Power failures in Dutch grid reduced by 25%

A new smart cable monitoring system has been installed for the Dutch electricity grid that proactively detects areas susceptible to faults – reducing failure rates in the network by 25%.

The system is designed to detect and locate weak spots and faults in underground cable networks, and has the ability to self-heal certain breakdowns before total failure occurs. It was developed by consultancy and certification body DNV GL, Dutch distribution system operators Liander and Enexis, and substation automation provider Locamation. A full-scale roll out of the system will start this year.

The ‘Smart Cable Guard’ system is capable of detecting around 65% of the weak spots and more than 95% of the failures in the underground medium voltage network (6–50 kV), according to the developers. It is expected to significantly reduce the costs of repairing failures.

The Netherlands has around 110,000 km of medium voltage cable buried underground, some of which was installed in the early 1900s. The new system collects data on the cables’ conditions 24 hours a day and transmits it straight to DNV GL, where it is collated and analysed for use by Liander and Enexis.

According to DNV GL the system can precisely locate faults and weak spots in any network to within 1% of the cable length. It envisages its use further in heavily populated and vulnerable area exposed to ageing networks and heavy precipitation. Work on the system has been on-going since 2007.