Smart Grid & Smart Infrastructure Electrify Europe 2018 1 How Utilities enable savings by investing in the digital intelligent grid towards a self-healing distribution network Cristian Val ABB S.A. Argentina Jarkko Holmlund ABB Oy Finland Padmasri Krishnamurthy ABB India Ltd. Luca Fornasari ABB S.p.A. Italy ABSTRACT - In most of the Countries worldwide, delivering electricity in a safe and reliable way is becoming a priority challenge for Distribution Utilities. The gradual shift from conventional sources of energy i.e. coal power plants or nuclear to renewable energy and distributed generation (DG) concepts are introducing further variables to such challenge, which needs to be taken into consideration. Several measures can be introduced to optimize the reliability of the network and improve SAIDI and SAIFI indexes i.e. network automation, zone concept, fault detection isolation and restoration by means of different equipment and techniques, and the choice needs to be a technical-economical evaluation based on a clear return of investment. A general approach is presented in the paper together with some down to earth examples and case studies, to support utilities to approach current and future issues, paving the way for further discussion and research on the topic. I. INTRODUCTION Energy markets are undergoing many changes in order to adapt themselves to VUCA environments (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous). Electric grid is becoming more and more dynamic and difficult to predict: in this challenging environment, transmission and distribution utilities are asked to keep stability and reliability at high levels, avoiding interruptions and intermittency in energy flow. Some conventional power plants fueled by coal, lignite or uranium, are being decommissioned in western countries, affecting the security of supply and reserve margin levels. These changes need to be introduced and maintained by system operators, and each country has a slightly different approach to these challenges [1]. The green economy powered by wind, water and sun (which are by definition intermittent and depending on weather), is introducing new challenges for utilities, since the grid we know today