Planning for Electric Power Exchange with HVDC Links: Concepts and New Approaches

Electric systems in Latin America face the challenge of solving decarbonization problems, implementing new technologies and efficient use of energy, representing an environmental, technical, and economic challenge. The possible solutions for these dilemmas, at a global level, resort to the change of the energy matrix of the electrical energy supply systems (EESS), focused on the massive entry of renewable energy sources (RES) and on the correlation of resources between the EESS local, national, and regional. Transmission systems play a decisive role in bringing RES energy closer to load centers, having to solve the effects of long distances, high and extra-high voltage levels, and high-power requirements to improve energy security, finding in the flexibility of the network (implementation of FACTS, power electronics, HVDC transmission, etc.) important resources for the future network. In the long term, the EESS must provide technological, technical, regulatory, and operational resources that generate confidence to the agents that intervene in the electrical network. The development of Latin American networks has a great opportunity in interconnection processes to consolidate projects with RES that contribute to the decarbonization of systems and open the opportunity to establish subregional and regional markets.This work carries out a bibliographic review of new proposals in the planning of EESS, transnational and regional interconnection opportunities focused on the exchange of energy resources in Latin America, incorporation of RES and advances in projects to make networks more flexible, especially related to the implementation of HVDC technology.