Advances and challenges in mitigating tree-related faults in TNB distribution network

Vegetation Management (VM) has been practiced by many utilities to curtail power interruption due to trees. The success of VM in mitigating tree-related faults to improve the reliability of overhead line systems starts with the understanding of the natural laws of vegetation growth and with the knowledge that vegetation re-growth can be fully eradicated, retarded or directed away from electrical installation by using correct cutting methods. Moreover, VM also assists the asset managers to assess risks posed by trees on the distribution overhead lines by categorizing the growth rate of different species. Thus, decision can be made on which trees need to be fully eradicated, their growth retarded, or can be allowed to grow naturally to protect the overhead line system. With the recent advances in managing tree-related faults and dealing with the challenges, threats concerning safety, operations, and maintenance cost of TNB distribution overhead line system are addressed. This paper attempts to illustrate the journey taken by TNB to improve its distribution overhead line system from the traditional time-based rentice clearing to Vegetation Management System (VMS) to recent advances towards Vegetation Management Tracking System (VMTS