback process that works for everybody, and I look forward to continued improvements in the days ahead, said Brady Aldy, transmission and distribution operations director for Entergy Arkansas.
Audie Foret is a region manager for Entergy Arkansas distribution operations organization and is in charge of this program.
Linemen Coaching Linemen

To get the eld workforce involved in the safety program, Entergy Arkansas launched the Coach-Observer Program in 2009. A steering committee representing linemen, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), and all levels and departments, including management, dened the criteria of leadership and craftsmanship for the union business managers to use to select the 10 linemen who would devote half of their working hours to visiting job sites around Arkansas. Their task was to observe their fellow linemen working, compliment them on what theyre doing right and, when necessary, coach them on what they might be doing wrong. They then reported their observations and ndings to Somerville Partners, a consulting rm that specially developed an online database to capture the safety issues observed, coached and corrected, without capturing employee names. The rm then compiled results to identify trends and areas on
56D March 2013 | www.tdworld.com
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Ergonomics Program Protects Field Workforce

Duke Energy implements a plan to protect distribution line technicians from musculoskeletal disorders and lost work time.
By Jon Evans, Duke Energy
erforming tasks out in the eld that involve awkward postures, signicant exertion and repetition can put linemen at risk for musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and may force them to take time off of work. MSD cases accounted for 33% of all injury and illness cases in 2011, and the workers most susceptible were between the ages of 45 and 54, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. At Duke Energy, the company had a three-year average of about 32%, which was close to the national average at that time. About half of the total lost work days were attributed to MSDs in the power delivery division.
For the last decade, Duke Energy has worked to improve the ergonomics of its eld workforce and prevent unnecessary sprains, strains and workplace injuries. The utility rst focused on the power delivery division, which includes distribution lines, transmission lines, maintenance shops, metal fabrications, automotive garages, warehouses and ofce administrations and then moved on to vehicle maintenance technicians and vehicle design.
Identifying Risks
Duke Energy began to identify the ergonomic risks and develop effective mitigation strategies. By researching the cause for the MSDs and then implementing certain preventive measures, the utility aimed to reduce the numbers of MSDs companywide, starting with distribution line technicians (DLTs). The rst step was to create a project team consisting of a project team lead, a craft training supervisor, a distribution line technician, a transmission line technician, an Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) professional and an ergonomist. This team worked closely with the Power Delivery EHS Council and the health and safety manager. This team received ergonomics training to learn about the ve risk factors for ergonomics-related injuries including excessive force, excessive repetition, awkward posture, contact stress and vibration. Equipped with their personal protective equipment and ergonomic tools, Duke Energys eld Next, this committee was tasked workforce is ready to tackle the day. with reviewing data, interviewing
56F March 2013 | www.tdworld.com
managers and DLTs, observing the linemen in the eld, collecting data and then analyzing the research. Duke Energy rst reviewed the primary risk factors for injury and then listed the basic steps to avoiding an MSD. Also, the team members observed the DLTs for signs and symptoms of MSDs and also asked them about off-the-job activities. Next, the team studied a four-year history of ergonomicrelated employee incidents including the incident description, injury/illness type, and related work task and frequency. They also referred to the Electric Power Research Institutes Ergonomic Handbook for Overhead Distribution and also the Ergonomics Handbook for Underground Distribution. Duke Energy also listed the routinely executed work tasks, identied current line construction projects and collected data. For example, the utility looked at the object weights and area dimensions, push/pull forces, lift distances and task frequencies. The data included the videotaped work tasks and work task simulations at the operations center. The team performed biomechanical stress analyses and relative risk ranking. This was based on the University of Michigans three-dimensional Static Strength Prediction Program, which is based on more than 25 years of research. It compares the task demands and worker physical capability comparison, and then estimates a percentage of the population that is capable of safely performing the task. The advantage is that it could evaluate a variety of tasks, but the limitation was that it did not consider the effect of task performance over time.
Proper positioning for the task at hand is critical for preventing musculoskeletal injuries in the eld.
The team also used the Revised Lifting Equation from the National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety, which is based on more than 20 years of research. The advantage was that it considered repetition, fatigue and coupling, but the limitation was that it could evaluate lift and lowering tasks only. During the relative risk ranking process, the team looked at the Stress Rating, which included the percent capable of doing the task and the lifting index. The team also looked at the
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ELECTRIC UTILITY OPERATIONS
Top 10 Ergonomic Risks and Ergonomic Solutions

Duke Energys ergonomics team rst identied the top risks for the distribution line technicians and then came up with ways for the workers to minimize musculoskeletal disorders in the eld. 10-ft regular crossarm for use in 10-ft applications when a heavy arm is not necessary. In addition, conduct a more detailed comparison of r versus pine crossarms, and look at unit cost, life span, strength and availability during storm emergencies. Finally, evaluate the sling method for lifting the crossarms from ground to either bucket or pole position.
Risk 3: Cutting guy wire with ratchet guy-wire cutters.

Recommended solution: Replace ratchet cutters with batteryoperated cutting tools from Huskie Tools and other vendors.
Line workers secure a primary conductor with a preformed tie.
Risk 4: Cutting less than 4/0 wire with ratchet cutters.

Recommended solution: Invest in battery-operated tools.
Risk 1: Making conductor connections with a manual crimping

tool. Recommended solution: Replace a manual crimping tool with battery- and/or hydraulic-powered crimping tools from Huskie Tools.
Risk 5: Jacking, lifting and pulling conductors.

Recommended solution: Retrain linemen on ways to increase leverage. Extend the jack strap as much as possible to gain better torque. Also, change from 18-inch to 28-inch handle to improve leverage and lessen effort. Also, the DLTs were advised to pull, rather than push, the handle. They were also told to use a double strap for anything more than 80 ft of 1/0 conductor. For lifting conductors, Duke Energy installed
Risk 2: Lifting/handling wooden crossarms that weighed 65 lb

to 110 lb. Recommended solution: Avoid unnecessary use of heavyduty crossarms. Also, re-evaluate design standards, add a
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swivel heads on all material handler bucket booms. As far as pulling conductors, Duke Energy implemented the general rule of assistance for projects greater than 50 ft of 4/0, 85 ft of 2/0, 100 ft of 2/3 and 100 ft of 6/3. The company also put winches back on one-person buckets.
DLTs must ensure that all trucks for transporting the ServiceSaver can attach a trailer with a ramp. Another ergonomic solution is to modify the transport trailer or truck to ease the loading and unloading process.
Risk 6: Lifting/handling spider reels onto tension rigs/poles and

guy wire bundles. Prepackaged guy wire bundles can weigh 130 lb, and spider reels weigh 180 lb. Recommended solution: Use only mechanical means to load or unload reels onto tension rigs or poles. For loading prepackaged bundles of guy wire on trucks, workers should use only mechanical means such as a line truck, material handler, jib or forklift. Duke Energy also equipped its trucks with a mounted guy wire reel.
Risk 8: Installing a splicing kit and elbows.

Recommended solution: Implement a new modular elbow installer.
Risk 9: Removing/replacing manhole covers.

Recommended solution: Phase out the T-handle or J-hook tool. Instead, use a line truck wench or other mechanical means as the rst choice for removing manhole covers. Also, phase in the Fulcrum bar tool where the mechanical means are not available.
Risk 7: Loading and unloading the Service-Saver, which is used

to provide temporary electric power to customers following a loss of service. Recommended solution: Implement a new Service-Saver prototype across the service area. The former model weighed 225 lb, and DLTs or contractors had to roll it to the truck and then load it onto a trailer to transport it back and forth to the work site. Also, prohibit the physical lift of the machine and try to come up with a lighter-weight alternative to providing temporary electrical power to customers. In addition, the
Risk 10: Stepping up to the rear end of the truck and putting
supplies in the crossarm storage compartment, which can be about 70 inches off the ground. Recommended solution: Extend the crossarm storage area on the bucket trucks. Also, change the truck design for future bucket trucks to include a new crossarm storage option. Also add on an adjustable rear step to avoid the ergonomic issues related to stepping up onto the rear step of the truck. Finally, ensure that the storage compartment does not have a metal lip.
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Using a manual crimp tool has caused many injuries as a result of the awkward position required to compress the connection.
Exposure Degree Rating, which was based on supervisor input and eld observations.
Improving Ergonomics in the Field

After identifying the top 10 ergonomic risks for its DLTs, the team developed a risk-mitigation strategy. The workers met with the EHS council chair and immediately starting implementing short-term solutions. The utility then assigned all 21 work tasks to the Best Practice Teams to develop safe and
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cost-effective long-term solutions. The best practice teams consisted of three distribution line teams as well as management from Duke Energy, who kept the teams on track, ensured feasible solutions and encouraged integration between teams. Duke implemented the strategies, and apart from a few changes in battery-operated tools, the DLTs are still following these same ergonomic work methods in the eld today. These ergonomic solutions apply to DLTs working both overhead and underground. For example, the study looked at the removal of the manhole cover, which measures 32 inches in diameter and weighs 300 lb. Instead of using a T-handled hook, DLTs were advised to rely on a leveraging tool or relying on a line trunk winch or other mechanical means. In addition, the utility took a close look at how the DLTs were bending cable for underground installations. Rather than using the force of their upper body to shape the cable to the desired angle, the DLTs now must use fabricated cable benders. The team also specied that the DLTs should only lower up to a 5-gal tool bucket into a manhole and require two workers to remove and store a 20-ft ladder on the side of the underground trucks. For the overhead work, the DLTs used to lay down plywood sheets to protect the terrain in muddy conditions. These sheets could weigh up to 120 lb, so Duke Energy now invests in sheets made from a lighter-weight composite material that include rope handles or cutouts to facilitate handling. Another area of concern for DLTs dealt with extracting anchor rods by grabbing the top of the rod and then forcefully pulling it out of the ground. This lead to stress on the arms and shoulders. Instead, the DLTs are advised to ensure that the rod is detached from the anchor plate before removing it and also using an auger to remove the anchor. The utility also changed the work practice focused on operating boom controls to reduce strain on the hand, wrist and arm. After implementing these solutions for the DLTs, the utility focused on eet maintenance mechanics and partnered with the Electric Power Research Institute for a study on vehicle design. As in the DLT study, Duke Energy identied risk factors and then developed mitigation strategies. By pinpointing ergonomic risks and coming up with a variety of solutions, Duke Energy discovered a way to minimize the MSDs for its DLTs, improve their productivity and cut down on lost time due to injuries in the eld.
Jon Evans (jon.evans@duke-energy.com) is the learning services manager for Duke Energy in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is responsible for compliance training and all training needs of transmission and distribution craft employees, engineers, eet employees, grid modernization and metering employees in the Carolinas West Region.
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SRP Equips Trucks with AEDs to Save Lives

Arizona utility invests in automated external debrillators for both its transmission and distribution crews.
By Matt collins, Salt River Project
ne year ago, while repairing a 230-kV transmission line in the outskirts of Phoenix, Arizona, I atlined. But I survived. Now, as a 41-year-old transmission maintenance lineman for Salt River Project (SRP), I am charged to educate other utility workers nationwide about the equipment that kick-started my heart back to life. On Jan. 27, 2012, I died and came back to life. Had it not been for my ve SRP transmission maintenance crew members who sprung into lifesaving action using an automated external debrillator (AED), I would not have lived to see another day. Looking back, I dont even remember what happened that day or the two days afterwards. As a lineman, I deal with hazards every day, and death is around me constantly. Our crew
I made electrical contact as I did routine maintenance work to reinforce and strengthen transmission structures on a 230-kV line southeast of Phoenix. I was injured by an induced voltage when I got in series with a static channel and a pole ground. The jolt affected the natural rhythm of my heart, causing me to have a cardiac arrhythmia, which means my heart was active but operating in a life-threatening, dysfunctional pattern. Given the remote work site and the seriousness of my condition, my crew swiftly lowered the boom to the ground and removed me from the bucket. The operator then got on the radio and followed all of our radio procedures. Just as they had been trained to do, my crew reached for the little red case found inside all SRP line crew trucks and most SRP facilities. The linemen hooked up the AED, delivered a shock and then performed CPR. They then gave me another shock, until I started breathing. They wouldnt give up on me. Their actions and that device were the difference between life and death. They had my back that day, and they are the reason why Im still walking around. My team heroically used the AED to successfully treat me through debrillation, a form of electrical therapy, which stopped the arrhythmia and allowed my heart to re-establish a normal rhythm. My coworkers then made me comfortThis SRP transmission maintenance crew consists of Doug Hersch, Robert Lake, Matt able until reghters and paramedics Collins, Mike Deubler, Kade Hlebichuk and Braundo Riley. They were with Collins at the from the Apache Junction Fire District time of the electrical contact, and Lake is holding an AED like the one used to help Collins. and Southwest Ambulance arrived.
tries to negotiate danger safely with the tools we have on hand, and fortunately, we had access to an AED.
Saving My Life
56L March 2013 | www.tdworld.com
Simplify
An SRP employee practices cardiac compressions during a CPR/AED training class. The classes are required at least every two years. Additional refresher training is also available at any time. Each person must show prociency in the skills portion as well as pass a written exam.
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After paramedics stabilized me, I was airlifted by AirEvac Arizona to the Arizona Burn Center at the Maricopa Medical Center, where I was treated for burns to my hands. When the incident happened, the phones began to ring. My crew members called my friends and family around the country, including my best friend. He works in transmission maintenance in the Midwest, and he heard about the accident even before my wife got a call. My friend immediately left his job site and ew straight to Arizona so he could be at my bedside when I woke up in the hospital. After he made sure that I was going to be okay, he ew home to his family. When he returned to work, he asked his company if they could get an AED, but he was told that it wasnt cost-effective. As SRP crews understand, however, providing AEDs to line crews isnt just a basic necessity, but it can have a profound impact. The costs can be eclipsed if just one life is saved. In this case, it was mine. My electrical contact marked the rst time an SRP employee was treated successfully by an SRP crew specially trained to use an AED. While I missed three months of work, I was able to return back to my same crew when I recovered. I couldnt imagine what my family would be going through had we not had an AED. We understand every day the value of the tool we are given,
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The Ins and Outs of AEDs

Salt River Project equips all of its eld crews trucks with automated external debrillators (AEDs) from Philips. Here are some lessons the utility has learned while deploying these lifesaving devices to its workforce. 1. Train your eld workforce. SRP requires its eld crews to complete AED, First Aid and CPR training annually, says Matt Peek, supervisor of transmission line maintenance for SRP. The utility partners with Heart Savers for CPR and First Aid training and PAR Education for CPR and AED training. The goal of the training sessions is to make the emergency-response skills automatic so crew members can act swiftly in the case of an emergency. Once everything was said and done, we had a conversation with the crew, and they didnt remember everything that happened or pressing the button, said Peek. It goes to show that if you give your employees the right training, it will pay off. 2. Rapid response time is critical. The chance of survival decreases 7% per minute in the rst three minutes without treatment and 10% per minute beyond the three minutes, according to the Red Cross. Irreversible brain and tissue damage may begin to occur after three to ve minutes, but if the rescuer uses the AED within the rst ve minutes, then the victim has a 59% survival rate. Beyond this critical time frame, the victim could be susceptible to brain damage, organ failure and long-term injuries. 3. Dont depend on the ambulance to get to the work site in time. Unless the job site is located in a hospitals parking lot, theres no way that an ambulance can get to a job site that quickly, Peek says. He estimated that it often takes the re department about 10 to 15 minutes to respond to an emergency, and by the time the emergency responders arrive, it may be too late. In the case of Collins accident, it took the ambulance 30 minutes to travel the 5 miles from the hospital to the work site because of the rugged terrain, and they told the crew it was a good thing that they had access to an AED. The SRP crew on the scene is to be commended, said Rob Bessee, division chief for the Apache Junction Fire District. Their speedy, procient response and proper deployment of the AED helped save Matt and made our job easier. 4. AEDs are expensive but worth it. Before Matt Collins incident, SRP had about 100 to 150 AEDs on hand. Collins works out of the East Valley Service Center, which had four AED units for the eld crews to use during out-of-town assignments. The
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devices cost $1,800 to $2,000 each, but SRP decided it was worth the investment to equip its in-town and out-of-town substation, transmission and distribution crews with AEDs. We felt strongly that the investment in training and equipment was crucial to help keep our line crews safe, said Rick Corven, SRPs director of electric system line maintenance. AEDs were initially introduced at SRP as part of a pilot program in 2002. And currently, we equip all of our crew trucks with AEDs. 5. If you equip eld crews trucks with AEDs, they can help others. One SRP crew came across a car accident, in which a doctor and a nurse were doing CPR on an injured person. The linemen pulled over and let them use their AED. 6. Make it known that there is an AED inside the work truck. SRP adheres stickers on the crew members vehicles stating First Aid Kit Inside and AED Kit Inside. 7. Keep the AEDs in proper working condition. Just like any other type of equipment, AEDs must be maintained. Linemen and other eld workers must check the battery life since cold weather can drain the batteries down. Also, they must check the condition of the pads, which have a certain shelf life. Also, the hot weather can cause the pads to dry out, and since it can get up to 120 in Arizona, the workers store the extra pads in the cab of the truck so they can be kept in air conditioning. 8. Document the condition of the AEDs. SRPs eld crews are required to ll out a monthly inspection and log sheet to ensure the batteries and pads are in good working order.
and we appreciate it. Not every utility company has AEDs or values their employees in the same way as SRP. I cant thank my company enough for making the investment to ensure we can go home every day.
Matt Collins (matthew.collins@srpnet.com) has been a lineman in transmission maintenance with SRP since 2008. He started as a project manager in 2000 with PAR Electrical Contractors in Las Vegas. Collins has worked in remote locations in Alaska, Oregon, Washington and Southern California. In 2005, he started his apprenticeship with IBEW Local 769 and worked for contractors such as Sturgeon Electric, TECC and Wilson Electrical Contractors. In 2007, he became a foreman with Henkels & McCoy and ran a four-man line crew, which handled pole change-outs and built a 69-kV line in Nevada that played a major role in providing water to Las Vegas residents. Editors note: To learn more about the CPR programs and training, visit www.heart.org.
Heart Savers | www.heartsaversinc.com PAR Educational Systems LLC | www.pareducation.com Philips | www.philips.com Salt River Project | www.srpnet.com
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Photograph by Karen segrave, Backfocus Productions
On Christmas Day 2012, a winter storm struck Entergys service territory, knocking out power to 242,500 Entergy customers. Arkansas was hit the hardest, with freezing rain, sleet and snow leaving 194,000 Entergy Arkansas customers without power. The hardest-hit areas in Arkansas included Little Rock, where 100,000 customers lost power, and the Malvern and Hot Springs areas, where another 41,000 customers lost power. The remaining outages were scattered throughout the state. Power was restored to all who could take it by January 1. Entergy Arkansas formed a storm team of about 5,000, which included its own employees, crews from its sister Entergy utilities in Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi, and contract crews. In this photo, a contract crew is helping to restore power to Entergy Arkansas customers in the Foxcroft subdivision of Little Rock on December 30.
56P March 2013 | www.tdworld.com
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GIS Enhances Hazard Tree Control

Mid-South Synergy uses a GIS-based spatial analysis plan to control and schedule vegetation management activities.
By Comfort
Manyame, Mid-South Synergy Electric Coop

immediately. This is mainly because decay organisms attack them, weakening their stems, resulting in large limbs and the top breaking off the crown followed by the collapse of the whole tree. Mid-South Synergy is aware of the risk attributed to dead trees in its territory, and this prompted the coop to revisit its vegetation management plan to include a comprehensive plan for cutting down dead trees. The single most important factor affecting tree growth is soil moisture. According to the State Soil Geographic (STATSGO) database, Mid-South Synergy has 21 soil types in its territory, and each soil type has unique properties. For example, soils differ in their ability to store moisture or retain water. This is referred to as the soils available water capacity (AWC) and is linked to variable tree growth and mortality. Soil data, specically the AWC, is a good predictor of high-risk areas where the effects of long periods of drought will be rst experienced. In addition to soil variability, there also is a 7-inch (178-mm) west-to-east gradient in annual rainfall across the service territory. Vegetation cover types also are variable, with pine hardwoods dominating most of the territory.
id-South Synergy Electric Cooperatives mostly rural 1,635-sq mile (4,235-sq km) service territory spans six Texas counties: Brazos, Grimes, Madison, Montgomery, Madison, Waller and Walker. Being a rural electric cooperative brings many challenges with respect to vegetation management and vegetationrelated outages. Most of Mid-South Synergys outages in any given year are lightning and vegetation related. While lightning is hard to predict and impossible to prevent, the growth of vegetation can be controlled and its contact with distribution assets can be minimized. The majority of Mid-South Synergys vegetation-related outages are because of trees growing outside the utilitys 20-ft (6-m) right-of-way (ROW). Studies have consistently shown only up to 15% of treerelated outages are caused by ROW growth. Hazard trees or trees located outside the ROW are the majority of the problem. When one considers the Sam Houston National Forest as an example, where the predominantly pine trees are at least 100 ft (31 m) tall, no amount of conventional clearing within the ROW can prevent damage resulting from trees falling on power lines outside the ROW. It just takes the right weather conditions (high winds or heavy rain) or tree mortality to create an event.
Current Hazard Tree Removal

The typical hazard tree removal sequence starts with a customer call. This prompts the creation of a service order for tree crews. Alternately, the ROW crews identify and cut down hazard trees as they work their regular shifts. Finally, when service crews responding to an outage call identify a hazard tree, they cut or trim the tree depending on the situation.
The Lay of the Land

In a year like 2011, in which Texas experienced not only a severe drought but rampant forest res, tree mortality was at a seldom-seen peak. Dead trees near lines must be removed
Key Soil Names, IDs and Characteristics

Mapping unit name Depcor-Fetzer-Boy Falba-Arol-Burlewash Gomery-Shiro-Elmina Frelsburg-Latium-Crockett Conroe-Kirbyville-Pinetucky Zack-Zulch-Boonville MUID TX140 TX179 TX205 TX188 TX109 TX626 AWC 0.12 0.09 0.09 0.15 0.12 0.14 Clay (%) 25.90 35.40 23.90 44.70 27.90 33.50 Organic matter (%) 0.50 0.60 0.40 2.20 0.30 0.90 Permeability inch/hr (mm/hr) 3.97 (100.84) 1.22 (30.99) 4.14 (105.16) 0.44 (11.18) 1.84 (46.74) 0.32 (8.13) Dead tree outages 66 28 5 27 21 16 Dead trees cut 944 416 244 239 177 19 Model weight 1.00 2.00 3.00 3.00 3.00 4.00
Soil mapping unit inuence on dead tree-related outages.
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VEGETATIONManagement
dead trees well before a customer calls or, even better, before an out60 age occurs. 50 Pines constituted the highest 40 number (75%) of cut dead trees in 30 2011, followed by oaks, while the 20 remainder consisted of sweet gum, 10 elms and others. The pine domi0 nance in the coops data could simOther Pine Post oak Post oak Water Young forest/ Lake Lake hardwood woods... woods/forest oak-elm... grasslands Conroe Livingston ply be explained by their being the Vegetation type dominant vegetation cover type in the utilitys territory. However, pines Vegetation-type interaction with dead tree-related outages. are also known to be less drought tolerant except for the Japanese black pine species comAll dead tree data received from these sources are submitted to the geographic information system (GIS) department once pared to most of the oak species. Based on the STATSGO data, most of the dead trees were the work is completed. The vegetation management geodatabase is then updated using Clearion software. Each dead tree cut in the soil mapping unit ID (MUID) TX140 followed by record in the GIS is attributed with the tree species and tree TX179. These mapping units Depcor-Fetzer-Boy and Frelsburg-Latium-Crockett, respectively are characterized by condition (dead or green). high permeability, high drainage, low organic matter content and low clay content, characteristics that, combined, lead to GIS Modeling Drought conditions enhance tree mortality. To better pre- low water retention or low AWC. It also was determined the pare for this, GIS was used to analyze hazard tree removal majority of dead tree-related outages in 2011 were in the soil data for 2011, STATSGO soil data and vegetation cover type MUID TX140 and under the pine vegetation cover type. A eld visit to randomly sample the location of dead trees data. A dead tree area identication model was created in GIS to help in resource allocation for spotting and cutting down showed that soil type played a much larger role in tree mortal70 80
Outage events
59
vegetationManagement
giS-Weighted overlay Model
The initial step was to convert the soil type and vegetation cover shape Weighted Dead tree overlay risk les into raster data format to facilitate their manipulation in spatial analyst. Soil type Once converted to raster format, each of the soil and vegetation cover types were assigned a grid value and used in the analyses that followed. The resultant raster output, while informative, still needs to be subjected to scrutiny by applying some ground truth. Maps showing the vegetation cover types, soil mapping units, dead trees and dead tree-related outages were produced. Being able to show the spatial distribution of soil types and vegetation cover types across Mid-South Synergy Cooperatives service territory helps to highlight the need for site-specic vegetation management. Pines are the dominant vegetation cover type in Mid-South Synergys territory, which may help to explain why 75% of dead trees cut in 2011 were pines.
Vegetation cover
The chain saw is one of the principal vegetation management tools.
l The soil type was given a 90% inuence weight and the vegetation cover type was given a 10% inuence weight. Each of the two inputs was multiplied by the weight. l The resulting cell values were added together to produce the risk allocation for dead trees in the Mid-South Synergy service territory. Most of the dead tree-related outages were prevalent in the soil mapping unit TX140 followed by TX179, TX188 and TX109. TX626 also was seen with a few more outages compared to the remainder of the soil units. Most of the dead tree outages were reported in the pine hardwood vegetation type. The vegetation type of other could not really be classied as just one dominant vegetation type. The purple is the post oak woods, forest and grasslands mosaic.
ity as expected (soil moisture is the single most factor affecting tree condition). In the GIS model formulation, a weight of 0.9 was applied to soil type and 0.1 was applied to vegetation cover type. This resulted in a model skewed toward soil type.
GIS Model Results

All grid cells with a value of 1 were labeled as the highest risk areas or the most susceptible to dead trees, while areas with a grid cell value of 4 are the least susceptible. The weighted overlay output grid was reclassied from its original ve classes to just two classes depicting high- and medium-risk areas. The next step involved converting the resultant output grid to a shape le, so a spatial join with primary conductors could be carried out. The spatial join allowed for the assignment of susceptibility values to primary conductors based on the polygon in which they fell. Based on the spatial join, it was possible to determine, at the feeder level, the length under each of the two classes. The classes were ranked by percent for each feeder, so if the majority of a feeder had a grid value of 1, then the feeder would be classied as very high risk and so forth. This enabled a grouping of feeders based on dead tree risk. This was done in Microsoft Excel using pivot tables. A
Weighted Overlay Analysis

The following steps were followed in coming up with the GIS model for dead tree risk areas: l A numerical evaluation scale of 1 to 4 was chosen, where 1 is the highest risk and 4 is the lowest risk. l The cell values for the soil type layer and vegetation cover type layer were assigned values from the evaluation. Soil layer TX140 was assigned a value of 1; TX179 a value of 2; TX188, TX205 and TX109 a value of 3; and all others a value of 4. The weight for each soil type was based mainly on the number of dead trees cut in that unit. For the vegetation cover type layer, pine hardwood was given a value of 1; other a mosaic of many types a value of 2; post oak woods, forest and grassland mosaic a value of 3; and all others a value of 4.
vegetationManagement
Analysis of vegetation cover type combined with soil type.
Primary conductor susceptibility to dead trees.
table was created listing feeders and their dead tree risk, and this was given to the operations department for deployment of crews to the areas needing the most immediate attention. The 50 feeders (circuits) were each given a value for dead tree intensity. With this new information, the work ow for taking care of hazard trees was modied, enabling the coop to not just rely on customer calls (reactionary) but be more proactive. In the new work ow, the GIS department allocates work packets for taking down dead trees based on the feeder susceptibility. This has resulted in intensifying dead tree work more than threefold, thus avoiding many potential outages. For example, close to 3,000 trees were cut during all of 2011, whereas in the rst half of 2012, about 15,000 dead trees were removed from the system. Without GIS, the coop would still be relying on customer calls and random scouting to know where hazard trees are located.
to expose. A few spatial analyses were run to come up with the hazard tree management plan that has since been implemented. With this new process, work assignments are much more efcient and the hazard tree program has already managed to remove trees from the system that would normally result in an outage or damage to utility infrastructure.
Comfort Manyame (cmanyame@midsouthsynergy.com) is the GIS manager for Mid-South Synergy Electric Coop in Texas. He earned his Ph.D. degree from Texas A&M University, College Station. He also is the technology editor for The GIS Professional, a URISA publication. His work on utility GIS, vegetation management and lightning strike studies have been widely published, including in ESRIs GIS Best Practices for Municipalities, Cooperatives and Rural Electric Utilities.
Clearion | www.clearion.com Mid-South Synergy Electric | www.midsouthsynergy.com
A Great Result
This is an example of low-hanging fruit that GIS can help
PRODUCTS&Services
Remote Sensing Software

Merrick & Co., a leader in light detection and ranging (LiDAR), digital orthophotography, hyperspectral imaging, and geographic information systems (GIS) data integration, has released Version 7.1 of the Merrick Advanced Remote Sensing (MARS) software suite. The MARS software suite provides comprehensive support for LiDAR point cloud visualization, data management, automated data processing, LiDAR quality control and geospatial data production. The newest version of MARS provides many software enhancements and new features, which improve data throughput and application usability. This release focuses on signicant performance improvements of Merricks automated QC Module (which tests against the new USGS National Geospatial Programs LiDAR Base Specication Version 1.0) and batch export module. Furthermore, this release provides support for Version 1.4 of the ASPRS LAS specication. Merrick & Co. | www.merrick.com
High-Impedance Fault Detection

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Inc. announces the high-impedance fault detection in the SEL-651R Advanced Recloser Control. SELs patented arc sense technology (AST) detects more high-impedance faults than conventional protection for reliable operation of distribution systems. A high-impedance fault occurs when a conductor contacts a ground surface but does not produce a large fault current. The SEL-651R with AST detects and clears many faults that may not be detected by conventional overcurrent elements. AST detection algorithms also offer enhanced security over existing technology, and dedicated event reports provide information on high-impedance fault activity for event analysis. Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories www.selinc.com
PEAK Transformers
The new Cooper Power Systems PEAK transformers are designed to provide additional capability for managing increased loads and temporary overload capacity without accelerating loss of insulation system life when compared to mineral oillled transformer alternatives. Cooper Power Systems has two options available for PEAK transformers. Both options use an advanced high-temperature insulation system, comprised of thermally upgraded kraft paper, soybean oil-based Envirotemp FR3 dielectric uid, and an optimized core and coil design: For applications where a smaller footprint and a lighter transformer capable of the same ratings as a physically larger 65C AWR rated unit are desired, a 75C AWR PEAK transformer is recommended. These units will use less material and fewer gallons of dielectric uid, resulting in a better value as well as lower related costs of handling and operating the larger transformers. Alternatively, when additional overload capacity is most important to manage increased loads or peaks in demand, a 65/75C AWR PEAK transformer is recommended. These units are designed to accommodate heavier base loading for extended periods of time without accelerating loss of insulation system life. Utilities, commercial and industrial customers are now able to load PEAK transformers continuously above base kVA rating to 109% for single phase or 112% for three phase while maintaining IEEE Standard C57.91-2011 standard per unit life requirement. PEAK transformers are lled with the biodegradable alternative to transformer oil, Envirotemp FR3 dielectric uid, which creates a barrier against water at the surface of the insulation. This makes the thermal kraft paper in the coil windings stronger and longer lasting. Cooper Power Systems | www.cooperpower.com
DCIM Solution
Emerson Network Power is combining the capabilities of its Trellis platform with IBM IT service management (ITSM) software to signicantly optimize the management of data center resources. This integrated data center infrastructure management (DCIM) solution will deliver increased energy and operational efciency, and improved IT service delivery. DCIM is an essential component for businesses that have high quality of service demands for information technologies and need to scale quickly. An estimated US$450 million market today, DCIM is expected to grow to $1.7 billion by 2016, according to industry analyst rm Gartner. Integrating IBM software with Emersons Trellis platform will provide real-time visibility from IT applications, through infrastructure components and all the way to the power grid, enabling holistic management of the data center ecosystem. This information can be used to improve energy efciency and space and capacity utilization, enable rapid problem management and resource provisioning, and improve operational efciency, all of which reduce the risk of downtime and enhance the delivery of IT services. The combined capabilities of Emersons Trellis platform and IBM software also will enable data center managers to understand the true costs of running an application with metrics like watts per workload, calculate its resource demands in real time, and dynamically provision physical and logical resources to support the application efciently and cost-effectively. Emerson Network Power www.emersonnetworkpower.com
Volt/VAR Optimization Technology

S&Cs new communicating capacitor controls make it easier to deploy volt/VAR optimization solutions. IntelliCap 2000 controls provide a simple set-up process and offer a variety of control strategies, which streamline deployment by minimizing the need for custom programming and congurations in a volt/VAR optimization system. IntelliCap 2000 provides high-accuracy analog inputs of 0.15% for increased accuracy in the overall volt/VAR optimization system, along with harmonic reporting up to the 23rd harmonic. GPS for 1-ms accurate time-stamping and WiFi functionality to enable easy and secure eld access are also available. Volt/VAR optimization technology offers advantages that almost anyone can appreciate, from reduced energy costs to improved power quality. The new IntelliCap 2000 controls make it even easier to deploy and manage a comprehensive volt/VAR optimization solution by reducing system set-up time and by providing access to very accurate data, says Chris McCarthy, director, automation systems, S&C. S&C Electric Co. | www.sandc.com
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PRODUCTS&Services
C-Head Cutter Series
Cable Fault Locator Video

Hipotronics Inc. has released its rst product demonstration video featuring the new X-Wave Primary Cable Fault Locator. It is now available on the companys website and YouTube channel. The X-Wave demo video will be the rst of many videos to come from Hipotronics in the future. The company plans to continue producing informative video tutorials that give an inside look at some of their newest equipment. Each video is intended to explain and demonstrate how to use featured products while promoting safety and ease-of-use throughout. Over time, video content will expand to cover product demos as well as topics like best practices and maintenance. Hipotronics Inc. | www.hipotronics.com
BURNDY expands its product offering with the PATHCC10 and RHCC10 C-Head cutter series. The unique C-Head tool allows users to simply scoop and cut without the need to open and close a latch, making cutting easier in a variety of applications. The PATHCC10 and RHCC10 series of cutters are available with four individually designed blades, enabling users to optimize the cutting of the intended cable type with ease and effectiveness. A variety of options are offered, including ordering the tools with all blades or specic blades only. The PATHCC10 is a self-contained battery-operated cutting tool (18-V NiMH), and the RHCC10 is a remote poweroperated hydraulic cutter (10,000 psi). Both platforms also have covered head versions available. The PATHCC10 and RHCC10 cutting tools have blade alignment technology, ensuring a clean cut and maximum blade life. The interchangeable blade can be customized to suit specic cutting needs. BURNDY | www.burndy.com
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Distribution Relay Portfolio

ABBs Relion 620 series of protection relays is now available for North America and for all ANSI markets. The 620 series is part of the larger Relion product family of transmission and distribution protection and control intelligent electronic devices. The ANSI Relion 620 series of distribution protection relays the REF620, REM620 and RET620 are designed to t mid- to high-end distribution applications, including one, one-and-a-half, and two breaker schemes. The three products in the 620 series are designed for protection and control of feeders, motors and transformers. These new protection relays feature the traditional Relion ease of use with one programming tool and three standard open protocols, as well as customizable screens, cable fault detection, the highest number of userprogrammable push buttons and digital inputs and outputs, and safety features such as delayed close breaker operation and arc-ash detection. ABB | www.abb.com
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Products&Services
AMI Communications System

Aclara Technologies LLC, a provider of intelligent infrastructure solutions and a member of the utility solutions group of ESCO Technologies Inc., announces enhanced TWACS (eTWACS). Aclaras TWACS power-line communications technology is a leading advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) solution nationwide, communicating with more than 13.5 million deployed smart devices and retrieving hourly data with a read rate higher than 99% for over 360 utilities. With eTWACS, utilities now can send and receive more data over power lines than they could with earlier generations of TWACS. The eTWACS protocol allows concurrent, bidirectional transmission of data on all three phases of an AC electrical distribution feeder as well as on all busses and substations simultaneously. The net effect, in most cases, can triple the communications capacity of an Aclara power-line communications system and add signicant capacity for future communication needs. What does this mean to the utility? Utilities now can use the additional capacity provided by eTWACS to handle smart grid applications above and beyond meter reading. Utilities deploying eTWACS now will have plenty of capacity to handle tasks such as outage management, load control and distribution management. For example, testing by Aclara conrmed that with eTWACS, the time to retrieve a full complement of shifted meter data from a 5,000-meter bus including intervals, voltages, kilowatt hours, tamper indicators, error ags and demand could be reduced from 60 minutes to 20 minutes. The two-way functionality of eTWACS also allows the utility to communicate effectively to each endpoint to issue on-request reads, control load-shed events, remotely connect and disconnect meters, and download feature enhancements. Aclara eTWACS is fully backward compatible with previous versions of TWACS equipment so that eTWACS-capable and earlier generation TWACS technology endpoints can coexist while maximizing communication capacity. Aclara | www.aclara.com
Transformer and Reactor Design Software

The 3D Transformers Environment (TE3D) provides a graphical user interface for designing transformers and reactors using Cobham Technical Services Opera-3D nite element electromagnetic simulation package. Users are presented with simple dialog boxes and drop-down menus to dene a new transformer or reactor design. After entering this data, the software creates a 3-D nite element model of a reactor or transformer, together with independent drive and load circuits within the circuit editor for subsequent simulation and analysis. The software allows a wide variety of common transformer types to be created, including three-phase, threeand ve-leg core, and single-phase two- and three-leg core. The software accommodates both racetrack and solenoid type single and multiple layer windings, and most of the commonly used winding connections specied in the international IEC 60076-1 standard for power transformers. All aspects of transformer design can be modelled through the environment. Users can modify the device and circuits following the initial build to enable precise matching of their designs, and the analysis options available within the environment can be used to analyze devices not constructed within it. The simulation analysis phase is also automated. User options include performing open-circuit, short-circuit and inrush current tests on transformers, and mutual inductance tests on reactors. Once an analysis has been completed, the TE3D environment automatically sends the results to the Opera Manager to be solved. In the case of the inrush current test, for example, the calculated results include the Lorentz forces on the primary and secondary windings, eddy currents in any support structures, iron losses in the transformer core, and transformer efciency. The TE3D environment offers ne control of the nite element analysis mesh size and distribution within each device to help balance speed with accuracy. TE3D will also model a diverse range of reactor types, including three-phase three-leg, ve-leg and both horizontal and vertical air core, and single-phase two-leg, three-leg and air core. Power systems designers will appreciate the benets of using TE3D from the outset. By modelling the transformer or reactor, they can visualize the shape of stray ux and the areas with the highest local loss concentration. Design data can be changed in seconds, allowing What if? type scenarios to be investigated quickly, so that users can home-in on the optimal design solution to an application more efciently. Cobham Technical Services www.cobham.com
IP Networked Camera
Schneider Electrics all-new Pelco Esprit SE IP Integrated PTZ Camera System includes standard and pressurized models for video surveillance and IP network connectivity. Built upon the Esprit SE positioning system platform, the system features dynamic window blanking, auto tracking, internal scheduling clock, electronic image stabilization and multilanguage menus all formerly reserved only for high-speed domes. Designed and built for continuous use featuring an integrated camera and lens, pan-and-tilt unit, multiprotocol receiver and Sarix-based H.264 encoder, Esprit SE IP offers dynamic remote-positioning capabilities and is capable of remaining completely operational in up to 90 mph (145 kmph) wind conditions. The integrated system offers responsive, high-speed positioning capabilities, fully congurable video streaming, easy browser-based set-up, outstanding weather protection, and a high level of aesthetics and ease of installation. Schneider Electric | www.pelco.com
Distribution Services and Software Modeling

Battelle now can support utilities with modeling tools for effective planning, testing and resource deployment. The new Grid Command Distribution is built as a front-end addition for GridLAB-D, a distribution system simulation and analysis tool developed at Pacic Northwest National Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy lab that Battelle manages. The offering helps utilities make informed decisions before they invest in new technologies. For instance, it models the impact of alternative energy sources and advanced technologies on the grid to improve investment and operational efciency. The new front-end software was developed as part of an ongoing smart grid demonstration project in Columbus as part of AEP Ohios gridSMART program sponsored by the Department of Energy. Grid Command Distribution allows utilities to quickly build circuit models with multiple congurations, assess complex resource deployment scenarios, and provide insight into grid sensitivity and capacity under changing conditions Battelles Grid Command Distribution is part of a full-service portfolio that includes Grid Command Active Demand Management and Grid Command Transmission (powered by HELM technology from Gridquant). Active Demand Management gives consumers and producers unprecedented control over everyday energy decisions. HELM, a proprietary suite of software and services originally developed by Gridquant, offers utilities visibility into transmission grid conditions even up to the point of collapse. Battelle | www.battell.org
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PRODUCTS&Services
Installation Pliers and Diagonal Cutters
SCADA Visualization App

The InduSoft Visualization App for Windows 8 and Windows RT, Microsofts highly anticipated new version of its Windows operating system, is now available at The Windows Store. As the rst SCADA/HMI visualization app created specically for Windows 8, the InduSoft Visualization App offers mobile access to InduSoft Web Studio applications from any Windows 8 device. The app enables users to access to SCADA information from a variety of mobile access stations such as iPhones, tablets and laptops. InduSoft Visualization App gives users the ability to monitor critical information anytime at their ngertips. Users can view alarms, alarm history, process values, trends and historical data from any location using their Windows 8 operating system. InduSoft | www.indusoft.com
The KNIPEX installation pliers and the KNIPEX X-Cut diagonal cutters have received the 2013 iF product design award in a qualied and international eld. A pair of KNIPEX installation pliers is the perfect complement to diagonal cutters. The KNIPEX installation pliers are fully loaded with functions mimicking the four essential electrical installation tools including long nose pliers, wire strippers, crimping pliers and cable shears. This quadruple functionality in the pliers makes them ideal for electrical work. The X-Cut pliers are box joint diagonal cutters with the capacity of an all-rounder. They are compact and lightweight, but still extremely precise and powerful due to the doublesupported joint axis that allows for heavy-duty cutting. KNIPEX Tools | www.knipex-tools.com
Relay Test Equipment

EuroSMCs lightweight PTE-50-CE is the ideal instrument to test overcurrent and over/undervoltage protective relays. The reversible 100-VA amplier can inject up to 50 A or 150 V with outstanding stability, free of distortions and completely isolated from the power supply. The waveform is synthesized electronically and can generate harmonics from 1st to 7th of the supplys frequency. Various output ranges are available to maintain the 100-VA power throughout the entire settings scale. The system features automatic protections against overload and overheating. The Pro version features the PTEFCN additional voltage source inside the lid. This option can be ordered and self-installed in a few minutes to upgrade any existing PTE-50-CE, and extends the applications range to many more relay types including directional overcurrent, impedance, synchronization and frequency relays. This equipment is easy to use. You just set the test values (current, voltage, phase angle, frequency) and activate the output. When the relays operation is detected, the chronometer will display the operation time with a 1-ms resolution. A step function is also available to test the relay across two non-zero values of current, voltage or phase angle. Although the PTE-50-CE has been designed for fast, efcient in-eld testing, it also can be controlled from an external computer running optionally available test software, designed for routine testing and automatic report generation. EuroSMC | www.eurosmc.com
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Faster
PRODUCTS&Services
Circuit Breaker Analyzer

Circuit Breaker Analyzer has created an application for iPhone or iPod, capable of capturing vibration signatures from working circuit breakers to provide quantiable data for computerized maintenance management systems and other preventive maintenance programs. Using the accelerometer inside every iPhone or new model iPod, the Circuit Breaker Analyzer captures vibration data in all three axes as well as across time at sample rates of 100 Hz to 400 Hz, depending on the version. Both sample rates provide ample data to for a detailed vibration signature for later analysis of potential mechanical faults inside the circuit breaker. By comparing the newly acquired vibration signature to a database of known good proles and/ or the vibration signature of the breakers rst trip operation, pattern recognition algorithms can determine when changes in the envelope or shape of the vibration signature indicate a hidden mechanical problem that eventually will lead to breaker failure if left unchecked. The Circuit Breaker Analyzer is designed for use by technicians with any level of experience. After starting the application, the operator keys in the type of circuit breaker under test. This brings up a picture of the breaker that shows the technician where to attach the iPhone or iPod, using adhesive magnets that ship with the Circuit Breaker Analyzer app. This helps to guarantee an apples to apples comparison with stored KGPs and eliminate false tests. The app also comes with built-in level indicators to make sure the iPhone or iPod is positioned correctly for testing. The app also can be used in conjunction with remote switching devices, such as the CBS ArcSafe product line remote racking system, for added protection against arc ash injuries. After the test is nished, the tester presses the stop button, and the vibration data is saved on the device and wirelessly sent to a central database of the users choosing. Internal condition-based maintenance algorithms compare the vibration envelope to known good proles for that make of breaker, and identify variances that indicate an internal mechanical problem or wear. Circuit Breaker Analyzer Inc. | cbanalyzer.com
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Digital Voltage Phasing Meter

Hastings launches the redesigned 6702 digital voltage phasing meter, an updated version with the same great quality and additional features. The redesigned phasing meter performs a variety of underground and overhead distribution and transmission applications. The new version includes added features: Three modes of operation: AC, DC and Hi-Pot Measure voltage from 0 kV to 40 kV and up to 240 kV using addon resistors Display includes digital meter and analog bar graph, and is twice as large as the former display. Understanding the harsh environment of the linemen and products, the redesigned meter enclosure is smaller and made of high-quality, rugged extruded aluminum. Additionally, the phasing meter includes a Hi-Pot mode for testing URD cable and has a mode bar graph to mark the peak voltage while the cable is being charged. Hastings | www.hfgpundergroundsafety.com
UPS Backup Power

Pnu Power introduces a fully integrated backup power system for data centers and industrial UPS applications. The EPS10 provides 10 kW of peak power and 100+ hours runtime in a selfcontained weatherproof box that can be located in extreme outdoor environments. It can be connected to critical loads via a single mains cable and several units can be run in parallel, for higher loads and/or redundancy. The unit uses the latest ultra-capacitor technology in place of conventional leadacid batteries to provide instant bridging power in the event of an outage and fast, reliable start-up of its integral diesel generator for extended runtime. Pnu Power | www.pnu-power.com
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71
StraightTalk
Counterintuitive Strategies
By Richard
Brown, WorleyParsons
n Oct. 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy made landfall in the Northeast United States. Although Sandy was only a Category 1, it was the largest Atlantic hurricane on record with winds spanning 1,100 miles (1,770 km). Sandy affected the entire East Coast, with particularly extensive damage in New Jersey and New York. Sandy caused power interruptions to more than 6 million people, with more than 1 million still out of power a week after landfall. The public is understandably frustrated whenever an extreme weather event results in power restoration times of a week or more. In these situations, it is common for the media and politicians to criticize utilities for old and unmaintained infrastructure, poor storm preparation, inefcient restoration processes and inadequate communication with a variety of stakeholders. Valid or not, these attacks put pressure on utilities to develop action plans so things will be better when the next storm hits.
alternatives to Consider
When considering alternatives for improving storm performance, it is natural to think about historical approaches used to improve normal-weather and minor-storm reliability. Unfortunately, these are not always effective. Much of the utility system was not designed for extreme weather and different rules often apply. It reminds me of a classic Seinfeld episode where George Costanza turns his life around by doing the opposite of his instincts. For a utility to turn its storm performance around, it must recognize that the effects of many improvement initiatives are counterintuitive. Here are four examples when initial instincts may not translate into the best storm-improvement approach: 1. Put it undergroundnot! After a major storm, it is a safe bet utilities will be urged to put all of their lines underground. Overhead-to-underground conversion has been examined dozens of times by states, cities, professional organizations and consultants. The answer is always the same. Unless there are special circumstances, overhead-to-underground conversion is far too expensive to justify the benets. Worse, underground systems result in less reliability near coastal areas subject to storm surges. Underground systems near the coast are less reliable during major storms, not more. 2. Trim the treesnot! Utilities are often scolded after a major storm because they are behind on their tree-pruning cycle. Cycle pruning focuses on conductor clearances, which is important for clear-weather reliability but less so for major
storms. Most tree damage during storms results from large branches and entire trees falling into wires, often from outside of the right-of-way. To improve storm performance, vegetation management needs to focus on removing dead and diseased trees, removing tall trees (and perhaps replacing them with short trees), and removing all branches that overhang the conductors. 3. Replace wood polesnot! After seeing broken and leaning poles, utilities often are asked why they do not switch to stronger poles made out of steel, concrete or composites. In fact, the average strength of a wood pole for a given grade of construction is higher than these alternatives. New wood poles are one-third stronger to allow for degradation, and have a higher safety factor to compensate for higher-strength variability. Sometimes it makes sense to use non-wood poles, such as to reduce weight. However, a strong storm will snap a nonwood pole just as easily as a wood pole of the same strength. 4. Replace small wirenot! Old copper wire does not stand much of a chance against falling trees, and nobody likes to see broken conductor on the ground. Consequently, it can be tempting to proactively replace small conductor with something larger and stronger. Although stronger conductors are less likely to break, they often can cause a bigger problem than they solve. When trees fall into large conductors, the full force is transferred to nearby utility poles, resulting in broken hardware, crossarms and often the pole itself. Needless to say, it is easier to splice a broken conductor than replace a broken pole. Some utilities have begun using wire ties that will fail before the conductor breaks or structural damage occurs. When the tie fails, the conductor simply drops to the ground and can be rehung during restoration. When it comes to storm strategies, initial instincts may not always be wrong. However, most rules of thumb and accepted approaches are based on non-storm situations and may not translate well to storm situations. Storm performance requires different thinking, and considering counterintuitive outcomes will ensure that all actions result in the desired benets. Imagine taking the stand at post-storm hearings. Instead of defending mediocre results with everybody does it this way, you can tout superior results because most do it this way, but we do it the right way.
Richard Brown (richard.brown@worleyparsons.com) is the vice president of power networks for WorleyParsons in the United States. He is also a fellow of the IEEE.
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Good Preparation, Excellent Execution
Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy leads the daily response call in the State Emergency Operations Center.
m not ashamed to admit I get a churning in the pit of my stomach when I see hurricanes forming in the Gulf. The closer a major storm approaches landfall, the more I nd myself repeating phrases like Not again. Not this time. Turn out to sea. Weaken. Dissipate. When a hurricane hits land, it robs those of us in its path of our sense of security and replaces it with great discomfort and angst. Those of us impacted are forced to rebuild our homes, our businesses, our infrastructure and, sometimes, our very lives. As much as I hate to see a storm brewing, when a major storm hits, I refuse to sit idly by. I have to get involved in some way, just as you probably do. Its what we those of us who work in the electric utility industry were bred for. We never feel more alive, more energized or more needed than when we are bringing back electricity, along with a sense of normalcy and security, to our customers.
The Ugliest of the Ugly

Speaking from experience, Sandy was the ugliest of the ugly. I ew up to personally experience and report on the rebuild efforts on Long Island and in Connecticut. When you are on the front line, your emotions swing wildly from a dull ache, to deep despair, to wild exhilaration and then back again. Too often, the emotions do not line up with the experi-
ences; they are out of control, at least mine are. When I got back from the front, I connected with executives at Con Ed, FirstEnergy and Public Service Electric & Gas. Each of these utilities also had personal stories to tell. Gene Wolf, T&D Worlds technical writer, and I then touched base with the many collaborating utilities, contractors, tree trimmers and vendors who moved Heaven and Earth and then some to get personnel and supplies to the front. Those in the know cannot help but be impressed by the sheer numbers required to respond to an event like Sandy. The number of contract crews, vehicles, poles, transformers and the miles of wire boggle the mind. We are honored to share the stories of the individuals and teams who pulled together to bring power back to the Northeast. Today, reecting back on the Sandy rebuild, I can state the key to our successful rebuild was good preparation and excellent execution. A proper rebuild requires utilities to build and maintain relationships with other utilities, with contractors and with vendors. These relationships are gold in times of crisis. During the Sandy response, these partners responded with the same passion and vigor as the utilities themselves. Because Superstorm Sandy was so massive, delivered record-high tides and unleashed mayhem in the most densely populated region of the United States, she also impacted our national psyche. We are now different, and our industry
March 2013 l www.tdworld.com
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Properly stafng the Connecticut State Emergency Operations Center allows issues to be resolved before they become problems.
We will install storm-hardened telecommunications systems. We will operate more robust distribution management and outNo More Storm age management systems that can Business as Usual handle the increased information Legislators, regulators and cusow during crisis events. tomers showed their impatience and even rage when storm restoraWe will provide network status tion efforts exceeded several weeks, updates in real time to utility workeven when taking into account the ers, utility partners, regulators, legextent of the damage from this masislators, the local media, and, most sive killer storm. Woe to the utility importantly, to our customers. executive who cannot respond to Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority ChairWe will partner with city manthe pace demanded by regulators man Arthur House shares storm response perspectives agers, state preparedness organizawith Rick Bush. and legislators. tions, FEMA and other infrastrucWe know in our gut we must respond ever more quickly ture organizations to accelerate storm response times for all when the next storm hits. We are taking action now. We are services providers. changing the dynamics of how we will prepare for and reAs utilities, we have plenty of reasons to invest in our power spond to superstorms: delivery system so that we can better respond to storms. The We will design and build more robust, more resilient, main reason is that it is the right thing to do. Status quo is not an option. We already have the technologies available to move more easily rebuilt power delivery systems. We will improve our supply chain channels to gain even rapidly and decisively build out a more exible, more robust, greater access to replacement poles, transformers, switchgear more resilient, more easily rebuilt grid. And now, post-Sandy, we have the communal will to do so. and hardware. Our network will provide more operational exibility during restoration so we can bypass damaged areas and reroute electricity. We will collaborate nationally to standardize equipment so we can more easily obtain replacement parts. Editorial Director
has been changed because of the mind-altering impact of this storm.
Transmission & Distribution World
Utilities Caught
NASAs Aqua satellite captured a visible image of Sandys massive circulation on Oct. 29, 2012, at 2:20 p.m. Sandy covered 1.8 million square miles from the Mid-Atlantic to the Ohio Valley, and into Canada and New England. Courtesy of NASA Foddard MODIS
Rapid Response Team.
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in the Crosshairs
Five utilities ramp up to battle Sandys onslaught.
By Rick
Bush, Editorial Director
tropical depression in the western Caribbean caught the attention of meteorologists on Oct. 22, 2012. It quickly grew in strength and became Tropical Storm Sandy. Over the next week, the storm developed into Hurricane Sandy, leaving a path of death and destruction as it moved across the Caribbean into the Atlantic. About a week later, on Oct. 29, it slammed into the densely populated northeastern portion of the United States. From the time it rst formed until it made landfall, Sandy became the largest storm to ever hit the East Coast. It was more than 1,000 nautical miles, or 1,150 miles (1,850 km), wide more than twice the size of the state of Texas. It impacted the North American Eastern Seaboard, from Florida to Nova Scotia and westward beyond the Appalachian Mountains to Wisconsin. In all, Sandy affected more than 24 states plus the District of Columbia and several Canadian provinces. Being in the center of the storms crosshairs, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut an area with a population in excess of 60 million people caught the brunt of the storm.
What have 87 hurricane seasons taught us? Were all in this together.
Florida Power & Light dispatched 2,400 linemen from Florida and west Georgia to restore power to customers shortly after Hurricane Sandy made landfall on the east coast of Florida on Oct. 26. FPL also sent a caravan from Bradenton, Florida, to assist utilities in the Washington-Baltimore area. Deploying more than 860 employees and contractor restoration workers in 250 trucks, FPL storm-response teams worked tirelessly to support seven different utilities from Virginia to New Jersey with restoration efforts. Courtesy of Florida Power
& Light.
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Devastated by a Hybrid
As far as storms go, Sandy delivered far more damage than most hurricanes, although the National Hurricane Center downgraded its status to a tropical cyclone shortly before it came ashore in the United State. Sandy was a huge slow-moving storm. A week into restoration, an arctic storm called a noreaster hit the U.S. It combined all the destruction of a hurricane with the devastation of a noreaster, fueled by an arctic storm front. Sandy combined wind, rain, snow and ooding.
Sandy had a barometric pressure of 940 millibars, usually associated with Category 4 hurricanes. It also brought Category 1 hurricane winds of 90 mph (145 kmph) when it came ashore. In addition, storm surges were expected to reach 4 ft to 8 ft (1.2 m to 2.4 m) along the coast, with a predicted 11-ft (3.3-m) storm surge in northern New Jersey and Long Island. Meteorologists estimates proved to be way too conservative. The storm surge that hit New York Citys Battery Park was measured at 13.88 ft (4.23 m). Storm surges of this magnitude are normally related to Category 4 storms, not tropical
Electric Outages by State

Impacted state Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Kentucky Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan New Hampshire Peak outages reported in DOE situation reports 626,559 45,137 3,583 8,379 90,727 311,020 298,072 69,006 141,992 Impacted state New Jersey New York North Carolina Ohio Pennsylvania Rhode Island Vermont Virginia West Virginia Peak outages reported in DOE situation reports 2,615,291 2,097,933 15,466 267,323 1,267,512 116,592 17,959 182,811 271,765
Note: States with fewer than 3,000 outages are not included in the table. Source: Outage numbers obtained from company websites and DOE communications.
NASAs Atmospheric Infrared Sounder instrument on NASAs Aqua spacecraft captured this infrared image of Hurricane Sandy at 2:17 p.m. on Oct. 29, 2012. The hurricane center is the darkest purple area in the Atlantic, just east of the New Jersey coast, reecting Sandys areas of heaviest rainfall. Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech.
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cyclones. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration placed the destructive power of Sandy at 5.8 on a scale of 6. It seems like the National Hurricane Center and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration should have gotten together on classifying this megastorm.
Standing By But Not Idle

In the days prior to the superstorms landfall, local ofcials prepared citizens for the storm and began to call for evacuation of coastal and low-lying areas. Likewise, utilities, manufacturers, contractors and suppliers were gearing up for the storm. Utilities activated their emergency-response plans, mobilized their employees, contacted their mutual assistance networks and battened down their systems. The following pages track the restoration of ve utilities that found themselves caught in the crosshairs of Superstorm Sandy: Long Island Power Authority, Con Edison, Public Service Electric and Gas Co., FirstEnergys Jersey Central Power & Light and Connecticut Light & Power. Here are their stories.
The aerial photos show the Borough of Montoloking in Ocean County, New Jersey, on March 18, 2007, (below) and on Oct. 31, 2012 (right). Sandy made landfall just south of Montoloking, demolishing the coastal community. Courtesy of NOAA Remote Sensing Division.
A bucket truck from Southern California Edison is unloaded from a C-5 transport and ready for dispatch. Responding to a request from New Yorks Con Edison, SCE sent more than 70 units and 120 line workers to the Northeast. Plans initially called for a ground convoy, which could have taken up to four days. To expedite the mission, President Obama requested an airlift to get the mission underway. Courtesy of Con Edison.
Superstorm Sandy brought with it devastating damage. LIPA crews replaced more than 4,400 poles and 2.25 million feet of wire to restore power to customers. Courtesy of LIPA.
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Flooding crested in the region of this 230-kV to 115-kV Raritan River switchyard. The breaker in the foreground is a 115-kV MEPPI circuit breaker. Courtesy of ABB.
Monmouth Beach Substation in Monmouth Beach, New Jersey, suffered damage from the storm surge that carried sand inland. Courtesy of ABB.
Typical salt water damage from ooding in the substations switchgear. Courtesy of ABB.
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An extreme tidal surge caused severe ooding and extensive damage across the south shore of Long Island and the Rockaways. Courtesy of LIPA.
Hurricane Sandy left a path of destruction in the areas serviced by Jersey Central Power & Light. As of Nov. 2, crews had replaced approximately 2,400 spans of wire and 200 transformers. With the arrival of the noreaster on Nov. 7, heavy snow and high winds resulted in an additional 120,000 power outages in the JCP&L service territory. Courtesy of JCP&L.
Lineman work in side-by-side bucket trucks to restore power to a neighborhood on Staten Island, New York. Courtesy of Con Edison.
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Long Island Power Authority crews reattach secondary lines to customers after devastating damage. Courtesy of LIPA.
In the Sheapshead Bay neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, trees and electric poles fell to the ground after strong winds from Hurricane Sandy blew through. Courtesy of Anton Oparin,
Shutterstock.
In the neighborhood of Belle Harbor, Rockaway Beach, houses sustained extensive damage and lost power due to impact from Hurricane Sandy in Queens, New York. Courtesy of Anton Oparin, Shutterstock.
10
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SUPERSTORMSandy
Long Island Power Authority

urricane Sandy may not go down in U.S. annals as the worst storm of all time, but certain East Coast residents may beg to differ. When Sandy made landfall in late October 2012, she knocked out power to 1.1 million Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) customers. To add insult to injury, an impressive noreaster struck the same decimated area just a week into the rebuild, cutting utilities to another 160,000 customers thousands of whom had recently seen power restored. Despite these signicant obstacles, LIPA rose to the challenge. Measuring 118 miles (190 km) in length and 23 miles (37 km) in width, Long Island is exposed to strong winds and tides, and is thus entirely vulnerable during extreme weather. Located west of highly populated New York City, Long Island is the most highly populated island in the United States. Nick Lizanich, vice president of operations at LIPA, provided this on-the-ground perspective of the rising tide and falling utility fortunes:
Although realizing the consequences of storm damage caused by an extended period of hurricane-force winds, some of our greatest challenges were related to ooding, said Lizanich. We used NOAA surge maps to prepare our response to the expected tidal surges. The slow movement of the storm was such that NOAA predicted that successive tides would push up against earlier tides to result in greater ooding, all during an astronomical high-tide period due to the full moon. The predictions were in line with what we could handle, he noted. The rst high tide was in line with predicted levels and was right near the height of the break walls, Lizanich recalled. The second high tide was a couple feet higher than the rst and, again, in line with NOAA predictions. The second high tide brought the oodwaters to the substation fence line, so we were feeling pretty condent the third high tide, which was expected to be several feet higher, would be contained by the sandbagging done at the stations. In reality, the third high tide came in as much as 7 ft (2.1 m) higher than expected. As the
A LIPA lineman puts the nishing touch on a pole changeout by connecting triplex to a residential home.
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SUPERSTORMSandy
Long Island Power Authority and National Grid executives discuss restoration progress at their twice-a-day operations brieng at the Hicksville Command Center.
station breakers began to blow from the oodwaters, and we took steps to de-energize the remaining pieces of the stations to minimize damage, we knew then that we were dealing with the most damaging storm ever to hit Long Island. Seven LIPA substations experienced ood damage. Fortunately, LIPA had two mobile substations on hand along with access to another mobile substation, obtained from National Grid, to use in the quick restoration of the system backbone and key critical loads in the ood-ravaged areas. LIPA also had various spare transformers, breakers and switchgear to aid in the restoration of substation circuits, to meet the load so ooded areas could be rebuilt to receive load. When appropriate, hardening efforts were performed on the substations during the rebuild and restoration process. At one substation, for instance, foundations were raised 5 ft (1.5 m) on a replacement piece of switchgear to position new replacement gear out of future ood danger. In some instances, transmission lines were rerouted to bypass ooded substations. Mutual aid included 40 outside substation-support personnel to facilitate the removal and replacement of ooded switchgear, breakers and transformers. LIPA also employed services companies to assist in the refurbishment of damaged and ooded equipment, which would be reinstalled and re-energized as conditions and need warranted. It is expected LIPA
will ultimately spend $50 million in substation restoration, of which some of this work is still being performed. In a densely populated area called the Rockaways, home to approximately 50,000 customers, a large number of highrise residential facilities were without power in addition to residential homes and commercial businesses when oodwaters shorted out the supply stations. Anticipating difculties in
Line workers install new switchgear (foreground) and new poles (background) in the ood areas of the Rockaways.
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SUPERSTORMSandy
One of the lessons learned a year ago from Hurricane Irene was the need to improve the cooperation between LIPA and the municipal road-clearing crews in each town. As a lesson learned, a new process was put in place and used during Sandy that received very positive remarks from the local towns and counties. The process includes the assignment of electrical crews to the various town road-clearing crews so they can work together to safely deenergize lines. During Sandy, lines had fallen and became entangled with a tree blocking a major roadway. The early debris-removal initiative proved to be quite valuable as it provided residents access to services and line crews access to roadways for subsequent restoration efforts. Wind damage also was severe and widespread on the island. Many trees had been uprooted and, subsequently, knocked down distribution lines and poles (more than 4,000 poles were damaged by Sandy). To rebuild the transmission and distribution system, 5,737 line personnel were brought on the island to Thousands of off-island crews were processed to help LIPA repair the devastating supplement the 535 crew members residing on damage from the storm. the island. Similarly, 3,624 tree workers were contracted to assist the 150 local vegetation workers. customers getting their internal switchgear rooms in the high Of course, all these workers and associated support staff rises cleaned and ready for service, LIPA assembled a eet of 105 large stand-alone generators, rated from 70 kW to had to be housed, equipped and dispatched. Jim Dayton, director of strategic T&D initiatives with National Grid, was 2,000 kW, to facilitate the restoration of customer load. These generators were hooked up to bring back several responsible for foreign crew management. Dayton shared residential, commercial, governmental and utility facilities. major process and facilities changes in place for Sandy that For example, 10 buildings in the Ocean Bay high-rise complex had been implemented in the past year because of lessons were energized using 10 of these backup generators. Genera- learned from Hurricane Irene, in 2011: To accommodate additional crews, the foreign crew mantors also were located at the Long Beach Medical Center and the Mass Transit Authoritys Rockaway Park Station. LIPA also agement ofce moved to a larger facility. The crew-handling located on-site generation at crew staging areas, substations process was enhanced to improve process ow. In addition, we and lay-down yards to facilitate a 24-hour operation of services relocated the truck arrival and staging site to a larger facility in hard-hit damaged areas. LIPA also acquired 5,500-W gen- to improve trafc ow, reduce delays and minimize the need erators for 44 polling stations throughout the service territory, to relocate trucks. We could also send out automated texts and calls to crew guides, which resulted in enhanced communicaso all voting centers had power for the national election. One of the more frustrating issues LIPA faced was gaining tions with eld personnel. This series of enhancements proved the required approval to restore power to homes and business- invaluable in handling the unprecedented number of crews es that had experienced ooding and damage to electrical we brought onto the island. John Bruckner, president of Long Island electric T&D seroutlets and wiring panels. Determining who had the authority to authorize the re-energization of these homes and busi- vices with National Grid, served as incident commander durnesses, and how each county would go about making this deci- ing the restoration. Because of the extensive level of damage, sion, became a local issue, clearly something that needs to be local crew dispatch was divided between the local dispatch centers and 80 satellite ofces created at neighborhood substamemorialized prior to the next event. LIPA is somewhat unique as a municipal utility made up of tions. Each day, Bruckner took progress reports from the eld just about 100 staff personnel. LIPA contracts with National at the Hicksville Command Center. Issues addressed included Grid to perform most transmission and distribution services. mandatory safety training for incoming crews, crew dispatch, So, under normal operating conditions, most of the boots on and material, logistics and equipment status updates. Also critical was the conveyance of operational informathe ground are actually National Grid employees. During this storm, the National Grid team managed most of the tactical tion to the communications teams, which would provide the messaging to customers. Comprehensive storm-response inissues related to storm restoration.
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SUPERSTORMSandy
ed road and rail crossings, 100 already had been hardened with larger poles and more robust hardware. Also, more than one-third of the poles with automated sectionalizing units had been hardened. This effort produced great results as none of these structures came down during the storm. LIPA also had changed transmission line design codes so new or reworked transmission lines were being built to withstand 130-mph (209-kmph) winds, up from the original 90-mph (145-kmph) wind design. LIPAs hurricane preparedness planning included stocking the warehouse to hurricane levels every summer in anticipation of a major event such as Sandy in 2012 and Irene the year before. Daily deliveries of key hardware and equipment kept all the line crews fully engaged in the restoration efforts. Services also were provided by nonelectrical personnel from National Grid who assisted in material delivery to job sites. One issue that arose during the event was the unavailability of completely self-protected transformers, which include an internal resettable breaker instead of a fused cutout installed LIPA substation mechanics make nal connections to a replacement in the riser wire to the transformer. Because the supply chain transformer in the ooded Rockaways. for these transformers was stretched thin, some crews were formation was tallied and then placed on the LIPA website to tasked with modifying transformer installations to accommodate the need for a fused cutout. take pressure off the call centers. Early on, LIPA had committed to returning power to the LIPA already had begun circuit hardening in 2007, and these efforts paid tremendous dividends. Of the 250 identi- majority of customers within 10 days. Just as LIPA was getting to that goal, a setback occurred when the utility was hit with a major noreaster, along with blinding snow and 30-mph to 35-mph (48-kmph to 56-kmph) winds. The snowstorm knocked out power to an additional 160,000 customers, some of which had just been restored. This was yet another setback for service restoration. The utility persevered and restored all but those in severely ooded areas within a 14-day period. The ooded areas are slowly being restored as customers get their panels and electrical equipment replaced. As of this No other compaNy has a better writing, a few thousand customers remain uNderstaNdiNg of utility vegetatioN without power and whose homes and busimaNagemeNt requiremeNts. nesses still await the assistance of the Federal CNUC consultants have developed or interpreted legal Emergency Maintenance Agency to restore and regulatory language in almost every applicable their homes and businesses to normal. UVM standard. Were here to guide and sustain Im proud of the work we did to restore your utilitys compliance with state and federal the customers who experienced outages asrequirements, and in the process, well help you sociated with Sandy and the subsequent reach your overall UVM program objectives. noreaster, stated Lizanich. We do recognize that there is room for improvement, including our ability to keep customers apprised of the status of their restoration efThe PoWer of KnoWledge fort, and we are undertaking lessons learned to nd holes in our processes, both operaUtility Arborists & Foresters | Industry Analysis tionally as well as from a communications Benchmarking | Program/Compliance Reviews 7 07 .82 9.1018 perspective. When it comes to storm prepaExpert Witness | Software | LIDAR Cnu TIlITy.Co m QA/QC | Turn-Key UVM Operations ration and response, it is a continuous learning process.
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SUPERSTORMSandy
Con Edison
eminiscent of the storm that devastated New Orleans, Louisiana, several years ago, Hurricane Sandy ravaged both Con Edisons underground and overhead electrical delivery systems in late fall 2012. Winds gusted up to 90 mph (145 kmph), sending thousands of trees crashing onto overhead lines, while unprecedented oodwaters rushed into substations and other critical facilities, ultimately crippling many sections of the city. Con Edison, which serves 3.3 million customers in the ve boroughs of New York City and Westchester County, has long realized its susceptibility to storm tides, and weather forecasts made it clear Sandy posed a serious ooding threat. In fact, the utility monitored weather reports that predicted the storm tide at the Battery the southern tip of Manhattan Island could reach 12 ft (4.7 m). The previous high reached approximately 11 ft (3.4 m) in 1821, and Hurricane Irene, which struck the region in August 2011, brought a storm tide of 9.5 ft (2.9 m). When the storm tide from Sandy exceeded forecasters expectations, reaching 14 ft (4.3 m) on the evening of Oct. 29, the result was a massive deluge of saltwater into substations and other parts of the A Con Edison team member positions a hose to pump out a ooded underground vault. areas underground electrical system. As New York Harbor roiled violently and oodwaters rose rapidly, Con Edison made a critical call early that evening: The utility shut down two electrical networks on the south- ing 6,500 customers in Manhattan and 28,200 in Brooklyn eastern tip of Manhattan and one network in Brooklyn, leav- without electrical service. However, these shutdowns likely prevented extensive long-term damage to customer and utility equipment. Another 11 electrical networks in Lower and Midtown Manhattan were shut down between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. because of water ooding substation equipment. Shortly after 9 p.m., an additional network, which serves the World Trade Center construction, was removed from service at the customers request. Power was out as far north as 39th Street to 40th Street on the East Side of Manhattan and as far north as 30th Street to 31st Street on the West Side. Con Edison includes both submersible and nonsubmersible network protectors on its system. After the worst of the storm passed, and the manholes and vaults were pumped out, Con Edison removed about 200 nonsubmersible network protectors from ooded areas and had them refurbished by its own personnel and by Richards, a New Jersey contractor. The repairs were quick and aligned with customer restoraOnce the vault is accessible, Con Edison workers remove the network protector to be refurbished or replaced so that power can be tion plans. Since Con Edison also maintains spare breakers restored to customers. and transformers, the utility was able to replace failed devices
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SUPERSTORMSandy
within a few days. For example, when much of Manhattan went dark due to ooding, Con Edison possessed all the materials and equipment it needed to execute a relatively quick turnaround. Because Con Edisons equipment is exposed to road salt during winter storms, the utility boasts a storehouse of knowledge about the impact of salt on equipment. Its engineers and operators know distribution bushings and elbows can withstand ooding conditions. But, the utility is investigating the impact of saltwater on other devices. According to Robert Schimmenti, the utilitys vice president of engineering and planning, Con Edison intends to investigate design enhancements on transformer bushings to make them more resistant to salt contamination and develop submersible designs for other critical equipment. Paper-insulated lead-covered (PILC) cables The vehicle-staging area located at base camp was set up in Rye, New York, to house out-of-town workers helping with the restoration effort in Westchester County. did not pose a signicant problem during this event. The Con Edison system operates with limited amounts ease of installation, its use of shear-bolt connectors and the of PILC cable, relying instead on more dependable, extruded pretensioned shrink that seals the joint from environmental dielectric cables and splices. For the past 11 years, Con Edison elements. Con Edison brought in thousands of mutual-aid and conhas been installing cold-shrink splices, which have performed well, particularly in water-prone conditions. This splice design tractor workers to help restore service to customers followalso is less susceptible to workmanship failures because of its ing Sandy. Stated Schimmenti, We brought in underground
When Superstorm Sandy called.

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Mark Testa, a Con Edison mechanic, works on a network protector.
mutual aid to assist in the pumping out of the manholes and vaults, as well as changing out of network protectors. Crews from as far west as California, as north as Canada, as far south as Florida and Texas came in to give a hand. While the damage and outages in Manhattan were ood related, most of the damage in Westchester County was caused by wind. Falling trees caused damage on some Westchester circuits that was so devastating entire lines had to be rebuilt from scratch. Circuits that would have taken two to three months to build on a planned basis were replaced in three to four days. Looking at the overhead portions of the Con Edison service territory, more than 1,000 poles and 900 overhead transformers had to be replaced, more than ve times as many as had been replaced in any previous storm. Early on in the restoration, a major issue for Con Edison was road closures and toppled trees, which affected 75% of the utilitys overhead service territory. The extensive damage on Staten Island proved to be both wind and ood related. A number of houses in the coastal communities were knocked off their foundations. Our Con Edison energy service representatives worked side by side with city inspectors and contractors. NYC launched a very successful initiative called NYC Rapid Repairs, said Schimmenti. NYC Rapid Repairs was a huge fast-track effort to bring in rebuild services providers to make homes livable. Services provided included the removal of sheet rock, as well as electrical and plumbing work. Con Edison also worked with the city to expedite the delivery of electricity to hotels under construction so the city could provide temporary housing for displaced residents. Con Edison restored service to more than 230,000 Manhattan customers. Systemwide, Con Edison restored service to more than 1.1 million customers affected by Hurricane Sandy and the snowy noreaster that followed the next week. It brought about the largest storm-related-restoration campaign in Con Edisons long history, and there is no close second. Hurricane Irene, the second most devastating storm, knocked just under 204,000 electric customers out of service.
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SUPERSTORMSandy
Public Service Electric & Gas

uperstorm Sandy aka Hurricane Sandy holds the dubious distinction of being the most destructive storm in New Jersey-based PSE&Gs 109-year history, impacting twice as many customers as 2011s Hurricane Irene. In addition to leaving more than 1.9 million of PSE&Gs 2.2 million electric customers without power, Sandys storm surge caused the Hudson, Hackensack and Passaic rivers to overow their banks, causing unimaginable devastation to numerous switching stations, substations and generating infrastructure. Fortunately, the utility was prepared, pre-staging 1,300 outof-state line workers and 600 out-of-state tree contractors, as well as their full complement of in-house personnel. The sheer logistics of housing, feeding, busing and preparing work packets for the external crews challenged the logistics team. At the height of the rebuild, more than 4,000 line workers, substation experts and tree personnel were engaged in restoration. There were 15 staging areas set up across the state, many in shopping mall parking lots, where crews were dispatched, trucks refueled, supplies restocked and box lunches dispensed. There were 55 hotels and 120 buses required to house and transport the crews brought in to assist with restoration efforts. From within PSE&G, more than 400 employees from nance, procurement, IT, legal, human resources, corporate strategy and development, and energy holdings volunteered to distribute water and ice to impacted communities, guard downed wires, and provide directions and logistics assistance for out-of-town crews. This was a tremendous team effort, said Ralph Izzo, PSE&G chairman and CEO. People from throughout our organization contributed in countless ways to the restoration,
working together with great devotion and resourcefulness and, in many cases, under grueling conditions. Many customers have written to express appreciation. These well-deserved commendations have heartened us all.
Mutual Aid
A huge, heartfelt thank you to the thousands of outof-state workers who came to PSE&Gs aid, going above and beyond to help with our restoration efforts following Superstorm Sandy. Without their help, we would not have been able to accomplish the monumental task that Mother Nature laid before us. We truly appreciate the hard work of these companies and individuals. Ralph LaRossa, president and COO, PSE&G Arkansas: Entergy Connecticut: Black & McDonald, McPhee Electric Florida: Duke, Florida, Fishel Tampa, Florida Power & Light, GRU Gainesville, Irby Construction, OnPower, Sunshine Utilities, Tampa Electric Georgia: Utilicon Illinois: Ameren Indiana: Henkels & McCoy Kansas: Great Plains Energy, Kansas City Power & Light, Westar Energy Kentucky: LG&E/Kentucky, Louisville Power Maryland: East Coast Underground, PEPCO Minnesota: Minnesota Power Mississippi: Entergy, Gulf Power, Mississippi Power Missouri: Ameren, Kiowa New Jersey: Allan Briteway Electrical Contractors New Jersey/Pennsylvania: JBL Electric, Matrix SME New Mexico: Public Service Company of New Mexico New York: Harlan Electric Co., Welsbach Electric Corp. North Carolina: Haynes Electric Co. Ohio: Dayton Power, Duke Energy Oklahoma: Oklahoma Gas & Electric Pennsylvania: I.B. Abel, Duquesne, Pennsylvania Power and Light, Riggs Distler Pennsylvania/Ohio: Pike Tennessee: Electric Service Texas: Asplundh Line, CenterPoint Energy, Entergy Texas, Oncor, Power Secure, T&D Solutions Vermont: Green Power Virginia: Davis Elliott Co. West Virginia: American Electric Power Wisconsin: Wisconsin Public Service
A picture is worth a thousand words.
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SUPERSTORMSandy
In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, a virtual army of PSEG employees as well as crews called in from other areas in anticipation of the storm worked around the clock to restore service as quickly and safely as possible.
In the rst three days, PSE&G restored service to more than 1 million customers. At the end of 10 days, the utility had restored power to 96% of its customers. Then the noreaster struck, causing additional outages. During the two-week restoration period, the utilitys customer call centers handled more than 2.1 million calls, with PSE&G performing more than 2.1 million electric service restorations. This was no ordinary hurricane, said LaRossa. Weve dealt with high winds and heavy rain before, but the unprecedented storm surge and the impact it had on our switching and substations as well as our gas distribution system was something else entirely. We were essentially dealing with the equivalent of two Hurricane Irenes. Add the snowy noreaster nine days later, and we certainly had our hands full. PSE&G undertook a massive effort to rebuild the 1,282 overhead and underground distribution circuits that had been damaged. Crews replaced or repaired more than 2,400 utility poles and replaced 320 miles (515 km) of conductor. Vegetation crews dealt with 48,000 tree jobs, a record number. In the service territory, crews replaced or repaired 1,022 transformers damaged during the storm. Of the utilitys 291 electric substations, 96 were impacted by the storm. Of this total, 29 substations and switching stations were impacted by storm surges. A large number of substations were impacted by the tidal surge of rivers in northern and central New Jersey. A wall of water ranging from 4 ft to 8 ft (1.2 m to 2.4 m) high in-
undated facilities, including some that had never been submerged in their 50 to 75 years of operation. Damaged equipment had to be dried out and cleaned to get it back in service. This took much painstaking work, making the restoration even more complex. During the storm, PSE&G operated several mobile customer service centers (CSCs) to lend a hand in communities particularly hard hit. PSE&G volunteers staffed locations in Elizabeth, West Orange, Burlington, Hoboken, Paramus,
While checking locations for water, crews took precautions such as using sandbags to help divert water from the substation equipment.
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SUPERSTORMSandy
the conclusions wont emerge in one day. But, its clear that we will need to continue strengthening our infrastructure to ensure safe, reliable energy for our customers long into the future. Many options need to be examined from ways to build more redundancy and resiliency into our system, to the use of other two-way communications tools, to revisiting our tree-trimming practices. And this hardly exhausts the list of possible improvements worth exploring. For example, even before Sandy struck, PSE&G had purchased land to build a new substation in Newark, but inland, away from nearby waterways. The utility is investing several billion dollars in transmission enhancements to maintain reliability. Other steps include evaluating tree-trimming programs, working with municipal leaders to possibly relocate poles and lines that run through backyards to the curb and determining whether it makes sense to bury some overhead lines to increase reliability. Our employees have been a steadying force and reassuring presence in being there to care for people and give them hope that life would return to normal, Izzo said. I cannot say enough about our employees who worked tirelessly on behalf of customers, though the storm impacted their own homes and families, too. And, we are so grateful for the assistance from the more than 4,000 workers who came here from across the U.S. and Canada. Thank you for going the extra mile.
As soon as the winds subsided to below 40 mph, crews worked tirelessly to restore customers as quickly and safely as possible.
Plaineld, Moonachie, Jersey City and Newark. The CSCs provided ice, drinking water, food and power strips for recharging devices free of charge to PSE&G customers. The utility was joined at some of these locations by disaster relief groups, including the Red Cross and FEMA. Other community and charitable groups used the mobile CSCs to distribute donations of food, blankets and other emergency supplies. Sandy and the increased frequency of extreme weather events may now dene a new normal, LaRossa said. All
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No one has taught us more about dealing with disasters than Sandy, Irene and Katrina. And we know that until your customers are up and running, the blame falls less on Mother Nature and more on you. This is what drives us to be the leaders before, during and after emergency outage events. From customized storm kits to strong relationships with top manufacturers to warehouses standing by across the country, our team is ready. While we cant predict the weather, we can guarantee one thing: what you need, where you need it and when you need it. hdsupplypowersolutions.com
ALL NATURAL DISASTERS RAISE THE SAME QUESTION. WHENS MY POWER COMING BACK ON?
SUPERSTORMSandy
FirstEnergy
urricane Sandy ranks as the most damaging event FirstEnergy has faced thus far. The storm affected more customers than Hurricane Irene combined with an October 2011 snowstorm, and more than twice as many customers as last summers derecho (a straight-line windstorm associated with a fast-moving band of severe thunderstorms). In fact, FirstEnergy considered this storm along the same order as Hurricane Katrinas magnitude. By the time the winds died down and the oodwaters receded, Sandy had crossed every single state FirstEnergy serves and impacted nearly every service territory, ultimately disrupting service to more than 2.47 million FirstEnergy customers. Hurricane-force winds and rains hammered FirstEnergy territories in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and parts of Maryland. FirstEnergy utilities in western Maryland and parts of West Virginia found themselves blanketed with heavy snowfall, upward of 2 ft (0.6 m) in some areas and facing winds in excess of 50 mph (80 kmph). In Ohio, FirstEnergy experienced high winds and rains along the Lake Erie shoreline. Following is a breakdown of the customers who lost power due to Hurricane Sandy per FirstEnergy utility: 1.2 million JCP&L customers in New Jersey were affected, followed by 445,000 CEI/Ohio Edison customers in Ohio. In Pennsylvania, 440,000 Met-Ed, Penelec and West Penn Power customers lost power. Service disruptions also were experienced by
Hurricane Sandy dumped almost 24 inches of snow in some parts of West Virginia and Maryland, which hampered restoration efforts for FirstEnergys Mon Power and Potomac Edison utilities. Multiple Mon Power crews are shown here making repairs as far as the eye can see along a state highway in Bowden, West Virginia.
146,000 Potomac Edison customers in Maryland and 36,000 Mon Power customers in West Virginia. FirstEnergy responded to the catastrophic destruction caused by Sandy with the largest mobilization of crews, equipment, material and support in the companys history. While the regional dispatch ofces of FirstEnergys utilities directed local restoration efforts, FirstEnergys emergency operations center at its Akron, Ohio, headquarters coordinated the overall restoration effort. More than 20,000 workers made up of FirstEnergy utility employees, other utility personnel and contractors joined the massive restoration effort. Linemen, hazard responders, damage assessors, and other service and support personnel engaged in restoration efforts. Companywide, crews responded to more than 50,000 reports of lines down and other hazards. Nearly 64,000 trees were cut during the restoration effort, 30,000 damaged crossarms were replaced, 10,000 utility poles were replaced, 6,400 transformers were replaced and 930 miles (1,497 km) of wire were hung. Overall, FirstEnergys three customer contact centers received 1.5 million outage calls, the most ever taken in a single restoration event. In the face of many challenges, crews restored service to more than half of affected FirstEnergy customers within three days and two-thirds of customers within ve days. More than 95% of customers in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Maryland had their lights back on by Nov. 5. This pace of response requires plans to fall into place and be properly executed. FirstEnergy set up mobile command centers in strategic locations to coordinate restoration efforts and established 14 staging areas to house and supply the inux of out-of-town crews. The extensive ooding and storm surge brought on by Hurricane Sandy resulted in a Perhaps the most critical element in a largesmall navy of boats surrounding a JCP&L substation in Avon, New Jersey. The boats scale restoration event and the most chalhad to be removed before crews could access the site.
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SUPERSTORMSandy
lenging is obtaining the necessary boots on the ground. To address large-scale outages, securing outside utility crews, electrical contractors and tree contractors can be quite difcult as all impacted utilities are chasing the same pool of talent. FirstEnergy worked with mutual-aid assistance groups MidAtlantic Mutual Assistance, the New York Mutual Assistance Group, Southeastern Electric Exchange and Great Lakes Mutual Assistance to bring in sufcient crews to tackle the historic rebuild effort in a timely manner. Workers were recruited from more than 30 states and Canada, coming from as far away as Oregon and California. As part of the restoration process, 13 helicopters ying 10,000 miles (16,093 km) performed aerial patrols on the utilitys transmission, subtransmission and distribution system. Crews worked 16 hours on with 8 hours mandatory rest until the job was done. And, most importantly, despite challenging work conditions, no signicant safety incidents occurred. Throughout the restoration process, FirstEnergy made a concerted effort to keep customers and public ofcials apprised of restoration activities and progress. Using social media, media relations, paid advertising and website postings, FirstEnergy emphasized safety messages and provided updates on the storm-restoration process to its customers. The media relations team responded to more than 1,600 calls, participated in live TV and radio interviews, and provided key information about the restoration effort. FirstEnergy also provided interactive outage maps on its website and used Twitter to communicate with customers before, during and after the storm. Communications with key state personnel were vital to the successful restoration effort. In New Jersey, FirstEnergy provided regular outreach to local ofcials, the Board of Public Utilities (BPU), legislators and the governor, including participation on twice-daily calls with the BPU president and governor. In Ohio, daily communications were provided to the governor, the public utility commission (PUC) chairman and the mayor of Cleveland. In Pennsylvania, regular outreach was provided to local ofcials, the PUC, the general assembly and the governors staff, including participation on daily calls with the PUC chairman and governors staff. In Maryland, frequent status updates to Gov. Martin OMalley and his energy advisor included helicopter tours of storm-ravaged Garrett County to show damaged electrical infrastructure. Potomac Edison and state and local emergency management ofcials closely coordinated recovery activities such as clearing roads of downed live wires so crews could safely plow. In addition, across FirstEnergys service areas, utility management worked with public ofcials to ensure the countys polling places would have electrical service for the national election.
Jersey Central Power & Light

lthough all regions within FirstEnergy suffered from the effects of Hurricane Sandy, operating utility JCP&L was at the center of the crosshairs of the storm. Similar to conditions the operating utility experienced during Hurricane Irene, JCP&L took a direct hit from the Oct. 29-30 storm, inicting unprecedented damage across the service territory. Sandy affected virtually every one of JCP&Ls 1.1 million customers. Overall, JCP&L experienced more than 1.2 million interruptions as many customers experienced multiple service outages. JCP&L had returned service to 90% of affected customers before the Nov. 7 noreaster dumped more than 1 ft (0.3 m) of heavy, wet snow on parts of central New Jersey, causing an additional 130,000 outages. Power was restored to all JCP&L customers who could receive service by the Nov. 10-11 weekend. FirstEnergys company meteorologists forecasted early on that JCP&L would be the hardest-hit service territory, prompting the decision to prestage 1,400 line personnel in New Jersey prior to the storms arrival. This included 425 JCP&L linemen, additional FirstEnergy personnel from sister operating utilities, contractor crews and
Prior to the storm, JCP&L took many proactive steps to try and minimize the anticipated impact of Sandy. For example, crews reinforced dozens of JCP&L substations with sandbags, including this substation in Morristown, New Jersey.
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SUPERSTORMSandy
Once the high winds and storm surge subsided, JCP&L personnel needed to do signicant cleanup just to access and assess the damage at many substations, including this one in Sea Bright, New Jersey. The debris gathered in this yard includes remnants of a roof, a residential propane tank, sheets of plywood and even a football helmet.
mutual-aid assistance crews along with 1,200 forestry workers. The utility also took action ahead of the storm to help minimize the storms expected impact. Waterways near substations in New Jersey were inspected and debris that could be driven into equipment in the event of ooding was removed. Crews also placed sandbags around substations most susceptible to ooding. Once Hurricane Sandy made landfall, crews throughout the service area had to wait until whipping winds died down so bucket trucks could operate safely. Downed trees and branches made many roads impassable. To get a handle on the damage, JCP&L had helicopter crews patrol and assess storm damage to power lines. Forestry crews worked to remove debris so linemen could access trouble spots to make the necessary repairs. Crews responded rst to hazardous situations and high-priority damage locations, including the transmission and substation facilities that supply power to local distribution systems. Among the hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy were the long, slender barrier islands that protect New Jerseys coastline. Before Sandy struck land, JCP&L proactively shut down power to customers on the islands in Monmouth and Ocean counties,
which were one mandatory evacuation order, to protect public safety. The utility de-energized substations serving the islands remotely, before high tide, to protect equipment and speed restoration efforts once the storm had passed. Local ofcials and law enforcement were notied in advance and helped to coordinate the timing. To restore power to JCP&Ls 1.2 million customers, a total of 13,800 line workers, hazard responders, forestry workers, call center representatives, management and support personnel participated in the storm response. To handle the logistics, JCP&L set up nine staging areas to house and supply the inux of crews from states as far away as California and Oregon. The sheer volume of materials required for the rebuild was massive. JCP&L replaced 6,700 utility poles and 19,200 crossarms damaged by the storm. In addition, 3,600 transformers were replaced and more than 400 miles (644 km) of overhead conductor wire were installed. While the restoration effort from Hurricane Sandy was massive and completed in a timely fashion, the work is not yet done. FirstEnergy and the industry as a whole will continue to review storm practices to see what enhancements can be made.
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SUPERSTORMSandy
Connecticut Light & Power

ocated on Long Island Sound, CL&P customers are regularly exposed to natures fury including last autumns Hurricane Sandy. The combined effects of Sandy and the trailing Noreaster resulted in more than 850,000 of CL&Ps 1.2 million customers experiencing power outages. Weather conditions brought on by Sandy included winds up to 85 mph (137 kmph) and recordhigh tides. For CL&P, the devastation of this storm was similar to Hurricane Irene in August 2011, which knocked out power to 670,000 of its customers. In the year following Hurricane Irene, CL&P underwent signicant improvements to its emergency preparedness and response plan, and Sandy provided the rst real-life exercise of that revised plan. The result was a strong storm performance, executed with support from CL&Ps sister companies and utilities across the United States. In anticipation of Sandys landfall, CL&P prestaged both contract and its line personnel. Multiple staging areas supported the strategic deployment of people and materials to the hardest-hit areas. Safety professionals were assigned throughout the service territory to ensure safe restoration, while hundreds of additional personnel were dispatched to guard downed power lines. CL&P maintained contact with the New England Mutual Aid Group and the New York Mutual Aid Group to secure
mutual-aid assistance. Because Mid-Atlantic and New England utilities were signicantly affected by the storm, they were unable to release resources at the outset of the restoration. CL&Ps sister utilities under parent company Northeast Utilities were able to send crews to Connecticut once they completed their own restorations. Together, Public Service of New Hampshire, Western Massachusetts Electric Co. and NSTAR provided CL&P with 239 line personnel. CL&P also was able to obtain an additional 2,695 line personnel from other utilities and contractors to aid in the restoration. External support personnel included private sources of electricians, patrollers, downed-wire guards and service personnel. In preparation for the storm, CL&P contacted logistics vendors to prepare staging areas, ensure the utilitys mobile com-
Manpower Resources Deployed During Restoration

CL&P Public Service New Hampshire Western Massachusetts Electric Co. NSTAR Mutual aid and line contractors Tree contractors NU support personnel External support personnel 351 personnel 90 personnel 43 personnel 106 personnel 2,695 personnel 1,626 personnel 3,250 personnel 620 personnel
CL&P crews remove a tree resting on distribution lines in Greenwich, Connecticut.
mand center was operational and conrmed support staff storm assignments. In addition, helicopters were secured for storm damage reconnaissance. Incident Commander Ken Bowes, CL&P vice president of energy delivery services, opened the emergency operation center at 6 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 28, and he maintained close contact with the system operations center throughout the storm. CL&P handled more than 661,836 customer calls. Of that total, the interactive voice response system processed calls from 388,178 customers, while 314 customer service representatives answered 213,815 calls. The average speed of the answering of all calls received during the storm event was 6.5 seconds.
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SUPERSTORMSandy
Crews from Kansas City Power & Light replace a broken pole and make repairs to multiple sections of distribution lines in southwest Connecticut.
The distribution supervisory control and data acquisition system remained operational during the rebuild. The system logged 130,506 alarms and 6,176 operator commands from distribution system operators. All areas of CL&Ps service territory received damage. Falling limbs and trees took down entire sections of poles, wires and associated equipment. Damage to the CL&P system was quite severe. During the rebuild, 1,727 CL&P poles and 1,036 AT&T poles were replaced. In addition, 2,198 transformers were replaced. More than 100 miles (161 km) of new conductor was installed along with 4,745 crossarms. All of this work was completed without a major safety incident. The outage system also provided information to the incident command center, which was then used for facilitating dispatch and restoration planning. On the CL&P system, 779 circuits were affected, with a total of 204 feeders locked out. Total outage causes were reported to be 16,460. CL&P did not encounter major issues in setting up crew staging areas, providing housing (mostly in hotels) or obtaining equipment and supplies. In fact, the utility had purchasing agents to handle the supply chain. To keep crews in the eld, vehicles were fueled at night from mobile tankers. CL&P had 300 downed-wire crews ready to respond quickly
when called to ensure lines were de-energized before roads and streets were cleared of downed trees and debris. One particular initiative paid great customer satisfaction dividends. Typically, utilities work the feeder backbone rst, then side taps and then catch individual trouble calls from customers with down service drops. Instead, CL&P decided to tackle down service drops immediately and simultaneously with circuit restoration using contracted electricians, so that when distribution circuits were energized, all customers on the circuit would have power. According to President and COO Bill Herdegen, CL&P contracted with 700 licensed electricians and 350 electrical contractors to work through each neighborhood, making
Outage Causes
Circuit breakers Fuses Reclosers Service Switches Tranformers Other Grand total 280 5,404 990 7,398 289 1,768 323 16,460
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SUPERSTORMSandy
Through the public information team, we ensured consistent messages were available to our customers 500 via direct communication, media 400 and social media. We also provided consistent updates to key stakehold300 ers, such as government leaders and 200 town ofcials. CL&P created quite a few initia100 tives to enhance storm preparedness after lessons learned from 0 10/29 10/30 10/31 11/01 11/02 11/03 11/04 11/05 11/06 11/07 11/08 Hurricane Irene in 2011. But none, 00:00 00:00 03:00 03:00 03:00 05:00 05:00 09:00 09:00 10:00 10:00 perhaps, had a bigger impact than Date and time (2012) the strategy employed to improve communications and response at Customer restoration following Superstorm Sandy for Oct. 29 through Nov. 8, 2012. the individual city level. Rod Kalbeisch, CL&Ps director of system operations and temporary xes to secondary circuits including damaged mastheads and down wire so that all customers would be with also the deputy incident commander, shared that CL&P had made signicant enhancements to the front-end visualization service when the distribution circuits were reenergized. The CL&P communications team was responsible for pro- screens of its Oracle outage management system so that the viding accurate, timely and consistent messaging. CL&Ps company could not only access but also visually share discrete Public Information Ofcer Janine Saunders explained, outage data, both internally and externally. And because CL&P already had Telogis tracking devices in all of its eld vehicles and had placed additional Telogis units into to all foreign line and vegetation vehicles coming into its service territory, the utility could track the location and status of all crews working in the eld at all times and display crew locations on the visualization screens. According to Liaison Ofcer Michael Haeich, Liaison personnel were assigned to each of the 149 Connecticut cities that CL&P serves. With discrete crew location and outage location data, CL&P representatives were able to give real-time updates to city ofcials throughout their service territory. CL&P also assigned a minimum of one line and one tree-trimming crew to each municipality in its service territory to assist in clearing electrical hazards. Local ofcials appreciated that they were not only continuously updated on progress with storm restoration, but they also could be a part of the restoration decisions made at the city level. CL&P municipal liaisons could show municipal ofcials on local maps exactly where crews were working. This paid dividends when a representative was asked why crews were not working on their city streets. He or she could pull up a local map on a laptop and point to crews working on nearby feeder circuits, and even drive out with city representatives to meet the crews and show what progress was being made to get power into the city. This strategy is quite impressive in that it not only provides immediate information and feedback, but it also keeps local ofcials in the loop on remedial actions taken. CL&P has sophisticated information technology systems in place to respond to both blue-sky and inclement-weather situations, and is committed to improve processes and comLine crews transfer equipment from a damaged pole to a new struc- munications links, so it will be even more prepared when the next disaster strikes. ture in southwest Connecticut.
600
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Customers affected (thousand)
In Good Times and In Bad

We Help Make Electric Power Safer, More Reliable, and More Economical
When communities are exposed to the destructive forces of nature, safe electric power becomes a lifeline. During these difficult times, rapid response and flexibility are critical. Thats why SEL responds to natural disasters by discounting all of our products and services destined for natural disaster relief. We also expedite delivery of all products and services to help restore electric power as quickly as possible. In good times and in bad, SEL is there for you. To learn more about the best solutions, support, and warranty in the industry, visit www.selinc.com/disasterdiscount.
SUPERSTORMSandy
Wall Erected to Protect South End Substation

By Jeffrey S. Franson, Connecticut Light & Power
As Hurricane Sandy was churning its way up the East Coast, utilities in southern New England were in the nal steps of preparing for the worst of the storm and hoping for the best. Weather forecasters predicted the timing of the strongest winds to coincide with very high tides, which would contribute to widespread ooding along Connecticut shoreline communities. While closely monitoring the forecasts days in advance of the storms arrival, Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P) began staging crews and protecting facilities located near Long Island Sound. Substations near the shore were a speAbout 12 hours before the rst effects of Sandy hit Connecticut, CL&P civil engineers drafted plans for a temporary concrete block wall to protect the cial concern because the corrosive effects of exposed sides of the South End Substation in Stamford. Two independent seawater could knock a facility out for days or crane crews assembled 600 blocks into a two-tiered wall. As sections of the even weeks. De-watering underground conduits wall were completed, follow-up crews sealed the seams between the blocks with insulating expandable foam and then covered the entire block structure that carry control cables, and decontaminating with plastic sheeting for additional waterproong. Construction of the wall and refurbishing aboveground switchgear and was completed in 12 hours. circuit breakers is a time-consuming task. One primary concern was CL&Ps South End Substation, located in Stamford, Connecticut. This 115-kV substation serves tens of thousands of customers in the citys center, where emergency services, the city hall and a nancial district are located. With the South End Substation just blocks from Long Island Sound, in a low-lying area, it quickly rose to the top of the corrective actions list for facilities at risk of serious damage from Sandy. Based on updated weather predictions, it became apparent the south end of the city could be threatened by the multiple high tides during a full moon, making the forecast even more ominous. With two sides of the substation built into the side of a hill and well protected, the other two sides, at street level, were vulnerable. CL&P engineers brainstormed options and came to the creative conclusion of building an unprecedented 6-ft (1.8-m) cement wall around the substation to protect it from any potential storm damage. On the evening of Oct. 28, 2012, about 12 hours before the rst effects of Superstorm Sandy were expected to be felt in Connecticut, CL&P civil engineers drafted plans for a temporary concrete block wall to protect the exposed sides of the substation. Concurrently, CL&P system project team members contacted local construction and crane companies to determine whether resources were available to build such a wall. The following day, wind speeds began to increase from Hurricane Sandy, and all employees were activated to storm duty, some of whom were reassigned to work with construction contractors to begin assembling the block wall at 6 a.m. On the morning of Oct. 29, a state of emergency was declared in Connecticut, limiting travel on I-95 to emergency and essential services, which reduced trafc and allowed for faster delivery of the blocks from the concrete plant to the job site. Additionally, assembly time was saved with an efcient work process developed by the project managers on-site. Crews started building the wall at the lowest corner of the substation (at the intersection of Atlantic and Pacic streets). Once the corner was constructed, the crew was split to facilitate two independent crane crews who worked their way down each side of their respective fence lines, assembling a total number of 600 blocks into a two-tiered wall. As sections of the wall were completed, follow-up crews sealed the seams between the blocks with insulating expandable foam, and then the entire block structure was covered with plastic sheeting for additional waterproong. The construction of the wall was completed in 12 hours (at 6 p.m.), about three hours ahead of schedule and about six hours ahead of the rst storm tide. Two high-volume water pumps were installed to evacuate any water from the underground conduits, which carry the highvoltage cable from the substation to the underground network system. Crews staffed the South End Substation during the high tides to monitor conditions and take action if needed. While the oodwaters were less severe than predicted and never reached the substation, the extraordinary effort to build the wall was a prudent step to prevent outages and a valuable learning opportunity. New England weather can be uncertain and severe, and it is CL&Ps goal to be prepared for whatever threat Mother Nature may bring to the system.
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SUPERSTORMSandy
Partners Respond
In the face of adversity, our industry perseveres.
By Rick
Bush, Editorial Director, and Gene Wolf, Technical Writer

crews and line crews from other utilities formed long convoys trekking to the storm areas through high winds and drenching rains. They knew that millions of people in the storms path would be depending on them to restore power. The Edison Electric Institute estimated that more than 67,000 line workers, tree trimmers, engineers, technicians and support personnel came from all corners of the country to restore power in the affected area. Utility workers and contractors came in waves from more than 41 states and from Ontario and Qubec in Canada. Line contractors and tree-trimming crews including Henkels & McCoy, Quanta Services, MYR Group, UtiliCon Solutions Ltd., Michels Power, Asplundh Tree Expert Co., Davey Tree Expert Co., Townsend Corp. and many others were heading into the storm when everyone else was heading away from it.
hen the wind and waves from Superstorm Sandy crashed along the East Coasts Atlantic shores, the electric utilities supply chain of workers, materials and supplies experienced enormous strain. Without hesitation, vendor partners and service providers ramped up to meet the need. Working together, the industry persevered. In the days prior to the superstorms landfall, manufacturers, contractors, tree trimmers, electric utility workers and suppliers geared up for the storm. While utilities in the storms path activated their emergency-response plans, mobilized their employees, contacted their mutual-assistance networks and battened down their systems, their partners also swung into action, activating their emergency-response teams to move troops and materials. These contractor and vendor teams set up communications networks between their various divisions and the utilities, which ensured all requests for materials could be expedited. Factories, warehousing systems and transportation facilities were properly staffed to meet the impending demand. These responders put their lives on hold for weeks to remove trees, trim limbs, and rebuild transmission and distribution systems in the storm-ravaged area. Incoming contract
Tens of Thousands of Crews

Quanta deployed more than 600 crews with associated line and bucket trucks to work for 12 utility customers in nine storm-impacted states, where they worked to restore electrical infrastructure damaged by Sandy. Quantas North American footprint allowed for resources to be driven and own in from as far away as California and the Pacic Northwest, including Canada. Crews consisted of transmission and distribution personnel, storm assessors and substation support. Approximately 500 personnel from Henkels & McCoys east and central regions were dispatched to restore power for multiple utilities across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New York and West Virginia. Its restoration and cleanup effort involved the deployment of 352 pieces of equipment, including aerial-lift devices, digger derricks, pole trailers, backyard machines, dozers, dump trucks and boom trucks. Henkels & McCoy personnel put their lives aside to travel and help with the restoration effort. Ryan Crull, director of central region power operations of Henkels & McCoy, said, Im grateful for these individuals giving their time to help restore some form of normalcy to the lives of residents affected by Hurricane Sandy. Im also very proud of these crews for braving the harsh conditions and working long hours, all the while getting through the restoration effort injury-free. Ahead of Hurricane Sandys landfall, the construction
L.E. Myers Co. (a subsidiary of MYR Group Inc.) journeymen linemen Greg Tator Huling and Tom Pender check on the repair sleeves theyll need to x a section of wire for Central Maine Power that was brought down by Hurricane Sandy along Town Landing Road in Falmouth, Maine, on Oct. 31, 2012.
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SUPERSTORMSandy
Henkels & McCoy crews repair a damaged distribution circuit along an important transmission right-of-way.
subsidiaries of UtiliCon Solutions Ltd. brought in more than 400 additional line workers, but it was quickly apparent more crews would be needed to help restore power. UtiliCons storm personnel peaked at more than 1,100, which included 700 additional employees who were brought in from UtiliCon operations as far away as Louisiana to assist 16 different utilities that had requested help. As the crews nished restoration on utilities less affected by Sandys wrath, many of them migrated to harder-hit utilities in northern New Jersey and Long Island, New York. Despite long hours, strange food and accommodations, missing out on Election Day and working in a snowy noreaster on Nov. 7, 2012, UtiliCon employees completed their work safely, and most made it home in time for Thanksgiving with their loved ones. Michels Power came to the aid of four longtime utility customers to help restore power in the wake of the hurricanes crushing blow. Michels deployed 244 crew members and more than 200 pieces of equipment to Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey in the days immediately before and after Hurricane Sandys strike. Brett Hurlburt, northeast region senior manager for Michels Power, who coordinated the storm-response effort, stated, It took a full divisional effort from our operations on the West Coast, in the Midwest and on the East Coast. Michels Power crews arriving on the East Coast typically would start the restoration effort at a substation and follow the entire circuit to power nearby areas. Michels Power Vice President Mark Harasha said, Crews contended with downed
lines, downed polls, and blown conductors and transformers. They also worked on high-voltage transmission lines. MYR Group deployed hundreds of its T&D troops some from as far away as Colorado to assist with storm restoration. These storm-restoration crews provided service for eight utilities in 11 states in the Northeast. MYR Group President
A Harlan Electric (a subsidiary of MYR Group Inc.) lineman works to restore power to Long Island Power Authority customers in Garden City, New York.
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SUPERSTORMSandy
different utilities from Virginia to Massachusetts who requested extra help. As the crews nished restoration on utilities less affected by Sandys wrath, many of them migrated to hardhit utilities in northern New Jersey and Long Island. Lewis Tree Service worked 20 consecutive days starting on Oct. 26 to assist in the power restoration and cleanup efforts. Lewis Tree Service mustered 1,127 tree working crews including alliance partner crews, which totaled 2,923 workers including alliance partners. Much of the work was around the clock with 16-hour days put in by many workers who served 27 utility customers in New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Connecticut, Maine, Vermont, Maryland, West Virginia and Ohio. Despite the long hours, no injuries were reported during the rebuild. Doug Roof, senior vice president and COO led the Lewis utility operations team, overseeing the companys storm-ready command and control processes to coordinate the response
A Osmose Utility Services storm assessor inspects damage along a backlot line.
Bill Koertner noted, We appreciate the understanding of our customers outside the storm area who allowed our crews to leave their existing projects to assist with the restoration. MDR Powerline Construction traveled from Columbia, Mississippi, to the Northeastern Seaboard to help. We had 13 crews ready, but we needed the proper tools to outt the extra crews, said MDRs Travis Bond. Altec was there with a solution when we needed it most. To get the right tools, Bond and his team made a stop at Altec Supply in Birmingham, Alabama, to get the tools and supplies they needed, which varied from hydraulic drills to road signs. Osmose Utilities Services began receiving calls from many electric utilities in the Northeast a week before Hurricane Sandys landfall. The calls were for storm-support personnel. In total, Osmose deployed hundreds of personnel to 10 Northeastern utilities in eight states. Two-man crews arrived on the scene in advance of the storm, prepared to begin assessment and sight safety patrols as soon as Sandy passed. Despite continued adverse weather and dangerous conditions, Osmose crews worked 16-hour shifts for as many as 19 consecutive days, engaging in damage assessment, clearing debris, sight safety, and logistical and staging center support.
Tree Crews Respond

Ahead of Sandys landfall, Asplundh helped utilities by mobilizing an extra 2,500 tree workers, but it was quickly apparent that many more crews would be needed to help clear trees and restore power. This massive storm had left more than 8 million utility customers without power in the densely populated Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states. At the peak of Asplundhs response, more than 4,900 tree workers had been sent in from 23 different states, the farthest being from Arizona as well as three Canadian provinces. They assisted 22
On Long Island, an Asplundh tree crew clears a tree leaning on a distribution line. Photo by Greg Messick, Asplundh Region 29.
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SUPERSTORMSandy
to the calls for help. Several Lewis customers used Clearion tracking and project management software to manage the storm cleanup. Wright Tree Service sent 81 crews more than 200 employees to New York and New Jersey to help with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and the noreaster that followed. Crews worked for nearly three weeks to clear vegetation so utilities could restore infrastructure and power to the more than 8 million people affected by the storm. The 81 bucket truck and climbing crews were released from utilities in ve states: Texas, Illinois, Missouri, Michigan and Indiana. During major disasters, our mission to make positive differences in the communities we serve takes on even more signicance, said Scott Packard, Wright Tree Service chairman and CEO. Townsend Corp., headquartered in Parker City, Indiana, provided tree service crews to seven electric utilities in Connecticut, Long Island, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, West Virginia and Virginia. Townsend crews peaked at nearly 600 employees with 350 pieces of equipment drawn from bases in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, the Carolinas and Georgia.
BPA airlifted tools, equipment, line trucks and bucket trucks in U.S. Air Force C-5s and C-17s from Washington state to assist utilities in the rebuild of utilities in New Jersey.
Electric Utilities Unite

Utilities from all across the U.S. and Canada sent crews to assist in the rebuild. Crews came from city, state, rural and investor-owned utilities. Union and non-union alike assisted in the rebuild. One of the furthest located utilities to respond was Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) located in the Pacic Northwest. More than 100 BPA personnel and contractors answered the call to get the lights back on in the New Jersey area. BPAs line crews, electricians and other skilled professionals have the highest level of expertise working on high-voltage transmission systems no one does it better, said Kim Howell, regional manager for transmission eld services at BPA. As part of the Department of Energys emergency response, BPA volunteered resources that most likely would be needed in a disaster-recovery effort. Among those deployed were maintenance transmission crews, a full barehand crew specialized in working with energized lines, heavy mobile equipment mechanics and vegetation removal contractors. Along with the volunteers, BPA sent March 2013 l www.tdworld.com
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SUPERSTORMSandy
71 pieces of large equipment, ranging from utility trucks to power generators and backhoes. BPA also coordinated with Clark County Public Utility to move some of that utilitys equipment and tools for a crew that had previously deployed. The crews and equipment were deployed in three waves from Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Olympia, Washington, and Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane, Washington. To move the equipment required an intricate process of weighing, measuring and developing load plans to place each piece precisely into the bellies of multiple C-5s and C-17s, huge cargo planes employed by the U.S. Air Force. The BPA volunteers worked in coordination with the Department of Energy and FEMA to restore power. Line workers were deployed for the duration of the rebuild, not knowing when they would return home. After receiving the call from Con Edison, Vectren Corp. staff located in Evansville, Indiana, departed for Flushing, New York, to assist in the Sandy rebuild. One Vectren crew was deployed along with several eld investigators. The eld investigators assisted with logistical and planning needs in the restoration efforts. This Vectren team joined nearly 57 of Vectrens contractor line specialists and 20 tree-trimming crews that were released to assist in the storm-restoration efforts. The Vectren employees worked 16-hour shifts for up to 10 days assisting in the rebuild of overhead circuits. ComEd out of Chicago, Illinois, sent underground specialists to assist in outage restoration to New York City utility Con Edison. ComEd deployed a team of 48 top underground specialists to New York to assist specically with the repair of underground vaults that power the citys skyscrapers. ComEd has a unique in-house skill set for repairing these underground electrical systems, which are typically only found in densely built urban environments, like Chicago or New York, said Terence Donnelly, ComEds executive vice president and COO. This deployment came in addition to the more than 900 ComEd and contractor personnel the utility sent to support the power-restoration efforts in Philadelphia and Baltimore, which were both in the direct path of Hurricane Sandy. With more than 7 million people facing power outages on the East Coast, its important to provide as much assistance as we can, Donnelly said. A Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) crew made up of 16 line technicians provided assistance to electric utilities in West Virginia and New Jersey. This effort was coordinated through the Midwest Mutual Aid group composed of various utilities in Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri. Crew members, led by NPPD Distribution Superintendent Dennis Wademan of Scottsbluff, initially assisted Appalachian Power Co. in West Virginia in restoring power to more than 150,000 customers who were out of power due to blizzard conditions and heavy snow. The NPPD team worked 16-hour days with mandatory 8 hours of sleep while assigned to restoration duty. On Nov. 4, NPPDs crew was then
40
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reassigned to assist one of the hardest-hit utilities, Jersey Central Power & Light, which still had hundreds of thousands of customers without power. In New Jersey, the team was initially housed in a tent with 200 cots. On Nov. 7, they were relocated to Flemington, New Jersey, 50 miles (80 km) from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. From there, they moved into a semi-trailer converted into sleeping quarters. John Humphrey, NPPDs transmission and distribution manager, said, Our crews were very complimentary about the logistics and organization, with the exception of the fuel situation. When they fueled trucks, they were limited to approximately 50 gallons [190 liters] per vehicle, which was not enough to run all day. We are extremely proud of this teams effort to go above and beyond their normal call of duty, said NPPD President and CEO Pat Pope. Approximately 65 Toronto Hydro employees headed south to New York and Massachusetts to assist in the rebuild over a 12-day period. The delegation comprised of both overhead power line and underground distribution network trades people. Some of the Toronto Hydro employees headed to assist Con Edison in repairing underground systems in New York City, while others supported National Grid in repairing predominately overhead systems in New Jersey and Massachusetts. Toronto Hydro crews ultimately restored power to thousands, working long hours in very difcult conditions, often sleeping in their trucks. We Energies sent DUECO/Utility Equipment Leasing Corp. rental trucks to New York City. The utility had the trucks on rent prior to the storm and sent them to aid in the effort. Trucks also needed maintenance during the restoration. DUECOs Pennsylvania branch team members serviced trucks in Long Island, performing repairs and maintenance following the wrath of Hurricane Sandy. In addition, DUECOs 18 road service crews were all dedicated to maintaining the wide variety of DUECO equipment engaged in the restoration effort, including digger derricks and bucket trucks.
Safety First
It was apparent safety was at the forefront in the minds and hearts of the workers, as reported incidents of accidents were few and minor. As a safeguard, many utilities had technologies available to their workers to make them safer when working in chaotic or unfamiliar locations. HD Electric, the manufacturer of the V-Watch personal voltage detectors, was able to meet the needs of crews working in areas with downed power lines. Many mutual-assistance crews were called in to mobilize and head toward the East Coast. For those crews that did not have devices when they left their home bases, HD Electric shipped V-Watch orders via next-day air to assigned hotels or to the service centers where crews were assigned to report. One such instance, a major tree service contractor purchased V-Watch devices for its crews and would not allow workers on the job site until they received the devices via overnight delivery to their hotel. In one particularly heartening story, a supervisor working for a nationally recognized contractor reported that he was wearing a V-Watch personal voltage detector late at night working in a dark residential yard during the Sandy restoration when the V-Watch he was wearing started beeping. He stopped and realized there was an energized line directly in the path where he was walking; he never saw it or knew it was there. It was a potentially lifesaving incident.
Equipment and Supplies to the Front

The utility and contract crews required tremendous logistic support in getting equipment, materials and supplies to the frontline. To keep the work owing smoothly, affected utilities were desperate to keep workers on the job site with the poles and transformers, fuses and lightning arresters, and myriad connectors and hardware. Restoration efforts required materials and equipment to be delivered each evening so the appropriate resources could be distributed at the crew level the next day. This is where a proactive approach to supply chain comes into play, and
42
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SUPERSTORMSandy
Modular Integrated Transportable Substation Speeds Power Recovery

Hurricane Sandy left much of the upper East Coast devastated by rain, wind and rising tides. The residents of Rockaway Beach, New York, experienced the power of the storm rsthand. When Hurricane Sandy hit Rockaway Beach, the storm surge left the 53rd Street Substation under 5.5 ft (1.6 m) of water according to the local power authority. The 53rd Street Substation was an air-insulated metal-clad design. When the storm surge entered the metalclad switchgear, the result was a substation so badly damaged This MITS was placed on the site of a ooded Long Island substation to bring power back to a by re and salt water that the section of Rockaway Beach. authorities soon recognized that a quick replacement would be needed. The power authority contracts with a large northeastern utility to operate and provide a wide range of electrical services within their territory. The utility recently had purchased a Cooper Power Systems Modular Integrated Transportable Substation (MITS) to replace an aging substation for upstate New York, but realized that the MITS was the ideal solution to help restore the power quickly at Rockaway Beach. The MITS is well suited for this type of application for many reasons. First, it is completely prewired and tested at the factory, saving signicant time when installing the MITS in a disaster recovery effort. Secondly, the MITS is manufactured to use the space as efciently as possible. The small footprint makes transporting the MITS, even in a disaster area, manageable everything ts neatly on to one skid. The MITS designed for service in upstate New York had a simple design with a 5 MVA power transformer to convert voltage from 34.5 kV to 13.2 kV. This unit also was equipped with a bank of three single-phase pad-mounted voltage regulators to provide superior power quality, and a pad-mounted recloser for feeder protection. The entire MITS is powered by a small single-phase power transformer that supplies 120 V power to the control systems integrated into the unit. This particular MITS was even equipped with extra features such as built-in spill containment, telescoping ood lights and in-cabinet door lights, which will be helpful for crews that are trying to restore power at night. The MITS design minimized installation time since the equipment is securely bolted in place on a skid all the interconnections between devices are completed at the factory. A MITS, once on site, can be safely energized in a matter of days instead of weeks or months. Cooper Power Systems shipped the MITS directly to the damaged 53rd Street Substation on a dedicated truck. Local line crews worked with utility engineers and operation personnel made connections between the damaged system and the MITS to restore power.
suppliers showed as much spunk and determination in doing their part in the rebuild efforts as the frontline workers. Hubbell Power Systems launched its Hubbell Emergency Action Team to focus its storm effort. The company used its distributors, suppliers and logistics partners to react quickly to storm damage, shipping thousands of connectors, fuse links, cutouts, pole hardware, insulators, arresters, anchors and tools to rebuild the utility systems. Hubbell employees go into 24/7 mode when major storm events occur. Working from its Centralia, Missouri, headquarters, Hubbell Power Systems provided more than 40,000 products needed by line workers to restore the electric system to its pre-storm condition. Cooper Power Systems maintains a designated storm re-
sponse that allows the company to streamline its response for affected utilities to provide restoration supplies, including overhead transformers, fuses, connectors and protective equipment. Five days prior to Sandy hitting the East Coast, the company began contacting utility customers to better anticipate their needs. It maintained daily contact with customers throughout the rebuild. Many Cooper Power products are engineered to order and typically require longer lead times. With emergency communications systems in place, exing manufacturing capacity, air shipping material in from the companys global supply base, and workers willing to put in extra hours to get the job done, lead times on some of these products went from weeks to days.
44
SUPERSTORMSandy
G&W Electrics approach to Superstorm Sandy was really aged parts for Siemens devices along with vintage Allis-Chalmbusiness as usual as the company followed routine processes. ers switchgear from its warehouse and manufacturing facility G&W is a major supplier of switchgear, reclosers and high- just outside of Raleigh, North Carolina, while also working voltage cable terminations, and its customers include all the with strategic partners to have parts made on an emergency major utilities affected by Hurricane Sandy. During and after basis and shipped directly to customers. Having this local footthe Sandy devastation, G&W had its 24-hour emergency con- print and expert knowledge enabled utilities to rely on their tact service manned and ready, as it responded to requests own crews to efciently restore their assets. ABB responded when notied that multiple switchgear, for expedited deliveries of replacement product and service relay houses, controls, transformers and other high-voltage assistance. S&C Electric, headquartered in Chicago, has a standard substation equipment were damaged by the ood throughout process in place for responding to major storms. Once a storm the region. ABB employees provided equipment assessment is deemed imminent, a task force comprised of local sales and corrective action guidance. Response teams, representpersonnel, internal customer support, production and S&Cs services organization hold calls at least daily. The storm-preparedness team assesses and prioritizes local needs and ensures that S&C expedites urgent requirements. In the case of Hurricane Sandy, this team was already in place the week before the hurricane came ashore, shipping product to the affected region before the storm even hit to ensure needed replacement products were in place. Once the storm hit, S&C personnel from throughout the company worked The rst step in effective storm restoration nights, Saturdays and Sundays to fulis an accurate and efcient assessment of ll storm-related product and other support requirements, including fuse the damage. Clearion Software provides links, medium-voltage power fuses, mobile, map-based technology for storm source-transfer switchgear and circuit damage assessment that will help your switchers. In all cases, lead times were reduced to a fraction of what a customutility pinpoint the outage locations, record er would typically experience. the needed repairs, prioritize storm crew Similarly, General Electrics (GEs) emergency response teams supported activities, and better estimate time to utility customers impacted by Hurrirestoration. cane Sandy. In addition to providing transmission and distribution equipment, GEs eld service engineers To learn more, visit www.clearion.com/storm helped utilities to evaluate and repair water-damaged electrical equipment. or email info@clearion.com. Likewise, Siemens ramped up to assist customers in their time of need. Because of severe ooding, substation equipment was particularly susceptible to signicant damage and utility customers needed replacement circuit breakers and replacement parts. Switchgear situated in lower elevations in substations sustained damage. Siemens responded by providing replacement parts, including linkages, strip heaters, spring-charged motors and secondary disconnects. Siemens was a Lewis Tree Service Company able to expedite delivery of the dam-
Damage Assessment Solutions

The First Step in Storm Restoration
45
SUPERSTORMSandy
working with utility maintenance crews to repair and upgrade power delivery infrastructure. ABB employees in the Coral Springs, Florida, facility worked nonstop over the weekends to expedite key protective relays and switches. In the Lake Mary, Florida, facility, manufacturing capacity was added to provide quick-response lead times for customers needing outdoor circuit breakers, reclosers and switchgear. ABB also leveraged the Thomas & Betts facilities in the region to provide resources and staging areas to assist customers in their relief efforts. Connector Products (CP) based in Cinnaminson, New Jersey, started receiving orders and ramping up manufacturing ahead of the storm. Once the storm hit on Monday, Oct. 29, all CP workers went to 12-hour shifts. Then, as the news reports and outage reports started rolling in, most workers dedicated 16-hour days to the cause for the next 13 days straight. ABB personnel Tony Conte (left) and Fred Dungan inspect a ooded medium-voltage switchgear circuit breaker in Monmouth Beach CP shipped more than 10,000 taps, 1,000 hot-line clamps and Substation. ABB evaluated the switchgear and replaced all dam12,000 automatic splices to the region. aged components. Located in Southern New Jersey, CP was miraculously located in a small grid that maintained power throughout the ing each of the companys businesses, met daily to discuss the needs of affected utilities, prioritize actions and coordinate emergency. The rst few days with major trucking operations closed down because of power loss, the employees were delivthe response. ABBs Pinetops, North Carolina, team worked around the ering product to emergency locations in their trucks at any clock to produce and expedite shipment of thousands of fuse given time in the 24-hour day. The company also called in pricutouts. And across the region, ABB had more than 20 me- vate carriers throughout each day. In Hastings, Michigan, the 75-plus employees at Hastings dium- and high-voltage service technicians on the ground Fiberglass Products worked around the clock since utilities began calling. This includes an around-the-clock effort at a Hastings factory to meet orders for ground clamp sets, and this after the facility was ooded. Hastings Fiberglass Products President David Baum explained, Our companys small size and culture allows a quick response in emergency situations. To respond to Superstorm Sandy, Hastings customers placed emergency orders for 600 of the companys three-phase grounding cable sets. Most of the cable sets are being delivered with 1/0 and 2/0 cable. Our employees really care about their customers and really feel like they are contributing and helping out a desperate situation, said Larry Baum, who continued. We have never seen is our highest priority f , amil remains our foundation, y this kind of a rush before. and the integrity that defined John wrights w y of a IUS Technologies, a provider of doing business keeps on. - scott d. packard, chairman & ceo utility-grade voltage monitors and smart sensors, tracked customer sentiment and the response efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and the following noreaster. Millions of customers were without power for days or 1.800.882.1216 wrighttree.com weeks, a situation IUS believes could
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applications. Over the next two weeks, more than 100 General Cable associates across ve manufacturing facilities and distribution centers worked in tandem 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to ship more than 1,994 miles (3,209 km) of cable and conductors.
Wood Poles Are Key to Restoration Efforts

Wood poles ooded the Sandy-affected areas. According to the Southern Pressure Treaters Association (SPTA), In the rst week after Sandys landfall, 24,600 wood poles and 59,000 wood As part of FirstEnergys massive storm-restoration effort, the utility established 14 staging crossarms were shipped by SPTA memareas across multiple states to assist with the logistical resupply efforts, including workers bers. In the second week, another 24,400 shown here loading poles at Nockamixon State Park near Easton, Pennsylvania. Overall, FirstEnergy utilities replaced more than 10,000 poles, 30,000 crossarms, 6,400 transformwood poles and 12,500 wood crossarms ers and more than 930 miles of wire as a result of the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. were shipped. In total, SPTA reported its members shipped roughly 65,100 wood poles and 103,500 have been better managed by implementing smart grid senwood crossarms to utilities. Cox Industries, DIS-TRAN Wood sors on the distribution feeders. In cases where IUS Technologies VS1000 and VS3000 volt- Products and other SPTA wood pole providers took part in age and current reporting devices were installed on three- the effort. A deeper look into activities by Cox Industries paints a franphase distribution circuits, outages were pinpointed, which retic picture. A week before Hurricane Sandy hit, Cox Industries sulted in quicker response times and lower outage durations. made calls to customers in the Northeast to verify inventories on hand at reload yards and manufacturing facilities. SourcOverhead Wire Is Essential Southwire in Carrollton, Georgia, shipped in excess of ing materials also were notied, based on the class sizes nor1,193 miles (1,920 km) of cable to meet its customers needs mally used by Cox Industries customers. As expected, inventoin response to Superstorm Sandy. The majority of shipments ries were quickly depleted in distribution yards in New York, were made up of bare aluminum conductor steel-reinforced Massachusetts and New Jersey, and in stock at Cox plants. Treatment plants in New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, and 600-V service-drop items. To give an idea of the cable shipped in the harder-hit areas, 454 miles (731 km) were South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama went to work 24/7 for shipped to PECO, PSE&G, National Grid, Long Island Power the duration of the rebuild effort. By the end of the rst week Authority, Iberdrola and Northeast Utilities along with ve after the storm, Cox Industries had shipped well over 250 trucks of DuraPine heavy-duty poles, distribution sizes from major distributors in the area. The west Georgia customer service center, the Carrollton 25 ft to 50 ft (7.6 m to 15.2 m) in class 1 to 7, and transmission utility plant and the Kentucky plant all played major roles in sizes from 55 ft (16.7 m) to 90 ft (27.4 m) in class 1 to 3 and H1 responding to the conductor requests. Southwires experience to H6. In addition, Cox shipped more than 30,000 DuraPine with PECO was typical of the level of response required to crossarms for distribution and transmission applications. Bridgewell Resources, based in Tigard, Oregon, produced meet the utility need. PECO initiated twice-daily conference calls with Southwire, during which the company was able to and trucked as many as 1,500 poles a day to the Northeast, but delivering new poles is only part of the battle. Equally track all orders down to the hour of delivery. Emergency calls came pouring into General Cables emer- demanding is the need to clean up and recycle the damaged gency response center, staffed by commercial, operational and poles. Bridgewell helped utilities in the Northeast with a logistics personnel. Associates conducted twice-daily calls to range of services, including arranging the pickup and incinensure the delivery requirements of all of the companys Mid- eration, reclamation or remanufacturing of damaged poles. Atlantic and Northeastern electric utility partners were being The focus in the eld has been on restoring power quickly, but met. Electric utility cable and conductors were shipped from Bridgewell also averaged the removal of 50 loads of damaged General Cable facilities by freight carrier to emergency cable poles per week. yards in the utility staging areas. Low-voltage overhead secondary cables (600 V) and small- Meeting the Needs of the Dispossessed sized bare aluminum distribution conductor made up the Southwire not only worked around the clock to provide majority of the shipments. General Cable also manufactured wire and cable needed for the transmission and distribution and shipped a great deal of all-aluminum alloy conductor- circuit rebuild, the company also took time to collect the batype conductor, a specialty alloy product often used in coastal sic necessities needed by people in the storm-ravaged areas.
48
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SUPERSTORMSandy
was overwhelming. Southwire ended up with three tractortrailer loads that it took to Neptune Township, New Jersey. Several manufacturers including ABB, GE and S&C set up programs to support the American Red Cross to bring aid to the victims of the storm. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), whose members worked so hard to bring the area back to normal, also thought of comfort for the victims. Working with the Long Island United Way, IBEW donated Thanksgiving dinners for hard-hit communities. Sandy has been classied as the second most destructive storm to hit the United States. It caused billions of dollars in damage and destruction, destroyed thousands of homes and business, left millions without electricity and, tragically, lives were lost. When a storm of this magnitude hits, restoring power requires ingenuity, resourcefulness and teamwork and that is exactly what the industry delivered. Utilities within the damage zone coordinated the effort, providing support and direction. Unaffected utilities from around North America sent crews and equipment. Manufacturers and suppliers kept the restoration material coming and the supply line full. The frontline troops rebuilt the electrical system in the harshest conditions sometimes one lateral at a time. During a major storm, this industry is charged with more than merely the restoration of power. Assistance on a massive scale helps people restore their lives.
During restoration, not only did customers bring coffee for workers to warm up, many simply threw their arms around them to say thanks as they arrived on their streets. PSE&G customers inundated the utilitys mailboxes with thank you messages during and after the storm.
Volunteers put out the word in the companys hometown of Carrollton for bottled water, hygiene items, ready-to-eat food, blankets, baby items and nonperishable foods. The response
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50
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SUPERSTORMSandy
A Community Responds to Sandy

By William
Quinlan, Connecticut Light & Power Co.
uperstorm Sandy was the largest, most intense storm to make landfall in the Northeastern United States. The storm caused havoc for 10 million electric customers from Maryland to Maine the most in U.S. history. Along the Connecticut shoreline, the storm ripped apart houses, destroyed seawalls, razed beaches and forced the evacuation of thousands of citizens. In some respects, the impact of this natural disaster will eclipse the toll imposed by the Great New England Hurricane of 1938. Restoring power after a massive storm requires around-the-clock commitment and coordination, as we rebuild our system while navigating around thousands of fallen trees and devastated homes. Some have compared this process to a military operation. With roughly 840,000 customers affected by Sandy, Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P) had to set more than 1,700 new poles and replace more than 105 miles (169 km) of wire, the approximate distance from Mystic to Greenwich.
Community Response
As CL&Ps senior vice president for emergency preparedness, I want to share with you some of the reasons that Connecticut succeeded in delivering a community response to this truly epic natural disaster. First, the successful operation that took place is a testament to the skills and dedicated efforts of our employees and the more than 9,000 people who were quickly assembled from Connecticut, 25 other states and Canada to support our efforts. CL&Ps customers beneted greatly from our ability to bring in personnel and resources from other Northeast Utilities operating companies, including NSTAR, Western Massachusetts Electric and Public Service of New Hampshire. Second, the results reect the enhanced coordination among CL&P, many rst responders, state and local ofcials, and other utilities. In that regard, Gov. Dannel Malloys personal and strong leadership was invaluable. One example of strong cooperation within our communities occurred in Stamford, where, overnight, we turned a newly developed apartment complex into a facility where hundreds of line workers were provided with food and lodging close to the hardest-hit area of our service territory.
Third, given the frequency of severe weather events, our utility has been keenly focused on improving our emergency preparedness. It is important to note that three of the four largest outages in our more than 100-year history have occurred in the last 14 months. Here are some of the ways CL&P was able to deliver a strong response in the wake of natures most recent challenge: We executed our own emergency planning drill and participated in the governors four-day statewide exercise, both of which simulated a catastrophic hurricane. We leveraged strong partnerships with public and private entities to quickly mobilize and pre-position critical resources. We nearly doubled our tree-trimming efforts in 2012 to address thousands of trees that posed a risk to our system. We dramatically enhanced our community liaison program through training and technology to communicate better with towns and cities. We improved communications with customers by telephoning them before and during the storm, holding media briengs daily, participating in briengs with the governor and state agencies, and regularly updating Facebook and Twitter social media sites. CL&P has long had a major impact on the economic wellbeing of the state, but nothing is more important to us than the health and well-being of our customers. After restoring power in Connecticut, it was particularly gratifying that CL&P, along with the other Northeast Utilities companies, was able to send many crews to aid people in New York and New Jersey. Our neighbors in the hard-hit tristate area desperately needed us, and we were there to answer the call. Our customers showed appreciation for our efforts and demonstrated patience and understanding. We appreciate our customers and pledge to continue to improve our planning and execution so that Connecticut is prepared to handle natures future wrath.
William J. Quinlan is senior vice president of emergency preparedness for the Connecticut Light & Power Co. He is responsible for response to emergencies, including storms and working with state and municipal ofcials during any type of emergency.
52
Saluting the Heroes of Superstorm Sandy

Superstorm Sandy shook the Eastern Seaboard to its core but was no match for the dedicated men and women who rushed to help. Transmission & Distribution World salutes those brave volunteers who stepped up and lent a hand. We also thank our industry partners who made the Superstorm Sandy supplement (accompanying the March issue) possible. Transmission & Distribution World acknowledges their unyielding support. Visit http://tdworld.com/supplements/ superstorm-sandy-2013/ Read Superstorm Sandy commentaries from the committed companies listed below.
Vista Underground Distribution Switchgear fits any application.

Vista UDS can be customized for your needs. It can be furnished in manual, remote supervisory, and source-transfer models. And any combination of load switches, fault interrupters, bus taps, or tie switches (up to six ways) are contained in a single, SF6-lled, welded stainlesssteel tank. Feeders can be rated as high as 900 Amps continuous, and the main bus up to 1200 Amps. Vista UDS provides a major advancement in operating simplicity and safety for medium-voltage switchgear.
UnderCover Style Vista UDS can be installed in wet vaults. Its completely functional submersed in up to 3 meters of water. Since all live components are contained inside the sealed tank, threats from the environment are nonexistent.
1000 TransformerPrimary Fuse (100E, Standard Speed) 100 Vista Tap Interrupter (Phase) Min. Pickup Current: 400A Def. Time Delay: 4 cycle Phase Overcurrent Relay Type: CO-9 Time Dial: 3 Min. Pickup Current: 720A CTI: 0.15 sec.
TIME IN SECONDS
10
.1
Vistas overcurrent control is PC-programmable, in the shop or the eld. Choose from E, K, Coordinating Speed Tap, Coordinating Speed Main, ANSI/U.S., or IEC timecurrent characteristic curves.
100,000
Operating personnel can readily conrm open gaps and integral ground positions on load-interrupter switches and fault interrupters through Vistas large viewing windows. Trip indicators are easily checked too. Low-prole padmounted style Vista UDS accommodates air-insulated metering modules through bayto-bay bushings (not shown). Vista UDS is maintenance-free and easy to operate.
.01 10 1,000 10,000 100
CURRENT IN AMPERES
Coordinating-speed tap curve with denite-time delay eliminates miscoordination problems frequently encountered with transformer primary fuses
Vista UDS is offered with these 50/60-Hz IEC ratings (ANSI ratings in parentheses)j
kV System Class 12 (15.5) 24 (27) 36 (38) Amperes, RMS Fault Interrupter LoadInterrupter Continuous Switch Interr., & Load Continuous & Sym. Load Dropping Dropping ShortCircuit, Sym.
2008 S&C Electric Company 680-A0809
Max 15.5 (15.5) 29 (29) 38 (38)
BIL 95 (95) 125 (125) 150 (150)
630 (600)
630 (600)
25 000 (25 000)
25 000 (25 000)
j Other ratings are available. Contact your nearest S&C Sales Ofce.
To learn more about Vista UDS, or other S&C products and services, visit our website. Or contact your local S&C Sales Ofce.
www.sandc.com/ vit

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