Regulatory mechanisms to mitigate the vulnerability of power systems to blackouts

The consequences of big blackouts that have recently affected electric systems worldwide motivated to carry out a study in order to determine the vulnerability of electric systems to this type of incidents, and to establish the applicable actions to maintain a reliable operation. The study presented in this paper is based on the lessons learned about prevention and management from the most representative incidents worldwide, as well as from the regulations governing reliability and relevant aspects in some countries. The analysis of international experiences is centered on the revision of nine major incidents that occurred in the world during the last decade, their comparison and classification, the recognition of the conditions previous to the blackouts and the available reaction times, as well as the verification of the causes of said incidents. The most important subjects about regulatory mechanisms to be emphasized to avoid the occurrence or minimizing the impact of blackouts are identified and a revision about those topics in some representative international regulations is carried out. The paper concludes by establishing main deficiencies found in regulations related to the vulnerability of the power systems and suggesting concrete regulatory actions that may solve the deficiencies found.