Problems Associated with Power System Planning in Developing Countries

In developing countries, power system planning faces nowadays enormous challenges and various problems as, for example, future load growth in the face of uncertainties associated with future load forecasting, the constraints imposed on investment, the type and availability of fuel for the generating units, the need for consolidating dispersed electric utilities in the isolated regions as a prerequisite for future interconnecting these regions via local national grids and with neighboring countries. Also, how a suitable reliability level can be achieved that can guarantee a continuous power flow with a reasonable and acceptable cost. All these obstacles made power systems planners and concerned agencies face tremendous difficulties in planning electric power facilities and making sound and appropriate decisions in constructing new power plants or adding new generating units or reinforcing the transmission and distribution networks. The proposed work will attempt to display the most tedious and prominent problems and challenges that face electric power systems in developing countries and influence the decision-making process which must be based on two major factors, namely, reliability and cost. Ke word planning, reliability, interconnection, cost.