Enhancing the Resilience of Electricity Networks by Multi-stakeholder Risk Assessment: The Case Study of Adverse Winter Weather in Finland

Abstract

Electricity networks in Finland are subject to adverse winter weather, particularly a combination of heavy snowfall with strong winds, causing electricity outages especially in the rural areas. The severe consequences of such events require that electricity distributors and the entire network of stakeholders establish a proactive risk management for achieving enhanced situational awareness during adverse weather events, efficient and effective recovering after electricity outage as well as improved preparedness against future events. This paper shows how a risk assessment performed with an Action Error Analysis (AEA) were conducted in order to enhance the resilience of electricity networks against adverse winter weather. This also encompassed an assessment of co-operation and communication structures about such risks. Adverse winter weather that took place in Pirkanmaa, in South-West Finland in November 2015, serves as a case study and laboratory for the assessments. The results of the AEA underscore the importance of co-operation and communication-related challenges that electricity distributors, rescue authorities and municipalities face in maintaining and obtaining a high level of resilience of electricity networks during and after heavy snowfalls. Against this background, novel ways and measures related to co-operation and communication of stakeholders to improve the resilience of electricity networks against future events are discussed.

Creating Stakeholder Value through Risk Mitigation Measures in the Context of Disaster Management

“…10 multi-purpose forest machines cleared the trees. More than a hundred of the electric company's own employees took part in the work during that weekend [14,32].…”

“…RMM that were identified by the experts in the case study include heavy underground cabling of power lines, increased network automation, remote controls, and movable reserve power units. Much attention has been drawn to co-operation between utilities and authorities, and making an up-to-date situation report open for all parties [14,60]. Thus, there were both "hard" measures, such as infrastructure investments and non-structural measures, such as small-scale mitigation actions, monitoring and warning systems, and emergency response capacities (see Table 2).…”

“…Table 2. Examples of risk mitigation measures identified in the case study to improve the resilience of electricity distribution networks against extreme weather events (EWE) [14,20,60]. The measure specific valuation was determined based on a fixed value system with the aim of increasing the objectivity.…”

“…Based on the assessment, the most important RMM were mutual planning and training, underground cabling, ICT systems, and forming and disseminating situational awareness. The main parties that are involved in EWE related disaster management in Finland are authorities at distinct levels, emergency organizations, private parties, as well as non-governmental voluntary organizations [14]. To maximize the effectiveness of the disaster management, all of these stakeholders already work together before an EWE in order to develop plans for managing and employing resources in a variety of possible emergency circumstances.…”

Tools and Methods for Supporting Regional Decision-Making in Relation to Climate Risks

“…In the forestry sector, winter storms and unfrozen land expose spruce forests to storm damage as the spruces' roots are torn from the ground [3]. Fallen trees may also sever power lines or railway catenary causing disruptions in the electricity supply [4,5]. A rainy winter with no deep-rooted vegetation exposes roads and railways to erosion faster than ever before [6].…”