Reliability assessment of distribution networks in Brazil´s northeast

Presently, electric utilities are facing an increasing number of complaints about distribution system reliability. This fact has been caused by the growth of sensitive loads in all the customer sectors (residential, commercial and industrial). Due to this, power distribution utilities must maximize reliability to ensure that customer reliability requirements are satisfied while incurring the lowest possible cost. An alternative to maximize the reliability is to use predictive reliability assessment (PRA) in the distribution system planning. The main advantage of the PRA technique is its ability to forecast the reliability impacts of system expansion and quantify the impact of the reliability reinforcement projects. This paper has as its objective the description of the application of the PRA technique in a feeder of a distribution utility located in the northeast of Brazil. The results obtained with the proposed PRA model allowed the identification and diagnosis of critical areas and vulnerabilities in the distribution feeders