Strategic Asset Management in Power Distribution, Using a Fuzzy Inference Based Risk Assessment

This paper describes the design and the implementation of a novel asset management process based on asset risk analysis for electricity distribution networks. The proposed method is based on a fuzzy decision-making risk evaluation mechanism operated on Medium Voltage (MV) distribution fiders in a monthly basis, determining potential impacts of their failures on company’s performance. The evaluated risks are visualized in a GIS software for network operators and provide the capability to take more efficient maintenance planning decisions. The proposed methodology gives specific attention to particular network utilities issues such as reliability, operational losses, customer feedback, and user importance. In order to illustrate method applicability, an example study is done on a real power distribution network in greater Tehran resulting a 19.6% improvement in network reliability index with the same amount of budget expenditure.