Topic:"System Reliability" in M13118

1.1. Nova Scotia Power Inc. NS Power is a vertically-integrated electric utility involved in all aspects of the electricity supply chain – generation, transmission, and distribution – across Nova Scotia. NS Power is a fully owned subsidiar...

AI summary NS Power, a vertically-integrated electric utility in Nova Scotia, is implementing a climate adaptation planning process to manage risks from climate change and extreme weather events. The Strategic Asset Management Plan (SAMP), filed with the Nova Scotia Energy Board, outlines a risk-based approach to asset management and climate adaptation, ensuring the reliability and resilience of the electricity system.

1.3. Leadership Engagement NS Power's Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and senior management recognize that climate change presents both current and emerging risks to the utility's operations, assets, and customers. This perspective aligns...

AI summary NS Power's leadership recognizes climate change as a significant risk to operations and customers. Climate adaptation planning is integrated into asset management, reliability planning, and capital planning to ensure system reliability and cost-effective electricity delivery.

Climate Change as an Enterprise Risk for Utilities The electric utilities sector is being significantly impacted by physical effects of climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports that the electricity secto...

AI summary Climate change poses significant risks to the electric utilities sector, particularly in Nova Scotia, where infrastructure was not designed with current climate projections in mind. Both acute and chronic climate impacts, such as extreme weather and temperature shifts, threaten the integrity of generation, transmission, and distribution assets. Adaptation planning is essential to mitigate these risks.

[Table](#page-11-1) 1.1, below presents some examples of the types of physical climate risk-related impacts expected for Canadian electric utilities such as NS Power. 7 World Energy Perspective, "The road to resilience – managing and finan...

AI summary The text discusses physical climate risk-related impacts on Canadian electric utilities, such as NS Power, including damage to infrastructure from extreme weather, increased flood risks, and threats from wildfires and coastal storms. It also mentions opportunities arising from adapting to these risks as climate targets are met.

3.1. Climate Change Trends in Nova Scotia Climate change is already affecting Nova Scotia and is expected to continue altering environmental conditions throughout this century. Recent years have demonstrated that many of the projected clim...

AI summary Climate change is already impacting Nova Scotia, with events like Hurricane Fiona and wildfires becoming more frequent. Projections indicate warmer, wetter conditions, more extreme heat, and increased flooding risks. These changes will affect infrastructure, energy systems, and water management.

Table 3.6: Relevant Climate Hazards and Associated Climate Impacts for NS Power Climate Hazard Expected Risk Level Primarily Affected Business Units Example Impacts Extreme Weather Events (Hurricanes, High Winds, Ice Storms) High Transmiss...

AI summary The text discusses climate hazards and their impacts on NS Power's operations, including extreme weather events, flooding, sea level rise, and ecosystem changes. It highlights risks to infrastructure, operations, and environmental management, and notes combined impacts such as ice and wind events affecting assets.

ission Asset Identified in Step 2 The three transmission lines (one 345kV line and two 138kV lines) connecting Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are critical to maintaining NS Power's system reliability. NS Power-known climate risks: Flooding...

AI summary This section discusses the critical transmission lines connecting Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, highlighting climate risks such as flooding, ice accumulation, and elevated temperatures. NS Power has implemented adaptations, including a $650 million funding agreement and updated infrastructure standards, to enhance resilience against climate impacts.

Substations Substations across Nova Scotia are increasingly affected by overland and coastal flooding, higher ambient temperatures, wildfire exposure, and extreme weather events such as hurricanes and ice storms. Flooding at the 82V Elmsda...

AI summary Substations in Nova Scotia face increasing risks from flooding, extreme weather, and rising temperatures. The 2023 flood at the 82V Elmsdale substation highlights the vulnerability of low-lying stations. Adaptation measures include flood risk assessments, site-specific planning, and resilience initiatives to improve operational flexibility.

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.

5.2. Five-Year Reliability Plan The Five-Year Reliability Plan, filed with the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board in December 2024, represents a significant investment of $1.3 billion aimed at enhancing the resilience and reliability of...

AI summary NS Power's Five-Year Reliability Plan, filed in December 2024, includes a $1.3 billion investment to enhance grid resilience and reliability. The plan links reliability improvements with climate adaptation strategies, focusing on storm hardening, equipment upgrades, and grid modernization to reduce outages and meet service restoration standards.

6.4.1 Performance Metrics & Reporting System reliability and availability are monitored and reported on a regular basis through existing Enterprise Asset Management, Transmission & Distribution, and Generation performance reporting process...

AI summary The document discusses NS Power's performance metrics and reporting processes related to system reliability, asset performance, and climate adaptation. It highlights the use of existing reporting systems to monitor reliability, identify climate-related risks, and support adaptation investments.

Adaptation in Practice Example / Initiative Why It Matters Hurricane Fiona Flood Response at Trenton Trenton Unit 6 was proactively removed from service ahead of projected storm surge flooding. Critical equipment was de energized and tempo...

AI summary The document highlights various adaptation initiatives by Nova Scotia Power, including flood response measures, coastal flood modeling, stormwater improvements, cooling water monitoring, and biofouling management programs, all aimed at enhancing resilience to climate change impacts.

Priority Status Implement recommendations from site drainage and stormwater studies, including culvert upgrades, improved runoff diversion, and/or pumping system enhancements In Progress Evaluate and deploy long-term biofouling mitigation...

AI summary The document outlines several ongoing and planned initiatives related to climate resilience and infrastructure improvements, including drainage and stormwater management, biofouling mitigation, coastal flood protection, wastewater systems, and cooling water temperature monitoring. These efforts aim to address challenges posed by climate change and extreme weather events.

Asset Overview NS Power owns and operates 32 hydroelectric generating stations across 16 river systems throughout Nova Scotia, with approximately 400 MW of installed generating capacity. These facilities provide renewable electricity gener...

AI summary NS Power operates 32 hydroelectric stations in Nova Scotia, providing renewable energy and grid reliability. Climate hazards like storm surge, sea level rise, extreme weather, drought, and wildfires are affecting the performance and safety of these facilities due to changing watershed conditions.

Future Adaptation Priorities Over the next planning cycle, adaptation efforts will continue to focus on improving hydro system resilience through enhanced climate-informed planning and operational decisionmaking. Key priorities include:

AI summary Future adaptation priorities focus on improving hydro system resilience through climate-informed planning and operational decision-making as part of the next planning cycle.

Current climate adaptation activities for hydro assets include: - Monitoring icing conditions and operational impacts at wind facilities, including the use of ice detection technologies. - Reviewing and maintaining lightning protection and...

AI summary The document outlines current climate adaptation activities for hydro assets, including monitoring icing conditions, reviewing lightning protection systems, maintaining infrastructure for extreme weather, evaluating turbine performance, reviewing storm response procedures, and assessing long-term strategies for aging facilities.

Climate Risk and Impact Transmission assets are exposed to high winds, ice storms, vegetation interaction, thermal loading, wildfire, and coastal impacts. These climate-related hazards can affect conductors, structures, rights-of-way, and...

AI summary Climate-related hazards such as high winds, ice storms, vegetation interaction, thermal loading, wildfire, and coastal impacts pose risks to transmission assets. Adaptation planning aims to strengthen infrastructure design, improve monitoring, and reduce outage frequency and restoration time.

The purpose of the NS Power's wildfire mitigation plan is to reduce the risk of wildfires caused by electrical infrastructure in Nova Scotia and to protect public safety. It aims to ensure the reliability of electricity services by impleme...

AI summary NS Power's wildfire mitigation plan aims to reduce wildfire risks from electrical infrastructure, enhance public safety, and ensure system reliability through vegetation management, equipment upgrades, and operational improvements. The plan covers transmission lines, distribution lines, substations, and vegetation management areas.

. Reduce Wildfire Risk: Minimize the likelihood of wildfires caused by electrical infrastructure. - 2. Protect Public Safety: Ensure the safety of communities and individuals in wildfire-prone areas. - 3. Ensure Reliable Service: Maintain...

AI summary The text outlines three key objectives: reducing wildfire risk from electrical infrastructure, protecting public safety in wildfire-prone areas, and ensuring reliable electricity service during wildfire events.

The long-term vision of a wildfire mitigation plan for NS Power is to create a resilient and sustainable electrical grid that can withstand and adapt to wildfire risks. This vision includes: - 1. Enhanced Safety: Achieving a continued low...

AI summary NS Power outlines a long-term vision for wildfire mitigation, focusing on enhancing grid safety, reliability, and sustainability through advanced technologies, community partnerships, and continuous improvement. The plan aims to reduce wildfire risks caused by electrical infrastructure and ensure reliable electricity supply during high-risk conditions.

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.

3.2 Tracking and Analysis of Wildfires and Near-Miss Ignitions The purpose of this practice is to track ignitions and potential ignitions and perform root cause analysis to detect and understand patterns or correlations. The resulting data...

AI summary This section outlines the process of tracking and analyzing wildfires and near-miss ignitions, focusing on root cause analysis and data collection. NS Power receives wildfire data from NS NRR and uses its Outage Management System to track and categorize outage events, including those related to wildfires.

4.0 Situational Awareness The centralized aggregation of data from power system assets provides visibility into the state of the power system so that appropriate actions can be taken to match fire risk conditions. Understanding this state...

AI summary Centralized data aggregation from power system assets improves situational awareness, enabling quicker responses to potential ignition sources during faults. Enhancements, such as increased visibility to downline protective devices, would further improve NS Power's ability to respond effectively.

4.4 Operational Changes due to Situational Awareness NS Power has incorporated situational awareness into operational decision making to manage wildfire risk, particularly during periods of elevated environmental and system risk. Situation...

AI summary NS Power has integrated situational awareness into operational decision-making to manage wildfire risk. This includes monitoring environmental conditions, using operational technologies, and implementing graduated controls to reduce ignition likelihood and protect employees, the public, and system reliability.

5.0 Inspection Programs Inspection and maintenance programs enable utilities to identify and address deficient conditions and components to reduce potential impacts to the electric system, minimizing hazards, and maintaining system reliabi...

AI summary Inspection and maintenance programs are essential for identifying and addressing deficiencies in the electric system, reducing hazards, and maintaining reliability. Existing programs should be reviewed for improvement, and new programs should be considered for inclusion as appropriate.

5.5 New Inspection Technologies Drones are another technology currently being deployed at NS Power for inspections of transmission and distribution lines. As drones collect video and still images, there is a combination of manual and AI ap...

AI summary NS Power is deploying drones and satellite imagery to improve inspection and vegetation management practices. Drones provide detailed inspections of transmission and distribution lines, while satellite imagery helps assess vegetation conditions and identify wildfire risks. These technologies are being used strategically to enhance safety and efficiency in power line maintenance.

5.6 Substation Inspections Substation inspections are conducted primarily to identify and address reliability and environmental concerns but incidentally provide additional wildfire mitigation benefits. Specifically, the inspection program...

AI summary Substation inspections are primarily conducted to ensure reliability and address environmental concerns, with incidental benefits for wildfire mitigation. Equipment failure, which can lead to fires, is mitigated through early identification and repair. Modern substation design and vegetation management reduce the risk of fires spreading beyond the substation.

6.5 Proactive De-energization (Public Safety Power Shutoff) NS Power is required to ensure the safe operation of the transmission and distribution system and has the authority to interrupt circuits for various public safety risks, includin...

AI summary NS Power has the authority to de-energize circuits for public safety, including during wildfires, and has done so in coordination with emergency management. While PSPS is used by some utilities, NS Power has not yet determined if it is appropriate for Nova Scotia, considering local conditions and potential impacts on customers.

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.

7.4 Substation Vegetation Management During regular substation inspections, any vegetation present is assessed, and Forestry is contacted to intervene as required. Vegetation is cleared 2-3 meters outside of the fence line, and all vegetat...

AI summary Substation vegetation management involves clearing vegetation 2-3 meters outside the fence line and removing all vegetation within the substation yard to ensure safety, reliability, and protection from wildfires. This proactive approach helps prevent fire hazards and ensures clear access for maintenance and emergency response.

8.0 General Operational Practices NS Power's wildfire mitigation plans include operational practices that enhance fault detection and system protection. By deploying advanced technologies such as distribution automation systems, current li...

AI summary NS Power is implementing advanced operational practices, including distribution automation systems, current limiting devices, and improved sensors, to enhance fault detection and system protection. These measures aim to quickly identify and isolate faults, minimize wildfire ignition risks, and improve grid resilience and community safety.

Automatic Reclosers NS Power deploys automatic reclosers across its system to interrupt faults of various causes. The settings applied on these devices are designed to balance both customer reliability (clearing transient faults) and safel...

AI summary NS Power uses automatic reclosers to manage faults on its electrical system, balancing customer reliability with safety by clearing transient faults and isolating permanent ones. This helps reduce the risk of ignition from tree contact or equipment failure.

Fault Indicators Fault indicators are used to detect faults on electric lines and equipment. They may be utilized when automatic reclosing is disabled or if alternative protection settings are applied during times of wildfire risk. Disabli...

AI summary Fault indicators are used by NS Power to detect faults on electric lines and equipment, particularly during wildfire risk periods or when automatic reclosing is disabled. They help identify fault locations more quickly, improving response times and customer restoration. Fault indicators are more commonly used on transmission lines and in isolated or hard-to-reach distribution circuits.

Wildfire Risk-Informed Operation of Protective Devices During periods of elevated wildfire risk, protective devices such as circuit breakers and reclosers may be used in coordination with situational awareness, and broader operational cont...

AI summary During high wildfire risk periods, protective devices like circuit breakers and reclosers are coordinated with situational awareness and operational controls to enhance system reliability, improve fault identification, and reduce wildfire ignition risks from electrical infrastructure.

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.

8.2 Smart Meters NS Power hasinstalled smart metersfor the majority of its customers, allowing events and alarms to be automatically sent to the control center. This technology enhances visibility and response at the individual customer le...

AI summary NS Power has deployed smart meters for most customers, enhancing visibility and response times, particularly in isolated areas. The smart meter network improves fault and outage traceability, aiding wildfire risk reduction and faster restoration. Opportunities exist to integrate AMI data with outage management systems for better performance analysis and restoration tactics.

9.1 Emergency Services Restoration Plan NS Power has an Emergency Services Restoration Plan (ESRP) that is deployed to co-ordinate restoration response for events that are expected to result in customer outages of longer than 36 hours or 5...

AI summary NS Power has an Emergency Services Restoration Plan (ESRP) to coordinate restoration efforts during prolonged outages or emergencies, including wildfires. The plan is reviewed annually and updated based on storm experiences and drills, with approval from the NSEB. It emphasizes resource allocation, communication with emergency agencies, and safety protocols.

9.2 Cooperation with Suppression Agencies Coordination with federal, provincial, and local fire authorities to support the planning and operations of firefighting in real-time, including information-sharing, dispatch of resources, and dedi...

AI summary NS Power collaborates with suppression agencies during wildfires by coordinating with emergency response organizations, sharing information, and managing transmission impacts. They communicate with customers and stakeholders to ensure public safety and situational awareness. Practices are reviewed and updated following major events.

9.4 Compliance and Assurance NS Power's wildfire mitigation activities are supported by documented procedures, operational records, audits, and post-event reviews, with defined roles and accountabilities assigned across functional teams. T...

AI summary NS Power's wildfire mitigation efforts are supported by documented procedures, audits, and post-event reviews. Compliance requirements include daily hazard record-keeping, equipment inspections, and risk assessments. Operational response activities are governed by defined procedures with documented decision-making and communication protocols. Lessons learned are used to continuously improve procedures and practices.

Vegetation and Fuel Management Vegetation managementremains one of NS Power's most important wildfire mitigation activities. Through inspection programs, right-of-way maintenance, hazard tree assessments, corridor widening initiatives, and...

AI summary Vegetation and fuel management are critical for wildfire mitigation and system reliability. NS Power manages vegetation through inspections, maintenance, and corridor widening. Collaboration with municipalities, regulators, and other stakeholders is encouraged to improve wildfire risk reduction and align tree planting with reliability goals. Broader fuel management initiatives can also enhance community and infrastructure resilience.