Reactive power planning combining the reduced jacobian V-Q and voltage sensitivity indices on the sub-transmission network of a caribbean island power system

Reactive power planning has received considerable attention over the last decade, due to its impact on power system voltage stability. Reactive power allocation must consider the magnitude of reactive support required at the most appropriate location. This paper outlines the systematic approach employed for an investigation of reactive power planning on an industrial 66 kV sub-transmission network within the Caribbean islands of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The allocation of reactive power was assessed for peak loading and selected load growth scenarios under normal and contingency conditions, using MATPOWER combining the Reduced Jacobian V-Q Sensitivity and the Voltage Sensitivity Index (VSI). The results showed improved line and transformer loadings, reduced system losses and increased bus voltages throughout the network. The load growth scenarios of 10% and 25% required injections of reactive power compensation of 30 MVar and 50 MVar respectively at bus 11 to improve the overall voltage profile of the network.