The RECRE system: restoration planning for Hydro-Quebec's power system

Due to the severity of system-wide power outages, though their probability of occurrence is slight, regulatory authorities require that a system restoration plan be drawn up and kept up to date at all times. The power outage that affected northeastern North America in 2003 proved the need for such a requirement. The particular structure of Hydro-Quebec's power system requires the use of a highly specific system restoration procedure. The daily preparation of the system restoration plan is based on a strategy whose application requires that a restoration sequence be drawn up that uses available equipment, the electrical behavior of which has been validated using appropriate studies. Over the years, Hydro-Quebec has accumulated a sizeable pool of knowledge that brings together all the solutions already studied. System restoration planners use their know-how to find the best solution, determine whether it is appropriate, and proceed to apply it. When required, new solutions must be developed. The new RECRE software program (French acronym for "Remise En Charge du Reseau" - System Restoration) has been implemented by Hydro-Quebec in 2005. The aim of this knowledge management system is to have system restoration knowledge become a tangible, growth-oriented and enhanceable asset. The system is made up of two modules: the knowledge engineering module, whereby modeling can be done of the system restoration strategy and known solutions in a knowledge base, and the planning module, whereby system restoration plans can be drawn up based on the unavailability of power system equipment. The RECRE system can produce a validated and adequate plan in a few seconds along with all the documents required for its dissemination. The RECRE system can also analyze in a few minutes all of the situations that apply to scheduled outages for the weeks that follow or the upcoming year. This allows solution gaps to be identified in the knowledge base.