KPIOperations & Supply Chain

Unplanned Outage Rate

Percentage of total generation or distribution time lost to unplanned equipment failures

What is Unplanned Outage Rate?

Unplanned outage rate is the percentage of available operating hours lost to unplanned outages. It shows how reliably plant or a network stays in service.

Unplanned outages are costly and disruptive, so a lower rate means better reliability.

How this KPI is measured

Function
Operations & Supply Chain
Sub-function
Asset Reliability
Industry
Energy & Utilities
Type
Lagging
Impact
Risk
Unit
%
Measurement frequency
Monthly
Formula
(Unplanned outage hours / Total available operating hours) × 100

How to calculate it

Divide unplanned outage hours by total available operating hours, and multiply by 100.

For example, if a plant had 60 hours of unplanned outage in 8,000 available hours, the rate is 0.75%.

Separate planned from unplanned outages clearly, and track the causes.

Where it is used

  • Judging reliability

    Track unplanned downtime.

  • Planning maintenance

    Focus on causes.

  • Managing risk

    Reduce supply interruptions.

How to improve it

Tips and common mistakes

  • Define planned versus unplanned precisely.
  • Weather and external causes may need separate treatment.
  • Use with repair time measures.

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