The International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction
Publications / CSCE/CRC 2025 - Montreal, Canada
Comparing Overhead Power Distribution Lines Hardening Strategies Using SWOT Analysis
The disruption of power supply due to extreme weather events has been significantly intensified in recent years by the effect of climate change. These disruptions are mainly caused by the overhead power distribution lines (OPDLs) being exposed to extreme weather events, such as wind storms, freezing rains, and wild forest fires. These weather events either directly affect the OPDLs or the vegetation surrounding them causing power outages. Subsequently, there are massive financial, social, and environmental losses associated with these outages. Therefore, several hardening strategies have been proposed in the literature to mitigate them, such as vegetation management, selective undergrounding, and Multipurpose Utility Tunnels (MUTs). However, each of these strategies has associated costs and benefits, which have not been fully studied and compared. Although undergrounding of OPDLs is a promising solution, which showed its effectiveness in different countries, its high initial costs and potential risks could limit its implementation. This study aims at defining the importance of the conversion process of the OPDLs exposed to extreme weather events from overhead to a more immune environment underground, considering the different factors and challenges. The study uses Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis to compare (1) direct burial, (2) underground duct banks, and (3) multipurpose utility tunnels as the three main underground hardening strategies for the OPDLs. The results of this study will help decision makers determine the most suitable strategy for the conversion process.