Analysis of the Climatic Factors Influence on the Overhead Transmission Lines Reliability

In this study, the influence of climatic factors on overhead transmission lines reliability in Russia was discussed. A review of the possible impacts of climate change is provided. Using the example of an electric grid company providing electricity in the Republic of Bashkortostan some reliability targets associated with the impacts of weather events were calculated: the number of power outages, the failure rate of 1 km of overhead transmission lines and the outage time. From the calculations it was determined that these targets are at a quite high level, in particular for 6-10 kV overhead transmission lines. The main contribution is made by climatic factors wind and lighting storm. A correlation analysis of the overhead transmission lines outages as a function of the number of wind cases with a certain speed has shown a strong relationship between these characteristics. According to predictive information, the number of power outages in the territory under consideration in 2025 will increase by 1.5 times.