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Analysis of the Power Blackout in the Ethiopian Electric Power Grid

Received: 5 July 2019     Accepted: 31 July 2019     Published: 26 August 2019
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Abstract

In recent years, with an increasing load demand for rural electrification and industrialization, the Ethiopian power system has faced more frequent, widely spread and long-lasting blackouts. To identify the impacts, analyzing and studying the reasons and the mechanisms of such blackouts would be the first step and so, the January 6th, 2016 blackout of the Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) is reviewed based on the data that are available at the National Load Dispatch Center (NLDC) archive. The analysis is done by considering the sequential phases of the blackout: system condition prior to the power failure, initiating events, cascading events, the final state of the power system and its restoration. Computer simulations are then performed using DIgSILENT PowerFactory software to identify the root cause of the blackout and evaluate the initiating event that had triggered the sequence of events that followed. In doing so, two procedures are followed. Firstly, power flow simulation is run to analyze the system performance under steady state conditions to determine the voltage magnitude at critical buses and the loadings of lines and generators prior to the disturbance. Secondly, time domain simulations are performed to analyze the system performance under transient conditions for the specified initiating and cascading events. Above all the possible method is suggested for the prevention of such incidents.

Published in Science Journal of Circuits, Systems and Signal Processing (Volume 8, Issue 2)
DOI 10.11648/j.cssp.20190802.14
Page(s) 53-65
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2019. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Cascading Events, Electricity Blackouts, Power Flow Simulation, Restoration, Steady State

References
[1] M. Shahidehpour, Handbook of Electrical Power System Dynamics: Modeling, Stability and Control, Piscataway: IEEE Press, 2013.
[2] D. Novosel, "System Blackouts: Description and Prevention," in 2004 IEEE International Conferenceon Electric Utility Deregulation, Restructuring and Power Technologies (DRPT2004), Hong Kong, April 2004.
[3] J. A. S. T. Paul Hines, "Trends in the History of Large Blackouts in the United States," IEEE, 2008.
[4] S. K. S. S. R. N. R. K. P. Subrata Mukhopadhyay, "An Indian Experience of Defense Against Blackouts and Restoration Mechanism Followed," IEEE, New Delhi, 2008.
[5] J. L. Chen-Chin Liu, "Patterns of Cascaded Events in Blackouts," in 2008 IEEE PES General Meeting, Iowa, USA, 2008.
[6] W. B. I. D. Association, "International Development Association Project Paper on a Proposed Additional Credit to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia for the Electricity Network Reinforcement and Expansion Project," World Bank, Ethiopia, May 6, 2016.
[7] E. E. Power, "Grid Disturbance report," 2016.
[8] SINOHYDRO CORPORATIONS Ltd, "Nifas Silk 132/15kV Substation Protection Relay Setting Manual - Calculation Note," Transmission & Substation Rehabilitation and Upgrading Project, Addis Ababa, 2015.
[9] Ramasamy Natarajan, Computer -Aided power System Analysis, New York: Marcel Dekker, 2002.
[10] P. Kundur, Power System Stability and Control, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1994.
[11] Dr. M. El-Shimy, Dynamic Security of Interconeected Power Systems, vol. 1 & 2, Cairo: LAMBERT, 2015.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Moges Alemu Tikuneh, Getachew Biru Worku. (2019). Analysis of the Power Blackout in the Ethiopian Electric Power Grid. Science Journal of Circuits, Systems and Signal Processing, 8(2), 53-65. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cssp.20190802.14

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    ACS Style

    Moges Alemu Tikuneh; Getachew Biru Worku. Analysis of the Power Blackout in the Ethiopian Electric Power Grid. Sci. J. Circuits Syst. Signal Process. 2019, 8(2), 53-65. doi: 10.11648/j.cssp.20190802.14

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    AMA Style

    Moges Alemu Tikuneh, Getachew Biru Worku. Analysis of the Power Blackout in the Ethiopian Electric Power Grid. Sci J Circuits Syst Signal Process. 2019;8(2):53-65. doi: 10.11648/j.cssp.20190802.14

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  • @article{10.11648/j.cssp.20190802.14,
      author = {Moges Alemu Tikuneh and Getachew Biru Worku},
      title = {Analysis of the Power Blackout in the Ethiopian Electric Power Grid},
      journal = {Science Journal of Circuits, Systems and Signal Processing},
      volume = {8},
      number = {2},
      pages = {53-65},
      doi = {10.11648/j.cssp.20190802.14},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cssp.20190802.14},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.cssp.20190802.14},
      abstract = {In recent years, with an increasing load demand for rural electrification and industrialization, the Ethiopian power system has faced more frequent, widely spread and long-lasting blackouts. To identify the impacts, analyzing and studying the reasons and the mechanisms of such blackouts would be the first step and so, the January 6th, 2016 blackout of the Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) is reviewed based on the data that are available at the National Load Dispatch Center (NLDC) archive. The analysis is done by considering the sequential phases of the blackout: system condition prior to the power failure, initiating events, cascading events, the final state of the power system and its restoration. Computer simulations are then performed using DIgSILENT PowerFactory software to identify the root cause of the blackout and evaluate the initiating event that had triggered the sequence of events that followed. In doing so, two procedures are followed. Firstly, power flow simulation is run to analyze the system performance under steady state conditions to determine the voltage magnitude at critical buses and the loadings of lines and generators prior to the disturbance. Secondly, time domain simulations are performed to analyze the system performance under transient conditions for the specified initiating and cascading events. Above all the possible method is suggested for the prevention of such incidents.},
     year = {2019}
    }
    

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    Y1  - 2019/08/26
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    DO  - 10.11648/j.cssp.20190802.14
    T2  - Science Journal of Circuits, Systems and Signal Processing
    JF  - Science Journal of Circuits, Systems and Signal Processing
    JO  - Science Journal of Circuits, Systems and Signal Processing
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    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2326-9073
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cssp.20190802.14
    AB  - In recent years, with an increasing load demand for rural electrification and industrialization, the Ethiopian power system has faced more frequent, widely spread and long-lasting blackouts. To identify the impacts, analyzing and studying the reasons and the mechanisms of such blackouts would be the first step and so, the January 6th, 2016 blackout of the Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) is reviewed based on the data that are available at the National Load Dispatch Center (NLDC) archive. The analysis is done by considering the sequential phases of the blackout: system condition prior to the power failure, initiating events, cascading events, the final state of the power system and its restoration. Computer simulations are then performed using DIgSILENT PowerFactory software to identify the root cause of the blackout and evaluate the initiating event that had triggered the sequence of events that followed. In doing so, two procedures are followed. Firstly, power flow simulation is run to analyze the system performance under steady state conditions to determine the voltage magnitude at critical buses and the loadings of lines and generators prior to the disturbance. Secondly, time domain simulations are performed to analyze the system performance under transient conditions for the specified initiating and cascading events. Above all the possible method is suggested for the prevention of such incidents.
    VL  - 8
    IS  - 2
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Author Information
  • Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Debre Berhan University, Debre Berhan, Ethiopia

  • School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Addis Ababa University, AAiT, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

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