Thermal rating, temperature rise limits and Climate impact on the electricity distribution networks [2026-1]

Electricity distribution networks are facing increasing operational stress due to growing demand, decentralised generation, electrification, and delays in network reinforcement. Environmental and climate conditions vary significantly across regions and influence the performance, ageing, reliability
and lifetime of electrical equipment. Temperature, humidity, wind, altitude, snow, rain, and pollution modify thermal behaviour, accelerate degradation, and affect maintenance strategies and infrastructure design.
Thermal limits are fundamental in defining network capacity and equipment utilisation. Component limits are influenced by ambient conditions, thermal modelling, and physical constraints such as insulation strength, ageing, and mechanical stresses. Improved monitoring, modelling, and asset management may allow better use of existing infrastructure and increased hosting capacity without compromising reliability.
Temperature rise limits used in international standards were defined decades ago when material optimisation was not a priority. Revisiting these limits could enable significant reductions in copper and aluminium usage, supporting sustainability and reducing environmental impact. Understanding whether temperature rise limits can be safely increased requires analysing ageing mechanisms, realworld performance, and service life assumptions
Scope: The Working Group will investigate thermal limits, environmental impacts, and operational practices affecting electricity distribution networks across high, medium and low voltage systems.