Electricity Asset Management Plan 2019-2029
81
Vector Limited://
Going forward when replacing assets, we will also consider new technology options such as Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) to defer substation upgrades or transformer replacements or the installation of load control such as Telensa to postpone network reinforcement. 4.1.7 OUR MAINTENANCE STRATEGY Vector’s assets are maintained over their whole lifecycle to avoid failures that pose a hazard to staff or the public. The core practice underpinning this strategy is our schedule of equipment inspections. This is in line with the maintenance standards for each asset class. These inspections are also used to perform minor maintenance tasks and repairs, and to identify and record any non-compliance with maintenance standards. All completed tasks, or requests for follow-up corrective work, are recorded against the asset in a system of record. All outstanding requests for corrective work are held in a work pool and prioritised for remediation based on risk. Vector’s new rules for working on or near lines has resulted in a change in how corrective work packs are planned and executed. These work packs are now triggered by a high risk corrective task and the rules for completing other high risk work within the same network section isolation zone are defined. Vector has a comprehensive suite of maintenance standards that it has developed in-house. These standards have been revised to support Vector’s continuous improvement and progression towards becoming more predictive in its approach to maintaining its assets. These define asset inspections, condition testing, failure modes and associated maintenance tasks by the primary asset category. These standards address the purpose, content, frequency, failure modes, data recording requirements and associated treatment criteria. These criteria direct field staff to either repair, refurbish or replace components, or the entire asset. Some assets will need refurbishing or repairing off-site, while others can be dealt with in-situ. The improved condition information, that the revised maintenance standards specify, will support the CBARM initiative described in Section 4.1.6 for the major asset classes. This approach allows Vector to better plan its asset replacements and keep its assets in service for as long as the risk is tolerable. This proactive approach to asset replacement has already been initiated and is described in Section 5. Vector’s philosophy is to keep assets in use for as long as they can be operated safely – technically and economically – and, as far as is practicable, for the financial recovery period of the asset too. The maintenance standards support this goal so as to ensure optimal performance. Corrective maintenance is undertaken within specified time-frames, as stipulated in the maintenance standards and in conjunction with the targeted risk approach. Real-time monitoring using SCADA is used for plant in zone substations and in bulk supply substations. This records key parameters, such as transformer temperature, status of switches, DC system voltage levels, switchgear gas levels, voltage and current levels, trip alarms and fault alarms. Power Quality Meters (PQMs) – see our strategy on PQMs below, allow in- depth analysis of faults, that is, they keep a record of fault currents, time of faults, fault duration and phase relationships, and magnitudes. Analysis of these informs us whether an asset needs refurbishment or replacement. To improve our service level performance, we deploy proactive maintenance approach with preventative maintenance practices including routine inspections, testing and servicing, and more condition testing in line with our new maintenance standards. This supports the increasing focus on corrective maintenance driven activities, including replacement, targeted at changing the current trend of unplanned events. Reactive maintenance will also focus on improving response times to asset failures when they occur. • Migration of the asset management system of the Auckland Field Service Providers (FSPs) into our Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System (SAP) – this project is on-going at the time of writing • We have already developed the capability to track asset failures in SAP, but further work is continuing to refine the quality of data • Develop and improve the capability (monitoring and analytics) • Becoming more condition based and predictive by using acoustic testing across the network • Improved preventative maintenance and/or testing for submarine cables, distribution cables, power transformers and circuit breakers • Using the criticality information developed for CBARM – we intend to move to a more risk-based prioritisation of corrective work. Section 5 has the details of the programmes of work and investment summaries for the maintenance, including associated corrective asset replacement. The improved effectiveness of the targeted risk approach to corrective maintenance will continue. We plan to further improve our maintenance practices by:
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online