Seismic resilience of the Nepalese power supply system during the 2015 Gorkha earthquake

摘要: More than 9000 people died, more than 22,000 people were injured and more than 750,000 buildings were destroyed during the 2015 Nepal Earthquake Series. A large part of the Nepalese cultural heritage was lost while the civil infrastructure systems suffered damage and experienced service blackouts. The aim of this study is to assess the seismic resilience of the Nepalese Electric Power Supply Systems (EPSS) using a compositional demand/supply resilience framework. Based on empirical data, obtained through on-site visits, expert interviews, report analysis, and different stakeholder inputs, the empirical Lack of Resilience (LoR) is computed. Vulnerability and recovery models for the Nepalese EPSS and building stock are developed and implemented in a simulation tool, allowing the computation of the expected LoR of the Nepalese on-grid system. Using the magnitude and epicenter of the April 25, 2015 Gorkha Earthquake, simulated curves for electric power supply capacity, demand and consumption are produced and compared to the empirical findings. The so developed and calibrated tool can be employed to assess the EPSS resilience during future earthquakes and to evaluate possible EPSS rebuilding and upgrading strategies.