Home > Resources > Performance Excellence & Benchmarking > Programs

Committee on Performance Excellence (COPE)

COPE is comprised of member utilities across Canada who participate in various benchmarking activities, including data gathering for the development of key performance indicators (KPIs), offering workshop presentations on best practices and lessons learned, completing surveys and measuring and tracking KPIs. COPE is made up of five sub-committees, or business units, each specializing in their own benchmarking areas. They are:

Transmission
Distribution
Customer Services
Power Supply
Corporate Services

COPE’s Vision

COPE is recognized by the industry as a leader and a valued partner in benchmarking methodology and its application, and in promoting innovation and best practices.

COPE’s Mission

COPE will provide its members with relevant comparative performance information together with a network of contacts to industry participants, hereby promoting shareholder value and enhancing business performance.

Objectives of the COPE Program:

Facilitate the exchange of information for identification of best practices targeting performance improvement
Establish a common basis for utility measurement
Maintain and update common definitions and terms used in measurement consistent with utility practices
Establish a framework for the integration of information collection and analysis to minimize costs for CEA and Utilities
Provide guidance in the collection, use and application of the information for the benefit of individual utilities performance achievement

COPE BENEFITS:

Networking
Data Usage (KPIs)
Best Practices
Lessons Learned
Information Sharing
Quick Hit Surveys
Low Cost/High Value
Participant driven workshops
Collaborative working environment

Why Participate in the COPE Workshop and Meeting?

Facilitate the exchange of information for identification of best practices targeting performance improvement
Establish a common basis for utility measurement
Maintain and update common definitions and terms used in measurement consistent with utility practices
Establish a framework for the integration of information collection and analysis to minimize costs for CEA and utilities
Provide guidance in the collection, use and application of the information for the benefit of individual utilities’ performance achievement

For more information on COPE membership contact Dan Gent (613-688-2959 or gent@electricity.ca).

Distribution COPE

Chair: Ralph Mugford, Senior Engineer, Newfoundland Power

D-COPE business unit members are involved in activities including managing the operation, maintenance and modification of the distribution system from the point of delineation from the transmission system to the end user. They are responsible for the transportation of the power as well as for the reliability and availability of the distribution system including the meters.

D-COPE member utilities are involved in:

management of the distribution system including the simulation of system operation scenarios;
operation of the distribution systems
maintenance of the distribution systems including preventive, scheduled maintenance and corrective maintenance;
construction and modification of the distribution systems including design and engineering activities.

Customer Services COPE

Chair: Chris Tumwine, Manager Customer Research, New Brunswick Power

Customer Services COPE members are involved in a variety of marketing and sales related activities, including:

all market assessment activities;
the development and design of marketing programs
the management of the domestic sales force
the implementation of advertising promotions
all rates and pricing activities

In addition, they are tasked with other customer service related activities, such as:

managing all customer contact including the call centre;
the construction and maintenance of the Customer Information System;
the processing of all customer billings;
all meter reading activities to the point of input of the data into the meter reading system;
the processing of customer payments;
the processing of adjustments to customer accounts;
the maintenance of customer profile information.

Transmission COPE

Chair: Yves Pleau, Chef Stratégie, support et encadrements de maintenance, Hydro-Québec TransÉnergie

Transmission-COPE business unit members are involved in activities including managing, operating or maintaining all land structures, lines, switching and terminal stations, high tension apparatus, and their control and protecting equipment between a generating or receiving point and the entrance to a low side of a terminal station.

T-COPE member utilities are involved in:

management of the transmission delivery systems including the negotiation of wheeling agreements and the provision of open access where applicable;
operation of the transmission systems including the monitoring and control functions, system inspection activities and system performance;
maintenance of the transmission systems including preventive, scheduled maintenance and corrective maintenance;
construction and modification of the transmission systems including systems planning and design.

Corporate Services COPE

Chair: Linda McMahon, Corporate Performance Measurement, BC Hydro

Corporate Services COPE members are engaged in services that are common to the four operating business units and other corporate services organizations. These include:

developing and communicating corporate strategy and policies
providing corporate services including legal, human resources, internal audit and controller
providing “shared services” including real properties, procurement, materials management, information technology and payroll processing

Corporate Services COPE member utilities are involved in:

management of the procurement process from purchasing through payment
developing vendor relations
managing materials inventory and operating warehousing and handling facilities
the management of Human Resources company-wide
the management of financial and management information
strategic planning—setting the company’s mission, vision and values
establishing and monitoring company policies
managing all relations with external constituents including communications, public and community relations, investor relations, environmental compliance and regulatory affairs
providing all “shared services” activities such as lab services, research and development activities, fleet management, building maintenance, mail services, security and real estate services
managing all aspects of information systems including the provision of telecommunications support, all aspects of data processing including applications development, network planning and infrastructure and the support for personal computers

Chair: Currently vacant

Power Supply COPE business unit members are involved with activities that generate, manage and acquire energy (and energy related products) to ensure that availability and load requirements are met to satisfy their customers and contracts. They are responsible for the sale of power and all generate-versus-purchase decisions.

Power Supply COPE member utilities are involved in:

Management of purchasing power, and power generation;
Fuel procurement and management;
Evaluation of new generation technologies and their implementation into existing power generation frameworks and transmission systems;
Operation of the production systems at multi-unit stations;

Management of by products and waste from generating systems, including inspections and the management of environmental systems.

Generation-ERIS
Transmission-ERIS

Consistent data on equipment performance permit comparatives, quantitative assessments of reliability. Some specific applications are as follows:

Monitoring equipment

The database tracks the performance of equipment such as large power transformers.

Troubleshooting

Utilities can examine the performance status of specific generating units and related equipment to pinpoint sources of failure. Detailed outage reports for these components (generation and transmission) reveal problem sources.

Comparing performance

Through performance statistics, subscribers monitor performance of other subscribing utilities and use this information to benchmark their own performance.

Documenting reliability

Sales of power to power pools depend on proof that a utility conforms to established standards – for example, loss of load expectations of 0.1 day per year. ERIS-generated data help establish the capability and reliability of a utility.

Reserve planning

Why carry 30% reserve if 25% will provide acceptable reliability? Every percent of reserve is worth billions of dollars. Information on the status of generation equipment affects reserve planning: by assessing the type of generation, the forced outage rate, and the derated adjusted forced outage rate, utilities can predict the loss of load expectation and establish reserve needs.

Justifying new equipment

Performance data are essential for assessing the need for new equipment – for instance, additional transmission equipment to transport the energy generated.

Dealing with regulatory bodies

ERIS data give utilities the assurance of operating from a knowledge-based position.

Equipment inventory

Calculating equipment failure rates necessitates an up-to-date inventory on the amount and type of components in the field, and ERIS inventory information has turned out to be a helpful resource to members. Utilities with similar equipment can contact other utilities and have even been known to borrow equipment to solve problems within their systems.

Station design

Transmission outage data occasionally reveal the need for different designs. The relationship between generation and transmission system performance shows wither additional reinforcements are required to meet system demand. Transformers are a major expenditure, and data on the probability of forced outages is needed to justify the acquisition of additional units or to determine the number of spare transformers and static compensators needed.

Generation—ERIS

Chair: Joe Renna, Ontario Power Generation

In the area of generation equipment, Generation—ERIS reports on the continuous status of generating units; from idle to fully operational, not just on shut downs or failures. The database contains over 1000 generating units and over 7000 components. The generating units covered are: hydraulic, thermal, combustion turbine, diesel and nuclear. This system produces a wealth of statistics, including:

Every change of state reported for each unit
Approximately 150,000 events reported per year
Database contains over 5,000,000 events since 1977
Annual and five year cumulative data published yearly by CEA

Information from the annual Generation Equipment Status Report can be used by utility companies for benchmarking generating unit performance, to make decisions regarding new generating unit construction and existing unit upgrades, and to focus resources for maintenance programs and systems planning in order to maximize performance. Some of the major indicators published in this report are:

Operating Factors
Failure Rate
Maintenance Outage Factor
Planned Outage Factor
Number of Outages (forced, deratings, etc.)
Forced Outage Rate
ICBF (Incapability Factor)
DAFOR (Derating Adjusted Forced Outage Rate)

Transmission—ERIS

Chair: Jeff Schaller, Performance Manager, Hydro One

Mission

Provide a comprehensive database of component and system reliability and performance data which will assist member utilities in the optimal utilization of corporate and financial resources.

The transmission—ERIS database analyzes all major components of transmission equipment, and reports forced outage statistics on a national scale. The major components covered are: lines, cables, circuit breakers, transformers, shunt reactor banks, shunt capacitor banks, series capacitor banks and synchronous and static compensators. The database contains design information for all components and details on all forced outages that occurred on the various components.

Equipment Failure Data; cause and details
Nine major components
Voltage classification as low as 60 kV
Ten participating utilities
20,000 events reported per year
Database contains events since 1978

Information from the annual Forced Outage Performance of Transmission Equipment can be used by utility companies for benchmarking transmission line performance, to make decisions regarding new transmission line construction and existing line upgrades and to focus resources for maintenance programs and systems planning in order to maximize performance.

In the report, the following are shown for each subcomponent (such as busses, surge arresters, windings, conductors, etc) of the major component, as well as for primary causes, voltage classifications, failure modes, interrupting mediums, supporting structures and tank arrangements.

Number of Outages
Frequency
Total Outage Time
Mean Duration
Unavailability

Why Participate in the ERIS-Transmission Program?

Facilitate the exchange of information for identification of best practices targeting performance improvement
Establish a common basis for utility measurement
Maintain and update common definitions and terms used in measurement consistent with utility practices
Provide guidance in the collection, use and application of the data for the benefit of individual utilities’ distribution outage performance
Identify Significant Events that have a direct bearing on industry standard key performance indicators and indices
Partake in conference calls to help shape the future of the program

Service Continuity Committee

Chair: Paul Kuner, Distribution Engineer, Enersource Hydro Mississauga

The mission of the Service Continuity Committee is to provide a comprehensive database of component and system reliability and performance data which will assist member utilities in the optimal utilization of corporate and financial resources

Some objectives are:

To add value to participants by providing a forum for Distribution System personnel to identify, develop and monitor the relevancy of key performance indicators and actively seek ones that provide a perspective on the continuity of electric supply to the customer
To facilitate development of inter-utility networking for Distribution System reliability
To maintain, update and provide guidance on common definitions and terms used in service continuity performance measurement consistent with Canadian and international utility practices
Provide guidance with respect to maintaining data integrity
Reporting to CEA’s Consultative Committee on Outage Statistics (CCOS) and supporting its overall mandate of providing its members with relevant comparative reliability information together with a network of contacts to enhance performance
Coordinate with other CEA groups such as the Committee on Performance Excellence (COPE) and the Distribution and Customer Councils

Value to Participants:

set targets for improvement;
develop programs in support of their improvement targets;
make design/build decisions that try to mitigate interruption causes;
network with like minded individuals;
return with best practices and lessons learned solutions for process and performance improvement

The committee’s Annual Service Continuity Report on Distribution System Performance in Electrical Utilities presents some industry standard metrics for the electricity distribution including:

System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI)
System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI)
Customer Average Interruption Duration Index (CAIDI)
Index of Reliability (IOR)

Service Continuity is the only CEA benchmarking program with an international component. By joining the international Service Continuity study, you will be able to benchmark on a global scale.

The Service Continuity committee recognizes the need for establishing a common definition around key aspects of the data collection process. To identify how a circuit km length is defined please refer to the document by clicking here.

Bulk Electricity System (BES)

The Bulk Electricity System program measures the reliability performance of major integrated transmission and generation systems. It is composed of the power sources, the transmission system, which includes busses, switching equipment, and circuits of 60kV and above, all transformers connected to those busses or circuits, and the low side busses associated with these transformers. It does not include the distribution system.

This program has two components of data collection, analysis and reporting: the Delivery Point (DP) performance and the Significant Power Interruptions (SPI) statistics.

The BES reporting system was originally created with the following objectives:

provide a centralized source of DPI (delivery point interruption) performance data and SPI statistics at a national level
allow utilities to compare their DPI performance with other Canadian utilities
allow utilities to benchmark their SPI statistics with other Canadian utilities
combine BES reporting

The ultimate objective is to provide information for use in the optimal allocation of available resources in the BES planning, design, operation and maintenance.

BES is closely associated with Transmission ERIS; the members of the two groups usually hold joint meetings.

Back to Top

canadian electricity association