Cooperative Research Centres Association 2011 Conference An Electricity Supplier s Perspective Terry Effeney, CEO ENERGEX 19 May 2011
Preparation for a Flood Event Flood Risk Management Plan developed Electrical safety, customer communication, asset management and restoration processes were the overriding considerations Flood impacts predicted on Q100 levels
Preparation for a Flood Event ENERGEX used the BCC Flood Maps to predict the likely flood impacts
January 2011 The trouble begins January 10 torrential rain led to flash floods in Toowoomba and a 7 metre wall of water through the Lockyer Valley January 11 water releases from Wivenhoe Dam expected to exceed 8000 cubic meters / sec in following days January 12/13 180,000 customers lose power supply as ENERGEX switches off ahead of the floodwaters January 13 Brisbane River peaked at 4.46M, affecting 20,000 homes
Flood impacts on ENERGEX and the community Archerfield Substation, January 15, 2011
Flood impacts on ENERGEX and the community Major disruption to network assets and the power supply to 250,000 homes and businesses, including parts of the Brisbane CBD Parts of the ENERGEX network along the Brisbane and Bremer Rivers, Lockyer and Brisbane Valleys were torn down or inundated with water.
Flood impacts on ENERGEX and the community ENERGEX crews were supported by Ergon Energy, NSW energy providers and local contractors to rebuild or repair whole sections of network The restoration process was lengthy for some customers as supply could not be re-connected until equipment became accessible, then cleaned and dried out. Where customers premises and switchboards were inundated, a licensed electrical contractor inspected and tested household wiring.
Customers Impacted 160,000 SEQ Flood January 2011 - Customers off supply Data from Power Outage Viewer (POV) system 7pm Wed - Loss of PLQ Rocklea Substation 4am Thursday Brisbane flood peak Customers off supply Wed 2pm to 6pm- Brisbane river breaches banks, affected 11kV feeders shut down Noon Friday 90% affected 11kV back in service, commence inspection and restoration of individual homes Thunderstorm Tues midnight - Bremer river reaches 19.4m. 12 Ipswich feeders shut down Mon 2pm - Toowoomba flash floods hit Witcott Mon 6pm - 80% customers back on. Access to worst affected areas including CBD now possible. 4 CBD off. Thunderstorm 0 Mon 10 Tue 11 Wed 12 Thu 13 Fri 14 Sat 15 Sun 16 Mon 17 Tue 18 Wed 19 Thu 20 Fri 21 Sat 22 Sun 23 Mon 24 Date / Time
Organisational Response and Challenges Coordination and prioritisation safety paramount Business continuity plans Liaison with State and Local Counter Disaster meetings Logistics and human resources Fatigue management - key roles required backup Restoration management centralised v. decentalised Use of portable generation fleet invaluable Information management Customer liaison shell shocked, frustrated, angry! Record keeping
Impact on Assets Equipment Replaced Distribution Transformers 119 Switch Fuse gear 62 Substation relays 245 Watt hour meters 8600 Cross-arms 481 Poles 91 Overhead Cable 125 km Impact on Power Supply Main zone substation outages 25 Distribution feeders tripped or isolated 157 Premises disconnected for repairs 12,500 Repair jobs completed 10,799 Total Customers off supply 309,783 Peak Number of customers off supply 181,802 Number of Customer Service Requests 12,069 Calls for assistance to contact centre 230,000 Premises still disconnected @ 2/4//11 1600
Time to restore power Newstead Minimal or no impact CBD Within 2 days Milton 2-5 days 5-10 days 10-14 days Toowong Taringa West End Chelmer Sherwood Jindalee Moggill Karalee Bundamba Pullenvale Redbank Goodna Westlakes Oxley Rocklea Yeronga Fairfield
Getting the message out 54 media releases; 1661 radio interviews; more than 100 TV interviews 3 Courier-Mail ads 17 January 2011 Restoration update, safety information and reconnection process 18 January 2011 Restoration update and reconnection process 22 January 2011 Restoration update and thank you message 974 Australian Traffic Network radio spots 2,331 Twitter followers 270 Twitter messages; Work with QPS on Facebook New flood information web page Mobile Communication Centre deployed Community flyer (reconnection process) Approximate flood restoration times on ENERGEX website More than 180,000 website visitors; almost 1 M page views
ENERGEX had Business Continuity Plans (BCPs) BCPs successfully invoked for: Control Centre Contact Centre Works Dispatch Corporate Communications Network Data Energy Market Services (metering & billing) Payroll Logistics Treasury to ensure the business continued to operate throughout the event
RMU Flashover at Suncorp Stadium
Termination Pole Bellbowrie
Actions following Flood Event Reviews underway to seek opportunities, including: CBD communications and engage customers regarding BCPs Regularly update the Flood Risk Management Plan Identification of Dry Flood Disconnection Points Minimise the flood exposure of zone substations Minimise the flood exposure of CBD substations in buildings Review standards for ground mounted 11 kv assets Review of river crossing and signage for overhead constructions Auditing of flood affected assets to assess long-term implications Examine powers regarding planning of new installations Lock in electricians arrangements