ABSTRACT
Many utilities in the United States and around the world have distribution sys-
tems with a large percentage of very old equipment. The amount of very old
equipment is increasing, and age-related deterioration is, in many cases, begin-
ning to have a detrimental impact on distribution system reliability. In the future,
issues surrounding aging infrastructure will increasingly become more critical
for distribution systems in terms of cost and reliability. Addressing aging infra-
structure issues requires a large corporate and regulatory commitment, and will
often require rate increases. As such, it is important to understand aging infra-
structure not only in terms of reliability impact, but in terms of its broader
context.
