Proactive Outage Management
Proactive outage management is far more efficient and effective than reactive tactics. Obviously, step #1 of being proactive is having an emergency plan in place, but that simply represents table stakes. Executing best-in-class proactive outage management involves much, much more.
What Proactive Outage Management Really Entails
Having a solid emergency plan is important, but not all plans are optimal. Being proactive means having a plan that is scalable and easy to execute, as well as ensuring that restoration crews are well-versed in the plan. It also means that the degree of plan execution matches the challenge at hand – in other words, tailoring how the plan is actually executed based on the nature of the emergency, it’s predicted severity and geographical impact, and the profile of the customers most at risk of losing service.
Of course, this tailoring cannot be done on the fly – artificial intelligence, machine learning, predictive modelling, and other advanced analytical techniques must be utilized to forecast how an immanent event might impact the service territory. This information, in turn, can be used to predict damage to poles, wires, transformers, pipelines, and any other critical utility asset, which facilitates proactive sourcing of materials, crews, and mutual assistance. All of this reduces logistical uncertainty, which in theory should lead to smoother and faster recoveries in the future.
Proactive outage management also requires a proven outage management system (OMS) that is scalable and can process and analyze real-time information from a variety of diverse sources. The OMS must also integrate with the company’s customer information system (CIS), geographic information system (GIS), and similar platforms to deliver accurate and “boiled down” information as well as continuously updated restoration estimates.
The combination of predictive analytics and system integration enhances communication (both internal and external), system flexibility, real time monitoring, and response speed, among other benefits. This integration can also facilitate the assessment of restoration performance to identify inefficiencies and bottlenecks to improve the restoration performance of future events.
The bottom line is that “traditional” emergency preparedness is no longer adequate. Proactive outage management is the way to go to ensure maximum satisfaction from regulators, customers, and every other stakeholder. Utilities that do not make strides toward this goal will undoubtedly fall behind their peers.
