After extreme events, when a complete blackout occurs in a distribution network, the primary concern of the network operators is to re-energize the maximum critical loads (CLs) during the blackout duration. In such a situation, the distribution network disconnected from the main grid, and the survived microgrids (MG) are the only power sources to re-energize the CLs. To address this issue, this paper proposed a new look-ahead restoration strategy for re-energizing the CLs. In this strategy, frst, all the restoration plans are obtained, then the merit of the plans is evaluated by three objective functions: 1) restored weighted energy, 2) preparation time of plans and 3) switching operations cost. Finally, the best restoration plan at each time step is selected by PROMOTHEE-II technique. The judgment matrix is used to select the proper weighting factor of CLs. Also, to achieve the practical restoration plans, the real load curve of CLs and the uncertainties in the output of MGs are considered in the restoration process. The proposed restoration strategy is tested on a 123-node distribution network, which consists of three MGs and six CLs. The simulation results show the effciency of the proposed look ahead restoration strategy for CLs restoration of distribution networks.
