ABSTRACT

For a vertically integrated electric utility, true asset management must span generation, transmission, substations, distribution, and all company-owned retail and wholesale customer systems. Asset management methods provide executives and financial managers with more and better information about how much budget is enough and on exactly where and how spending should be directed. Perhaps the feeder network around Eastwood substation is old, worn, and prone to frequent failures. While asset management tends to take good care of the substation equipment, this business-driven approach will also want to “get its money’s worth” by loading that equipment to high levels. Asset management is a way of making spending decisions throughout an organization that aligns all asset-level spending with high-level business objectives. Asset management is a management paradigm that seeks to maximize an organization’s business performance in a rigorous and data-driven manner with regards to multiple considerations like profitability, risk tolerance, cash flow, regulatory relations, reliability, environment, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, and safety.