Impact of system security in an open market on nuclear power generating stations

In open market competition, the power industry will change from a vertically integrated and regulated monopoly to a functionally unbundled industry. The electric power system will split into separate disciplines namely generation, transmission, and distribution. The power producers can sell electricity directly to the consumers using the electric utility's transmission and distribution lines. The electric utilities are under great pressure to maintain system security as the transmission system in North America is already operating closer to its stability limits. The limited construction of new transmission lines has pushed the power industry toward the development of advanced technologies that may improve the electrical grid security (stability) to some extent. If implemented properly, the competition could provide power at lower cost and enhance the electrical grid security, and if implemented improperly, it may reduce the grid security that may impact the availability of a secured offsite power system necessary for the operation of the nuclear power generating stations. Therefore, from the perspective of a nuclear regulator, the open market competition must proceed with caution to the vulnerability of nuclear power plants to the loss of offsite power events. In other words, as open competition proceeds, the transmission network governance structures must keep the electrical grid security as the prime objective.