Impact of Geomagnetic Disturbances on Power System Transient Stability

Geomagnetic disturbances (GMDs) can potentially impose operational challenges on power systems and cause damage to essential grid assets through geomagnetically induced currents (GICs). The impacts of GICs on steady state voltage stability are now well-known. However, less is known about the impacts of GICs on power system transient stability, especially in the presence of contingencies. Using different metrics, this paper investigates the impacts of GMDs on power system transient stability by applying different single element contingencies to a 10k-bus synthetic network in the presence of time-invariant GMDs. Several case studies are presented as examples of the potential effects of GMDs. The results show that GMDs can alter power system transient margin. Therefore, relevant transient stability studies may need to be conducted to ensure secure power system operations under the effect of GMDs.