Operation of the electrical system of Crete in interconnection with the mainland grid: A stability study

Most of the autonomous island power systems suffer high electricity costs due to expensive fuels. Interconnection of such systems to large mainland systems is an option to reduce operational costs. Recent evolutions in both cable technology and AC/DC/AC conversion promise feasible solutions. Since interconnection projects are of high cost, their economic feasibility must be carefully investigated; static, transient and dynamic system performance is crucial to reliably assess the volume of exchanges between the island and the bulk system and consequently to estimate the economic feasibility of the interconnection. This paper presents such an investigation, focusing on the transient stability issues, for the planned interconnection of the island of Crete to the Greek mainland.