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24 | 14th - 20th November 2014 | UtILItY WeeK Operations & Assets Market view W ith the storm season upon us, UK utilities are once again under pres- sure to better manage storm dam- age assessment and related communication with customers and the regulator. The high-profile storms during the Christ- mas period last year brought chaos to the power networks in the south of England. More than a million homes were affected and over 16,000 customers were without power for more than 48 hours. The storms led the news agenda throughout December 2013. Yet these storms were not remarkable. Previous disruptive weather conditions also resulted in power cuts to over half a million custom- ers just two months prior to the Christmas storm. While the timing of the storms and subsequent power outages stayed front and centre of the story, so too did the criticism levelled at utilities around the power restora- tion process. Repeated condemnation by MPs, the media and customers in reaction to the man- agement and communication of actions by the affected network operators led to Ofgem levelling fines of more than £8 million. In a press release issued following the announce- ment of a second set of fines, the regulator said: "Further lessons need to be learned by network operators about how they prepare for this scale of weather event, how they handle large volumes of customer calls, par- ticularly their ability to provide timely and accurate information on restoration times, and how resources are shared among differ- ent distribution network operators during major weather events." The focus of Ofgem's criticism was not the network operators' ability to efficiently, effec- tively and safely restore power, but on their failure to communicate and respond to cus- tomers in real time about the process, and to advise when power would be restored. In March this year, as a result of the December 2013 storms, the regulator issued proposals to improve the guaranteed stand- ards of performance that detail specific mini- mum service levels tat customers can expect to receive, and the subsequent financial pay- ments if the utility fails to meet them. With the threat of companies having to pay additional financial penalties to both the customer and the regulator, utilities need to prepare and respond to likely communica- tion challenges and make improvements to working practices in the face of further loom- ing bad weather. The problem is that by its very nature weather is unpredictable. A single storm is capable of damaging hundreds of sites scat- tered across a large geographic area. These can be in remote and inaccessible areas where communication options are limited or non-existent. For crews, possibly unfamiliar with the area, it is challenging to make an accurate assessment of the situation on the ground when faced with poor weather, diffi- cult ground conditions, potential site access restrictions and poor visibility with limited daylight hours available. Moreover, providing an accurate assess- ment, which becomes the basis for detail- ing the process and work required to restore the network, with authority and certainty is difficult. In addition to challenging conditions, crews on the ground have traditionally relied on pen and paper to record damage and identify workflows and materials required to repair a site. Typically the worker needs to report back to the control centre while in the field to request an appropriately equipped repair crew be sent to the site. This is poten- tially onerous for the field worker faced with no other option than to physically return to the office to file their assessment. These delays are unacceptable for cus- tomers, who need timely and accurate infor- mation on their power loss and may have financial implications for the utility if it is unable to collate damage information and dispatch crews to fix the problem in a timely manner. Utility companies are looking to technol- ogy as a way to improve the management of storm damage, and as importantly its com- munication of the process. Once viewed as risky and even costly, technology is now pro- viding the power industry with the ability to collaborate in real time with field workers, the control centre and even customers. Fieldwork management mapping and data collection solutions enable on-the- ground crews to input assessment informa- tion, via field computers and smartphones, directly into storm management systems. This improves not just the accuracy of the data but also the immediacy of that data being received and acted upon. Integration and interaction directly with the centralised storm control process in this way mean that any approved user can access, view and respond to the data – whether that is the customer service team, the repair management crew or other field workers assessing damage in other parts of the network. Collaboration is the key to hav- ing a controlled and managed approach to storm damage. Con Edison's solution If there are lessons to be learnt and best practices to be implemented aer last year's storms, then the industry can look to New York's electricity network operator, Con Edison, as an example of how improving sit- uational analysis has enhanced its response to its customers following the impact of Hur- ricane Sandy. Sandy resulted in nearly $62 billion (£40 billion) of damage when it hit the US in Octo- ber 2012. It was, and still is, the US's most expensive storm since Hurricane Katrina, leaving nearly 7.5 million people without power in New York alone. In the aermath of the super storm a series of utility and governmental reviews identified the need to improve damage assessment. Con Edison decided to implement an asset-based field system that would enable it to respond efficiently and accurately to any future storm damage to its network. Work- ing with Sigma Seven and partner SAMsix to develop an emergency management suite, Con Edison's field workers are now able to undertake storm assessments, input their findings accurately and in real time into Con Edison's storm management system while still in the field. The emergency management suite system Storm chasers Paul Reid looks at the lessons learnt from the Christmas storms of 2013 and why situational awareness and collaboration are key to the successful management of storm damage.