Exact approaches to solve the Transmission Expansion Planning Problem with Re-design

• Published in: Electric power systems research Vol. 235; p. 110852
• Main Authors: González, Pedro Henrique, Simonetti, Luidi, Michelon, Philippe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.10.2024
• Subjects: Network design; Optimization methods; Transmission expansion planning; Transmission expansion planning; Optimization methods; Network design
• ISSN: 0378-7796; 1873-2046
• DOI: 10.1016/j.epsr.2024.110852

Expanding electrical transmission networks is a critical challenge faced by many developing economies. This process requires extensive investments, which must be strategically and methodically planned on a large scale, often encompassing regional or national considerations. Differing from typical Network Design Problems, efficiency in a transmission network can sometimes be enhanced by strategically deactivating certain transmission lines. Thanks to that, this paper focuses on a version of the transmission expansion planning problem that allows redesign during the network expansion. We propose using two exact methodologies as alternatives to the direct use of mixed integer programming formulations with commercial solvers. These methods are an application of Benders’ decomposition and a newly developed approach named Ring Space. Through comprehensive computational experiments, we assess and compare the efficacy of these methods against the conventional application of the mathematical formulation. Additionally, this study successfully obtained new high-quality solutions and proved their optimality for a subset of benchmark instances. •Two exact approaches to solve the Transmission Expansion Planning Problem with Re-design were proposed: (i) A new method called Ring Space. (ii) A Benders’ Decomposition was developed and combined with Branch-and Bound for the first time for TEPr.•New optimal proved for a benchmark instance.•Improved the best-known solution for two benchmark instances.•Computational experiments illustrate the effectiveness of each method.