Literature Review on Transmission Expansion Planning
In an electrical power system, one of the most important part of network is the transmission link
as it the source of interconnection between generation and load centers. With the passage of
time, it is necessary to expand or upgrade the transmission network to make room for new
generation and increased load demand. Transmission network must have enough capability to
deliver increased/updated generation up to the load centers effectively. Most important tool to
make transmission network capable of doing so are transmission planning studies that are done
ahead of time and helps power system planner to develop new transmission plans to make the
system reliable and economical with the ongoing addition of generation to meet the future load
demand. Transmission expansion planning is necessary to meet the acceptable reliability level. A
system must be developed to include transmission network reinforcement plans in its operation
time. A planning decision on the retirement or replacement regarding aging equipment is also an
important task [1]. Transmission expansion planning is divided into three stages as shown below:
Transmission
Expansion
Planning
Long-term Medium-term Short-term
planning planning planning.
The first three factors are the most important and are to be considered in transmission expansion
planning. In the transmission planning, the following measures are necessary to be considered
such as voltage level, network expansion, substation scheme, reactive power compensation
planning, selection of new technologies with respect to generation as well as transmission, i.e.
renewable energy sources, HVDC and FACTS transmission lines and protection scheme
arrangements with the network enhancement.
Power system planning studies must be efficient, cost benefit and reliable. Many alternatives are
planned before heading towards the most effective option. It is important to select the most
feasible and reliable transmission plan that can be operated generally in all sort of circumstances.
Due to complexity, transmission planning is divided into sub-tasks in the system modeling
perspective. It includes the optimization modeling techniques to solve the transmission
expansion planning within the set of technical, economic and environmental constraints. Many
critical factors are to be considered in transmission expansion planning as they promotes to the
acceptability, validity and reliability of expansion plans. Such critical factors are:
Peak demand
Load growth
New Generation sources
Equipment aging
Supply reliability required by customer
In order to measure the reliability and economy of the system, traditional transmission planning
criteria must be followed as described below [1-2]
Transmission Planning Criteria
Steady State Performance:
1. Voltage Profiles:
Normal Operating Conditions 95% -105%
Emergency and Temporary Conditions 90 – 110 %
2. Conductor Ratings:
Ambient Temperature 40 ºC
Normal Rating - Conductor Temperature 90 ºC
Emergency Rating - Conductor Temperature 120 ºC
(Other elements in the system should not be loaded beyond their loading limits)
3. Loss of Loads:
No loss of load for a single contingency
Single contingency means loss of any one element in the system such as a line, a
transformer or a generating unit
In the context of loss of load criteria, an outage of double circuit line built on a
single tower may be considered as single contingency.
Transient Stability Performance:
1. Contingency Test: All lines and transformers in service prior to a fault
Fault -three phase; duration – normal clearing; outage – single element (system
should survive this fault condition to confirm system stability)
Fault - single phase to ground; duration – delayed clearing; outage – multiple
elements
Fault -simultaneous single phase to ground on both circuits of a D/C Line;
duration –normal clearing; outage –multiple elements
2. Contingency Test:With one line or transformer out of service prior to a fault:
Fault -single phase to ground; duration –normal clearing; outage –single element
tower may be considered as single contingency.
Enhancement of transmission network with increasing large scale
renewable generation
It is a usual practice to enhance transmission network with the interconnection of renewable
generation into the system to meet increasing load demand. With the interconnection of
renewable sources, transmission network must be upgraded to avoid congestion and reaching
maximum power capability. Consequently, this congestion has a direct effect on the economic
and the reliability of the power system. But with the proper transmission expansion plan, power
system planner can determine the future demand and reliability constraints of the network and
avoid congestion by proposing a curtailment plan for expansive generation operation as well as
renewable generation[2]. Similarly, effect of variable generation on transmission network must
be analyzed. The following flowchart describes the transmission planning analysis,
Fig.1 Transmission Expansion Planning Study Analysis [2]
References
[1] Lajos Hanzo Editor in Chief “Probabilistic Transmission System Plannings)”, IEEE,
Press, 2011. A John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Publication.
[2] “Transmission Planning Studies for the Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) Process”_
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, operated by Alliance for Sustainable Energy,
LLC, for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under Contract No. DE-AC36-
08GO28308.
