SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF HOTLINE MAINTENANCE FOR HIGH VOLTAGE TRANSMISSION LINES AND SUBSTATIONS IN MALAYSIA

摘要

In this digital age, electricity plays an important role in driving our daily activities. It has transformed the world in many ways since the day it was discovered. Today, we are depended heavily on electricity to run our daily activities. In order to meet the electricity demand, utilities around the world built extensive networks of power generations as well as transmission and distribution systems. Besides meeting local demand, these networks are also used to interconnect with neighbouring countries either to export or import electricity supply. In line with this, the key to become successful and reputable power utility company is to ensure continuous availability and reliability of power supply to meet customers' demand. This is achievable by having highly effective maintenance regime with competent workforce. Application of new technologies and benchmarking maintenance practices with world class utilities provide opportunity to enhance existing capabilities and resources. One of such world-class maintenance practice implemented by Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), Malaysia, is hotline maintenance or live maintenance. This maintenance practice has opened new chapter in TNB's quest to ensure uninterruptible power supply to customers ever since being introduced in 1998. It covers wide range of activities from as small as repairing 'hot-spots' to as big as replacing crossarms on transmission towers and replacing surge arrestors in substations. With hotline maintenance, defects identified especially on transmission towers and primary equipment in substations can be rectified safely and within short period of time. This paper highlights the successful implementation of hotline maintenance for high voltage 500/275/132 kV transmission lines and substations in Malaysia. It highlights various maintenance methods applied in maintaining electrical equipment and apparatus under live environment. Besides that, safety measures are also highlighted as they play important aspect of hotline maintenance. This paper also discusses the benefits and achievements gained by the utility as well as the impact towards interruption free maintenance practices.