What is included in the hardening of substation assets?

The hardening of substation assets primarily involves implementing measures against environmental threats. This process is crucial to ensure that substation components are resilient to adverse conditions such as high winds, floods, extreme temperatures, and other natural disasters. By strengthening physical structures, using corrosion-resistant materials, and designing systems to withstand environmental impacts, substations can maintain their operational integrity and reduce the risk of outages.

While enhancing performance metrics, increasing voltage capacity, and reducing load demand are important aspects of substation design and operation, they do not fall directly under the scope of hardening assets against environmental threats. Hardening specifically focuses on protective measures and reinforcing the infrastructure to avoid damage from environmental factors. This often leads to improved reliability and safety of the electrical system, ensuring consistent service delivery even in the face of potential disruptions.