A Test System for Transmission Expansion Planning Studies Meeting the Operation Requirements Under Normal Condition as Well as all Single Contingencies

This paper presents a 17-bus 500 kV test system for transmission expansion planning (TEP) studies. An actual 500 kV transmission line geometry was used for the overhead lines of this system. Although many test systems have been introduced for different types of power system analysis, those especially for TEP studies at a transmission voltage level, not distribution voltage level, are few. To the best of our knowledge, the introduced test systems for TEP studies, either those combined with electricity market problems or those used to connect a new load or generation to an existing power grid, consider the studies under only normal condition. However, for TEP studies it is needed that a test system meets voltage drop and line loading limits criteria under normal condition as well as all single contingencies, and in this regard, addressing the latter, all single contingencies, is challenging. This paper addresses this technical gap, introducing a 17-bus test system at a transmission voltage level, 500 kV, that meets requirements under normal condition as well as all single contingencies. In addition to presenting all details of this new test system, load flow results under normal condition as well as the worst single contigency are presented. For studies on the TEP, this test system can be an invaluable resource.