Fault Level

Summary
This article has been delivered in conjunction with National Grid ESO, Electricity North West
and SP Energy Networks. It has been supported by the Energy Networks Association’s Open
Networks project. This work was started as a result of the Fault Level Management articles
published in the Distribution System Operability Framework (DSOF) 2017 and the System
Operability Framework (SOF) 2015. This article aims to provide a whole system overview of
how fault levels are changing across the UK electricity network, taking into account how the
proportional contribution of fault level from the transmission and distribution networks might
change over time.

DSOF January 2019

•

•
 Different contributions
from different sources in
Fault infeed from different timeframes
distribution system
Fault infeed from
transmission
system

Fault at Fault at
transmission level distribution level Different circuits
have different
protections and
clearance times
•
•
•
•
•

Distribution Transmisson

33kV
132kV

Distribution connected demand and

generation considered at 33kV
busbar

•
•

•
•
•

•
Transmisson 400kV 1.2GW 400kV
cct 2 cct 1

400kV Busbar

Distribution
132kV Busbar 40MW

4.9km 10.5km
132kV busbar 132kV busbar
Sub A Sub B

33kV busbar 33km 33kV busbar 38.4km

Sub A 132kV busbar Sub B 132kv busbar
Sub D Sub C

33kV busbar 33kV busbar

Sub D Sub C
400/132kV Distribution Transmission 275/33kV Distribution Transmission

132kV 33kV
400kV 275kV

400/66kV Distribution Transmission

132/33kV Distribution Transmission
66kV
400kV 33kV
132kV