The Geomagnetic Storm Impact on the Northern High-latitude Power Grids: A Practical Example

Abstract

An operation practice of power systems shows geomagnetic storms can make negative impact on their functioning in subpolar regions. The example of Hydro-Quebec system blackout confirms need of such influence accounting on a power system operation. The power system development in the North is inevitable in connection with the northern resource development. On the other hand, the earth's magnetic pole movement leads to changes in the coordinates of places that are most susceptible to the solar storm influence. The main study goal is to draw the attention of power system personnel to these dangers and to show the cause and order of magnitude of such influence. The first section examines the phenomenon of solar storms and its impact on near-Earth space. Section 2 shows the ways in which such storms can impact northern power systems. Section 3 is related to an example of such an influence on a northern system part in the North-East of the European part of Russia, characterized by long transmission lines. Section 4 is devoted to the relay protection behavior during solar storms. The conclusions are summarized in section 5.