How Our Electric Division Prepares for Storm Season

Did you hear that thunder?  Did you see that lightning?  Did your weather alert just go off on your phone?  Summer is here and so is the unsettled weather.

“Every spring the UGI Electric Division conducts a storm drill to ensure readiness for the changing seasons. Additionally, performing an annual storm drill to validate our preparedness program is highly encouraged by the PUC,” said Bruce G., Emergency Planning Admin II.  “The timing of this drill is based on the warmer weather, that at times, brings weekly weather advisories that may impact the electric grid.  We choose to exercise in a drill format to give responders an opportunity to perform storm duties and inventory their equipment prior to the expected uptick in storm events.”

The drill is conducted using an Outage Management System (OMS) and placing simulated trouble and hazards into the field such as wires down, broken poles, and widespread outages.  The exercise planning team places clues into the field to produce a finding. These typically are in the format of a picture of a wire down, a pole fire, or a broken pole.  There is also a narrative with the picture describing the damage found.  The scout then contacts system operations to discuss the situation, identify repairs needed, and look for ways to sectionalize or isolate the problem to limit the number of customer outages. Dispatch and scouting/assessing activities are managed as they would be in a real-time storm event. The field resources provide information and feedback to System Operations, who then evaluates the information, assigns, and dispatches repair crews, and provides the assessment resource with their next assignment. The Electric Division’s support personnel assist by taking calls for PA One Calls, Power Restoration Tags, and/or dispatching wire watchers.

Bruce further explained, “One of the most valuable pieces of this drill is the after-action review.  This gives planners and participants an opportunity to discuss what went well, what needs improvement, and suggestions for future drill injects.”  The review is conducted immediately after the drill to ensure the participants’ thoughts are fresh.  Each year there are new elements added to the drill or different objectives.  This year there were 29 participants in the drill. The trending feedback is that each year the drill gets better.  There are often procedures or specifics that lead to a review or clarification in standard operating procedures.

As storms occur this summer, UGI Utilities’ Electric Division has high confidence in their ability to conduct safe field operations and keep the lights on for our customers.