Reliability/Cost Tradeoff Evaluation for Interconnected Electric Power Systems

Abstract

This study is attempting to explore the effects of electric power systems interconnection upon enhancing their overall reliability levels and reducing their fixed and operating costs. To justify the practical and tangible benefits of this work, the proposed approach has been applied to three electric utilities in the Western part of Saudi Arabia, namely, Jeddah, Mecca, and Taif. In this study, unified measures for reliability evaluation, based on efficient and practical techniques, have been developed and applied to these three systems before and after interconnection. By applying these measures, it has been possible to evaluate the economical and technical advantages which may accrue resulting from the mutual interconnection among those three electric utilities.