Techno-Economical Feasibility of Power Supply to Passive Zones of Nigeria's 330 kV Power Transmission Grid

A specific passive zone (PZ) of Nigeria's transmission grid that critically contributes to decline in voltage stability and resulting steady state failure (SSF) is considered and a search for grid reinforcement solution is reported. SSF, loading, voltage stability, available transfer capacity (ATC) and economic feasibility of solution were determined. From initial Power Flow, critical PZ in the north-east was marked by inadmissible voltage profile. Alternative power supply link options (PSLOs) to the PZ were identified and tested as solution to the system's SSF, using distance and redundancy criteria. The results identified three PSLOs to connect the PZ and main grid with effective techno-economic impact, covering 239, 259.87 and 444 kilometers respectively. Three new lines were proposed within the PZ by active redundancy criteria, covering 335.6, 257.4 and 287.34 kilometers respectively. Obtainable ATC is 166.38% (9.33 GW) and required cost is approximately 236.3 billion naira with payback period of 2 years.