Current Practices in Distribution Utility Resilience Planning for Winter Storms

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Estimated reading time: 30+ minutes

Why This Matters for Rural Electric Co-ops

Winter storms are hitting co-ops in new ways, with ice forming in areas once too dry for it, heavier wet snow pulling vegetation into lines, and extreme cold driving generation shortfalls and load shedding for the first time. This report gives co-ops a structured, six-part framework and a ready-to-use rubric of questions for planning winter-storm resilience proactively, rather than reacting after a severe storm hits.

Two of the six utilities reviewed are co-op entities, Southwest Electric Cooperative (SWEC) and the Minnesota Rural Electric Association (MREA), so a co-op can see peer approaches directly. A co-op can use the rubric to self-assess its own plan, borrow the investment categories, and, following the Minnesota example, line up pre-hazard mitigation projects with cost-benefit analyses (CBA) to qualify for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding.

Key Takeaways

Implementation Considerations

• Cost or Funding Requirements: The report centers cost-benefit analysis for prioritizing investments and notes co-ops can line up pre-hazard mitigation projects with CBAs to qualify for FEMA hazard-mitigation funding, which requires an approved CBA.
• Staffing or Technology Requirements: The rubric itself is low-cost to apply and a good starting point. Acting on gaps like forward-looking risk analysis or better metrics takes data, staff, or tools that smaller co-ops may need to build up or share regionally.
• Time-Sensitive Information: The report is DOE-funded and references FEMA hazard-mitigation funding, both of which have been subject to federal changes. Confirm current FEMA program availability and DOE support before relying on those pathways.

Notable Examples

• Southwest Electric Cooperative (SWEC): Missouri co-op that performs a full hazard characterization and multi-objective cost-benefit prioritization using STAPLEE factors.
• Minnesota Rural Electric Association (MREA): Statewide association that made member co-ops eligible for FEMA funding through a hazard-mitigation annex and recommends pairing pre-hazard projects with cost-benefit analyses.
• Austin Energy, Unitil, and Niagara Mohawk Power: Municipal and investor-owned utilities whose winter-storm resilience reports round out the review, including lessons from Winter Storm Uri.

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Estimated reading time: 30+ minutes