Topic:"Distribution" in M13118

2. Step 2: Identify Critical Assets and Operations This section discusses how NS Power classifies its Generation, Transmission, and Distribution assets in the context of importance to overall objectives. NS Power's assets and operations ge...

AI summary NS Power discusses the classification of its Generation, Transmission, and Distribution assets, emphasizing their role in providing safe, reliable, and affordable electricity to customers. These assets supply over 95% of Nova Scotia's electricity needs to more than half a million customers.

4. Step 4: Assess Risks to Critical and Vulnerable Assets and Operations This section explains NS Power's existing asset risk assessment process and lays the groundwork for integrating climate impacts into assessments of generation and tra...

AI summary NS Power integrates climate-related risks into its existing asset management processes rather than using a separate climate-specific risk assessment. This approach ensures that climate impacts are considered alongside other enterprise risks such as safety, reliability, and affordability in the evaluation of generation, transmission, and distribution assets.

Transmission System The transmission network faces growing risks from high-wind events, icing and freezing rain, heat-related loading constraints, and erosion or flooding at water crossings. Climate projections highlight increasing hours o...

AI summary The transmission network is at risk from climate-related events such as high winds, icing, freezing rain, heat, and flooding. NS Power is addressing these risks through design upgrades, monitoring, and infrastructure improvements as detailed in Appendix A.

Distribution System Distribution assets are highly exposed to windstorms, ice storms, wildfires, heat-driven loading, flooding, and coastal erosion. These hazards threaten overhead lines, padmount transformers, access roads, and switching...

AI summary The distribution system faces significant risks from natural hazards such as windstorms, ice storms, wildfires, and flooding. NS Power is addressing these through its Five-Year Reliability Plan, which includes vegetation management, infrastructure upgrades, and flood-proofing measures.

Adaptation in Practice Example / Initiative Why It Matters Flood Risk Assessments and Site Hardening NS Power is completing flood risk assessments and site-specific resilience evaluations for vulnerable substations. For example, the 82V El...

AI summary NS Power is implementing various adaptation initiatives to enhance grid resilience, including flood risk assessments, risk-based asset management, advanced monitoring programs, mobile substations, and grid modernization efforts. These measures aim to improve operational flexibility, reduce customer impacts, and support proactive maintenance during extreme weather events.

Current climate adaptation activities for hydro assets include: - Completing substation flood assessments and developing site-specific mitigation plans. - Reviewing drainage systems, oil containment infrastructure, and site grading using c...

AI summary Current climate adaptation activities for hydro assets include flood assessments, drainage system reviews, transformer monitoring, enhanced operational readiness plans, risk-based investment prioritization, remote monitoring deployment, wildfire exposure evaluation, and maintaining critical spare equipment inventories.

Priority Status Continue strengthening transformer spare coverage and contingency capabilities through risk-based planning and strategic investments aligned with future system needs Ongoing Evaluate opportunities to expand mobile substatio...

AI summary The document outlines ongoing and planned initiatives to strengthen transformer spare coverage, expand mobile substation capacity, and enhance digital substation capabilities. It also mentions evaluating advanced monitoring pilots and advancing flood mitigation measures at vulnerable substations.

Asset Overview NS Power's distribution system delivers electricity directly to homes, businesses, and communities throughout Nova Scotia. Distribution infrastructure includes poles, conductors, transformers, underground systems, switches,...

AI summary NS Power's distribution system delivers electricity across Nova Scotia, with infrastructure including poles, conductors, and transformers. Climate adaptation efforts are aligned with reliability improvement programs to reduce outages and enhance system resilience.

5 4 [Nova Scotia Wildfire Statistics novascotia.ca](https://novascotia.ca/natr/forestprotection/stats.asp) projections indicate that overall annual precipitation in NS is expected to increase slightly over the coming decades, future years...

AI summary The text discusses Nova Scotia's projected climate changes, noting slight increases in annual precipitation but longer drought periods. It compares Nova Scotia's utility-related wildfire ignitions (13.2 per year) with Alberta's (96.4 per year), attributing the difference to the size of each region's transmission and distribution networks.

Table 2: Amount of Utility Caused Fires in Alberta Year Power Line/Utility Fires Power Line/Utility Ha Burned 2012 74 142.40 2013 69 622.40 2014 46 8.56 2015 79 52.00 2016 79 20.58 2017 62 1699.01 2018 72 511.34 2019 76 256.65 2020 62 9.67...

AI summary The table shows the number of utility-caused fires and hectares burned in Alberta from 2012 to 2025. A comparison is made between Nova Scotia and Alberta, normalized by the length of electrical infrastructure, showing similar rates of utility-caused wildfires per 1,000 km of line.

Covered conductor installation Covered conductors act as a physical barrier between energized electrical equipment and vegetation, animal contact, and other external contacts. Thisreducesthe possibility of power line arcing or sparking if...

AI summary Covered conductors are used to reduce the risk of power line arcing and sparking by acting as a physical barrier. They are currently used in limited locations by NS Power, and their expanded use is being considered.

7.1 Vegetation Clearance Specifications On its transmission system, NS Power maintains vegetation clearance specifications to reduce the likelihood of vegetation contact with energized overhead conductors. These specifications support wild...

AI summary NS Power maintains vegetation clearance specifications on its transmission system to reduce the risk of wildfires and outages. The Integrated Vegetation Management Program identifies and manages vegetation that could come into contact with energized conductors, with annual plans prioritizing work based on proximity to conductors and hazard levels.

Vegetation inventory system In 2025 and 2026 NS Power is advancing a project to further enhance its existing vegetation inventory system, and this initiative will integrate and leverage new and existing vegetation management data for enhan...

AI summary In 2025 and 2026, NS Power is enhancing its vegetation inventory system by integrating new and existing vegetation management data to improve risk-based decision-making on the transmission and distribution system. This includes using satellite imagery analysis and integrating condition data into BI tools like Tableau.

Downline Device Monitoring and Communication NS Power is expanding the implementation of telecommunications connectivity providing telemetry and controlsto intelligent field devicesthroughout the grid, including Remote Terminal Units (RTU)...

AI summary NS Power is expanding telecommunications connectivity to intelligent field devices across the grid, including RTUs and distributed protection equipment, to improve outage awareness, fault location identification, remote operation, and asset management, enhancing grid resiliency against wildfire risks.