A large investor-owned utility in the Southeast operates more than 80,000 miles of overhead distribution lines and serves approximately 9 million customers across a fast-growing service territory. Sustained demand growth—driven by new residential development, electrification, and economic expansion—has required the utility to add new circuits across an already dense distribution network.
Maintaining reliability at this scale is not optional. Every operational decision carries systemwide impact.
Challenge
As the utility added more circuits to meet growing demand, fault activity began to increase across the network. Protective devices were doing their job—reclosers operated correctly and cleared faults—but the utility faced a new operational reality:
Faults were occurring more frequently as network density increased
Many faults were momentary, but still required investigation
Crews were being dispatched without clear insight into root cause
Reliability metrics, including SAIDI, began to feel pressure
The problem was not protection failure. It was lack of visibility into fault behavior as the system grew more complex.
Without understanding why faults were happening—or whether they were isolated or systemic—the utility was forced into a reactive posture that increased O&M costs and operational risk.
Solution
To close this gap, the utility deployed Electrical Grid Monitoring (EGM) line sensors in combination with reclosers, creating a more observable and intelligent distribution network.
As new neighborhoods were commissioned, the utility standardized the deployment of:
Reclosers for protection and isolation
EGM line sensors placed strategically along feeders and laterals
EGM analytics software to turn raw fault data into operational insight
EGM’s platform provided detailed, real-time visibility into each fault event, capturing:
Fault magnitude
Direction
Phase involvement
Event patterns across circuits
This intelligence allowed engineering and operations teams to move beyond fault clearing and into root cause analysis at scale—something that was previously impossible across such a large network.
With EGM in place, the utility fundamentally changed how it responded to fault activity:
Cleared faults no longer automatically triggered truck rolls
Crews were dispatched based on data, not uncertainty
Engineering teams identified recurring fault patterns tied to load growth and circuit expansion
Maintenance practices evolved from routine investigation to targeted intervention
Instead of reacting to individual events, the utility gained system-level awareness of how growth was affecting reliability.
Results
The operational improvements delivered clear, defensible outcomes within the first year:
Up to 25% reduction in truck rolls, driven by fewer unnecessary investigations
7.5 SAIDI minutes saved across the system in a single year
$3.7 million in O&M savings, with no compromise to safety or protection
Improved reliability performance as new load and circuits continued to come online
These results were achieved while the utility continued to grow, proving that reliability and expansion do not have to be tradeoffs.
Benefits
For large IOUs, the challenge is no longer whether faults can be cleared—it is whether the grid can be understood as it operates under increasing load and complexity.
EGM helps utilities answer critical questions:
Are faults isolated events or early indicators of stress?
Where is growth changing fault behavior?
Which events require action—and which do not?
By delivering practical, real-time grid intelligence, EGM enables utilities to operate with confidence as their networks evolve.
Conclusion
By adding situational awareness where it mattered most—downstream of protective devices—the utility transformed how it understood and responded to fault activity. What was once a reactive investigation process became a data-driven operating model grounded in real-time insight.
This deployment demonstrates how targeted grid visibility can deliver meaningful reliability improvements at scale, without requiring an overhaul of existing infrastructure. As distribution systems continue to grow in size and complexity, visibility is no longer optional—it is foundational to sustaining performance.
Bring Visibility to Your Distribution Network
Learn how Electrical Grid Monitoring helps utilities turn fault data into actionable insight—supporting reliability as systems grow and evolve.
-
Contact Information
Andrea Wenz
andrea.wenz@egm.net
403-973-3301
3-phase transformers serve essential customers such as hospitals, factories, agriculture and data centers and are often the most expensive asset in the distribution system. They are part of the invisible grid, often below grade or in vaults.
Wildfires pose severe societal, economic, and personal challenges—especially when sparked by electric utility infrastructure. Fortunately, these types of fires are preventable. EGM’s Meta-Alert® Solution empowers utilities with advanced line-sensor technology and real-time analytics to detect potential ignition sources early. By enabling rapid response and enhancing situational awareness across the grid, Meta-Alert® reduces wildfire risk, protects critical infrastructure, and helps safeguard communities.
This is our story of leveraging automation, analytics and process re-engineering to create a unified, agile and data-driven procurement function for a leading North American energy retailer. The transformation drove significant benefits in Customer Complaint Resolution Process (CCRP), cost savings and workforce management, strengthening vendor relations and operational efficiency.
As we know – Efficient supply chain management is fundamental in the energy sector, where operational continuity, cost control and vendor relationships are essential for growth. However, fragmented systems and reliance on manual processes for basic tasks can hinder supply chain operations, delaying procurement cycles and creating missed savings opportunities.
Streamlining supply chain operations requires harnessing automation and data insights, fostering collaborations and integrating industry-leading procurement strategies to boost operations, cost savings and customer / vendor satisfaction.
The challenge for our client was – Streamlining its supply chain and procurement operations to support the company’s strategic goals.
