Prioritizing Load Break Switch Placement: Application of Fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS Approaches

PLN UP2D Sumut, the state-owned electricity company in North Sumatra Province, Indonesia, has a role in operating the distribution electricity network system in North Sumatra. Installing the load break switch (LBS) in the network system is one way to ensure the reliability of that operation. In this study, seven LBSs will be installed in four different service areas for 30 nominated feeders. That should meet six criteria determined by the company’s key performance indicator (KPI) and a literature review, e.g., Energy Not Served (ENS), System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI), System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI), length, network availability, and load of each feeder. The fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) and technique for ordering preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS) are both used in this work. Before figuring out the selected feeder’s rank using TOPSIS, each criterion’s weight must first be figured out using FAHP. Based on the fuzzy AHP results, ENS is found to be the most impactful criterion. Furthermore, based on the TOPSIS results, the service areas of Medan, Lubuk Pakam and Binjai have the highest number of feeders selected for prioritizing LBS placement.