Reactive power support on the French power system: generation units performance monitoring

Ensuring the availability of the reactive support provided by the generation units is for TSO a major issue. This paper illustrates how the reactive power capacity and the voltage control capability is managed by RTE (Reseau de Transport d'Electricite) on the French power system. The reactive power capacity is contractually agreed with the producer first, at the initial connection of a new generation unit and then, during operation, through an ancillary services supply contract. During operation, the availability of the agreed capacity must be checked. To fulfill this objective, RTE has developed a monitoring tool analyzing measurements at the delivery point of the unit