Coordinated operational optimization of water and power systems under emergency conditions

This research addresses the integrated management of Water Distribution Systems (WDS) and Power Distribution Systems (PDS) to enhance operational efficiency and resilience during extreme scenarios. Traditionally, these systems are operated independently, leading to sub-optimal performance. Alternatively, some studies have proposed a joint operation of WDS and PDS, assuming that decisions are made simultaneously by a single decision-maker, which is impractical. We propose a novel emergency control method that relies on sparse communication between WDS and PDS operators, aiming to minimize load shedding (LS) in the PDS by strategically managing power demand in the interconnected WDS. The results show that the proposed coordinated approach has similar performance to a full cooperation approach between the two systems while requiring only minimal information exchange. Our approach demonstrates the potential of limited yet targeted information exchange, fostering cross-sectoral collaboration to maintain service continuity under extreme conditions, and underscores the critical role of integrated management in ensuring the resilience of interconnected infrastructure systems.