Transmission expansion planning in electricity markets

This paper presents a mixed-integer linear programming (LP) formulation for the long-term transmission expansion planning problem in a competitive pool-based electricity market. To achieve optimal expansion planning while modeling market functioning, we define a number of scenarios based on the future demand in the system and we simulate the maximization of the aggregate social welfare. Investment and operating costs, transmission losses and generator offers, and demand bids are considered. We propose to use a set of metrics to rate the effect of the expansion on the generators, demands, and the system as a whole. The proposed model is applied to the Garver six-bus system and to the IEEE 24-bus Reliability Test System. Simulation results can be interpreted in economic terms based on the values of the metrics obtained for different scenarios, parameters, and topologies.