Power quality regulation in Argentina: flicker and harmonics

Argentina has developed explicit power quality regulations. At the beginning of the 1990's, public distribution companies were privatised in the area of Gran Buenos Aires. Detailed regulations regarding continuity of supply and voltage profile were then established. Regulations regarding voltage disturbances were established at the end of 1996, for the purpose of controlling the level of disturbance in the power networks and users disturbance injection, particularly regarding harmonics and flicker. This paper describes these late developments together with a practical example of their application. The bases of these new regulations are international standards that have been adapted to form a set of reference levels, emission limits and measurement and control procedures. These points, together with a economic penalty system, conform one of the most advanced regulatory schemes for power quality in public supply networks.