Enhancing Security of the Belarusian Power System in the Context of Nuclear Power Expansion

Abstract

The security of the Belarusian power system has been historically affected by both internal and external factors. The commissioning of a nuclear power plant (Belarusian NPP) in the Republic of Belarus in 2021 caused radical transformations in the power system due to the need to ensure reliable power output from the plant. Along with changes currently observed in the topology of internal 330 kV grids, there are also changes in the structure of external intersystem 330 kV tie lines. The Belarusian power system is connected to the UES of Russia via one 750 kV transmission line, which brings about the issue of regulating active power flows between the grids of 330 kV and 750 kV voltage classes. Due to the specific structure of the backbone grid of the Belarusian power system and its external connections, we propose solving the above problem by using the phase-shifting transformer (PST) as a type of a phase-shifter to be installed at the backbone 750/330 kV substation Belorusskaya. The paper presents the results of computational experiments, which confirm the efficiency of this type of the PST in the repair and post-emergency states of the Belarusian power system, and an analysis of technical and economic performance indicators.