Field-Based Assessment of Maintenance Practices and Hazard Mitigation in a 20-kV Medium-Voltage Distribution Network: A Case Study of PLN ULP Demak, Indonesia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.67922/juvotek.26.123Keywords:
condition-based maintenance, distribution network, field assessment, hazard mitigation, maintenance practices, medium-voltage network, preventive maintenanceAbstract
The reliability and continuity of medium-voltage distribution networks depend on effective maintenance practices and the timely mitigation of physical and environmental hazards. This study evaluated maintenance practices and hazard mitigation in a 20-kV Medium-Voltage Overhead Distribution Network at PT PLN (Persero) ULP Demak, Indonesia. A descriptive field-based case study design was employed using direct observations, semi-structured interviews, and field documentation. Field activities were conducted from 1 February to 10 March 2026 across 12 observation sections. A total of 40 maintenance events were documented and classified into preventive, corrective, and emergency maintenance, while contextual information was obtained from eight purposively selected maintenance personnel. Descriptive analysis and qualitative before–after comparison were used to examine maintenance patterns, hazard conditions, and post-maintenance changes. Preventive maintenance accounted for 24 events (60%), followed by corrective maintenance with 10 events (25%) and emergency maintenance with 6 events (15%). Vegetation and foreign objects, particularly kites, were recurring physical hazards requiring field intervention. Vegetation pruning, foreign-object removal, equipment inspection, and corrective maintenance were associated with observed reductions or removal of identified physical hazards. The study contributes field-based evidence linking hazard identification, maintenance intervention, post-maintenance inspection, and observed hazard mitigation. However, the findings do not constitute quantitative evidence of improved system-level reliability because longitudinal outage data and reliability indices were not available. The study provides an operational basis for integrating field maintenance records with future feeder-level reliability analysis.
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