The University of British Columbia

The interdependencies that exist within and between infrastructures can cause unexpected system properties to emerge when their components fail due to large disruptions. As witnessed following emergencies such as the North American 2003 Blackout, the complexities of these interdependencies make it very difficult to effectively recover infrastructure because of the challenges they create in prioritizing the most critical components. To study dependencies in electrical bulk power systems, an interdependency model of the British Columbia Transmission Corporation bulk power network and its communications system was developed, along with a post-blackout restoration procedure. Using these, simulations of a post-blackout recovery were carried out to study the level of risk that communications outages may pose to the electrical networkpsilas recovery. These simulations revealed a correlation between restoration time and the number of communication points lost. This research also demonstrated there is value in combining the results of such simulations with risk evaluation tools.