Distribution Equipment & Planning

Overview

The Distribution Equipment & Planning Interest Group helps utilities develop and implement best practices for managing distribution assets throughout their lifecycle.

Through collaboration and knowledge sharing, the program supports effective asset planning, procurement, installation, commissioning, operations, maintenance, and end-of-life management.

Focus areas

Improving Reliability of Distribution Equipment & Systems
Best Practices for Maintenance and Condition Assessment of Distribution Assets
Exploring Technology and Equipment Impacting the Grid
Improving Power Distribution Planning

This group is for

Distribution standards, engineering, and planning engineers, managers, and supervisors

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Technical Advisor Support

Steve Greey

Distribution Equipment & Planning

Steve Greey (pronounced gray) is a Professional Engineer with over 40 years experience in the electrical industry. He started his career at Westinghouse as an Application Engineer. He then joined S&C Electric, originally as a Territory Manager, but later added Canadian New Products Manager. Steve left S&C Electric and begin his own company where he represented manufacturers and took on several contract roles including working in distribution engineering at Ajax Hydro (now part of Elexicon). His specialty is electrical distribution system reliability improvements. Steve’s previous contract was a return to S&C Electric to help launch the IntelliRupter product in 2006.

Top Resources

REFERENCE RESOURCE

Distribution Planner’s Manual Update

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The 2015 version of the Distribution Planner’s Manual required updating to account for the latest demands on the planning of the distribution system. Utility planners wrote the original manual in 1982, containing 14 sections covering various topics such as load forecasting, reliability evaluation, and loss mitigation. CEATI developed the first update in 2015 to acknowledge that plenty had changed since its original publication. The manual is being extensively updated again, including separating the original two volumes into 14 discrete reports.

GUIDANCE DOCUMENT

Utility Guide for Inspection and Maintenance of Distribution Underground Systems

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This project delivers a practical guide for inspecting and maintaining underground distribution assets. It brings together regulatory requirements, manufacturer recommendations, utility input, and Kinectrics’ expertise to support life-cycle management. The guide includes asset degradation curves, interval-adjustment methods, and extreme weather considerations—helping utilities refine maintenance strategies and adopt new technologies.

GUIDANCE DOCUMENT

A Guide to Mitigate Adverse Impacts of EV Charging Stations on Distribution Systems

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This guide is designed to help distribution utilities evaluate and mitigate the effects that increased use of electric vehicles and their related charging have on power demand and overloading risk. The guide covers current adoption forecasts and possible network impacts. It also contains useful suggestions for detecting and reducing the impact of EV charging loads on distribution grids and recent case studies of possible network management solutions.

ASSESSMENT TOOL

The Best Poles for Distribution Systems

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This report compares the characteristics and total ownership costs of various types of commercially available poles used in distribution systems in North America and Europe. Total lifecycle cost is calculated by an algorithm that simulates the life of a pole over a 100-year period. The simulation includes initial costs, ongoing inspection costs, and potential costs due to planned and unplanned replacements.

ASSESSMENT TOOL

Distribution System Health Indices: A Simplified Methodology

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This report provides a guideline to establish a simplified methodology to calculate a health index of distribution system assets based on the most critical indicators of end-of-life and data sets that most utilities already have in their health index formulation. An asset’s health index provides an objective and accurate indication of the probability of its failure at any time during its service life. Health indices can be used to support investment decisions for an asset’s renewal and rehabilitation.

Member Success Story

Distribution Planners Manual

National Grid

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Transmission & Distribution Conference 2026

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Related Interest Groups

Advanced Distribution Operations

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Asset Management in T&D

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Power Quality

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