FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 5, 2021
CONTACT: Eric Barendsen, mediarelations@wapa.gov, 303-704-0765
LAKEWOOD, Colo. – Western Area Power Administration has published Shaping the Future Through Data, the Asset Management program summary for fiscal year 2020.
In the five years since WAPA launched its Asset Management program, the role of data in making critical decisions has grown exponentially. The almanac’s title reflects the program’s transition from basic “asset inventory” to an essential tool that informs WAPA functions from day-to-day operations to long-range planning. “AM reports provide data for planning physical security remediation, developing budgets, analyzing workload and managing vegetation and rights of way,” said WAPA Chief Operating Officer Kevin Howard.
The FY20 almanac includes information on:
- The program’s goals and objectives.
- WAPA assets at a glance broken down by region and network equipment.
- Asset condition data on transmission lines, transformers and circuit breakers.
- Ten-year asset investment projection and health and risk projection.
- Reliability-centered maintenance.
- Data communication and validation.
The program added four new asset categories in 2020, including load tap changers, transformer bushings, breakers under 100 kilovolts and cranes. Basic data charts on cranes and circuit breakers under 100 kV appear in this year’s almanac. The more complex data collection requirements for LTCs and transformer bushings will continue to develop over the next 12 months.
Other new features in the almanac include a timeline of milestones AM achieved in five years and a glossary of terms for readers who may be new to asset management strategies. “One of the reasons WAPA publishes the almanac is to further the conversation about the benefits of asset management among our customers and the wider utility community,” Howard explained.
In addition to an overview of WAPA assets, performance data and trends from the past fiscal year, the almanac highlights the program’s role in supporting WAPA’s Data as a Strategic Asset initiative. WAPA’s streamlined 2021 Tactical Action Plan included the initiative, recognizing the importance of a planned, consistent approach to managing the organization’s data. AM strategies and principles developed for asset reporting are providing the initiative with direction for efficiently collecting, storing, managing and governing data as an asset.
“Effective data management is the key to keeping up with the evolution of the electricity industry, remaining fiscally responsible and meeting increasingly complex business goals,” Howard said. “Asset Management provides WAPA with forward-looking, data-validated insights to meet the current and future challenges of supplying safe, reliable and affordable hydropower and transmission to our customers.”
Download Shaping the Future Through Data now to learn how Asset Management collects, analyzes and reports data to provide WAPA with a comprehensive picture of asset condition and potential risk.
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About WAPA: Western Area Power Administration annually markets and transmits more than 25,000 gigawatt-hours of clean, renewable power from 57 federal hydroelectric powerplants owned and operated by the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and International Boundary and Water Commission in 15 western and central states. It is part of the Department of Energy. Follow us on Twitter @WesternAreaPowr or visit the website at www.wapa.gov.
Last modified on September 12th, 2023