Station Equipment

The electricity industry is undergoing fundamental changes in moving from a regulated monopoly to a competitive industry. Low load growth, over-capacity, uncertainty, and speculation about the future state of the industry are creating pressures on the availability of capital and the reduction of operating costs.

Now more than ever, there is a need to optimize the use of existing station plant assets and to develop new cost-efficient and reliable equipment applications. This new reality is complicated by the fact that a significant amount of station equipment in use today has already accumulated 30 or more years of service. Maintenance costs will rise as the inherent reliability of an aging plant starts an inevitable decline. At the same time, technological developments in information technology, and automation and design improvements, raise exciting possibilities and opportunities for a reconfigured electrical grid, enabling more effective monitoring and maintenance techniques. All of this is essential in ensuring the reliability of supply, sustainability of operations, and affordability of electric service for customers.

The objective of this program is to bring together interested parties to facilitate research that will optimize the life cycle management of station equipment and apparatus, reduce costs through collaboration of methods, practices, and use of new technologies to help utilities plan future development of their stations.

Topics and Issues:

• Innovation & Design
• Maintenance Practices
• Condition Assessment and Monitoring
• Risk Management