Influence of cost benefit techniques on the design of rural networks

Cost benefit analysis has played an important part in the design of Eastern Electricity´s rural networks since the early 1970s. Initial applications were rule of thumb approaches (the familiar kVA km methods), however with the wider availability of computer facilities a number of the techniques have been refined to enable designs to be tailored for local network needs. The reliability techniques devised for this purpose are briefly described. They represent piecemeal application of cost benefit analysis. The author also describes current work in Eastern Electricity to unify these successful applications into a comprehensive rural network design computer program. The benefits of the proposal in the industry´s new business environment are highlighted