Power Failure Investigation
Prevent future outages, improve your processes, increase asset safety and reliability, and rebuild trust
Need urgent help with a blackout, power failure or other incident?
Call our 24/7 hotline or email us today:
Global/Europe: +31 26 356 2727
Email:pfi@dnv.com
Or get in touch with one of our regional offices:
Asia-Pacific: +65 8879 1967
Middle-East: +971 4302 6525
Power outages have serious and wide-ranging consequences. If you can understand what caused a power failure, you can take steps to prevent it happening again. But with ageing infrastructures combining with the rapid introduction of new technologies, pinning down the root cause of a failure can be a major challenge.
Getting to the root of the problem
Whatever your role in the power sector – from network owner or manufacturer to insurer, government or regulator – if you experience a power equipment failure, our Power Failure Investigation experts can help you uncover the underlying cause.
First, we collect as much information about the failure as possible, looking at the component’s entire history. This can include:
- reviewing documentation and data
- interviewing people involved
- carrying out in-depth experimental investigations in our specially dedicated failure investigation laboratory or in any other lab around the world.
Next, the retrieved facts are used to formulate hypotheses for the root cause of failure. Specific material analysis, mechanical and electrical tests, simulations and inspections may be used to verify the hypotheses, depending on the situation.
Finally, the results of the investigation – including analysis approach, findings and recommendations – are delivered in a high-quality report. If you require, the report can include recommendations needed to mitigate the impact of the failure and control the risk of recurrence.
Comprehensive expertise, trusted by all
Our comprehensive Power Failure Investigation service is built on more than 100 years of conducting in-depth studies into the root causes of power failures. We have helped customers all around the world improve their processes and practices, prevent future outages, increase safety and the reliability of assets, and rebuild trust.
Our expertise covers the complete range of power components, as well as complete power systems. That includes wind- and solar-power specific components and systems, and all voltage classes – both AC and DC, land or submarine. Our investigators range from component specialists to system-level experts, in technical, financial and business management fields – all trained in formal root cause analysis techniques.
We are respected the world over as a reliable and independent investigator, helping you meet stakeholder requirements for transparency. And if liability disputes are involved, all parties can trust us to provide impartial technical evidence and analysis.
So you can be confident we will handle your information with discretion, while applying our unique knowledge and experience to understand the root cause of your failure.
24/7 global coverage
Need urgent help with a power failure? Then contact our 24/7 hotlines or email us at by filling in our web form. You can also take out a 24/7 PFI service agreement to guarantee you receive preferential treatment. An investigator will respond within 24 hours, and be on-site (depending on your location) within hours of you reporting any failure, as well as other priority services.
