Maximum Expansion of a Generation Based on Transmission Absorption Capability

The transmission network is used to transmit power from the generator to the load center without violating the transmission constraints, both line capacity, and voltage limits. Generation expansion planners must pay attention to these constraints, both to meet the growing demand or increased supply reliability. The power capacity expansion of a power plant may not exceed the maximum power absorption capacity of the transmission network. This paper proposes a method to determine the maximum generator capacity that can be absorbed by the transmission network based on peak load conditions that meet the constraints. The power flow optimization problem is formed by maximizing the absorption of the transmission network from a generator and minimizing other generators. The validation uses 5-buses with two generators. The maximum power absorbed by the transmission from Generator-1 is 338.8 MW. Under these conditions, line 1-3 is loaded 99.3 %. Meanwhile, the Generator-2, the maximum absorption power is 198 MW with a line 4-5 load of 100%. So, the effective power absorption by the transmission of the two generators is 536.8 MW or the effective power reserve is 20.63%. Generally, a system will be more secure if its power reserve is around 30%. If it is desired to increase the power reserve, the transmission network must be expanded. In this case, the Generator-2 is selected for expansion by upgrading lines 4-5 to be a double circuit. The proposed method has been successfully applied to the Java-Bali 500 KV network by simulating the Paiton power plant. As a result, the power plant still has the potential to be expanded to 7259.7 MW from an installed capacity of 1300 MW.