PDi2 Playbook

7 2. CREATING A RESILIENCY PROGRAM After building potential resiliency program objectives, the next step in the Utility Infrastructure Resiliency Playbook (Playbook) is to begin the process of establishing how a resiliency program can support the pursuit of the objective and how to create a resiliency program. The rationale for building a resiliency program can be generated by a wide range of drivers; however, severe weather impacts are typically the primary source. System Susceptibility to Weather-Related Long Duration Outages There are multiple drivers of outages experienced and documented for electric utilities and their customers. The vast majority of the accumulated customer outage minutes, and as much as 90 percent of interruptions are due to weather-related events (Exhibit 2.1). Looking backward in time, extensive and expensive resiliency programs founded on undergrounding efforts designed to mitigate weather-related outages proved difficult to justify. Anticipated and actual cable life was a driver for justification challenges and modern researchers have not been able to find any contradicting science to suggest underground cables cannot last 100 years or longer if managed Exhibit 2.1 Reported Electric Disturbance Events are Dominated by Weather Causes Trending of Outage Events Source: McNamara, Julie, Steve Clemmer et al. (2015), “Lights Out? Storm Surge, Blackouts, and how Clean Energy can Help,” October, Union of Concerned Scientists, 2015, pg. 6

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