IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER SYSTEMS, VOL. 19, NO.
2, MAY 2004
Guidelines for Power System Restoration
in the Brazilian System
Paulo Gomes, Antonio Carlos Siqueira de Lima, Member, IEEE, and Antonio de Pdua Guarini
AbstractThis work presents the main aspects and criteria
adopted by the Brazilian independent system operator (ISO) for
power system restoration due to total or partial collapses. Guide-
lines to avoid or minimize the occurrence of drawbacks during
the restoring process are also outlined. It presents a summary of
the recommendations and procedures. To exemplify the overall
procedures, the restoration in the Rio de Janeiro area is presented
including a possible alternative in case of a blackout in this area.
Index TermsPower system control, power system modeling,
power system restoration.
I. INTRODUCTION
R ESTORATION processes deal with a broad range of phe-
nomena involving from load flow to electromagnetic and
electromechanical transients analysis. Therefore, a large variety
of programs and models is needed and an extensive analysis
is demanded to provide a set of viable solutions to restore the
power after an outage [1], [2]. Although the probability of a
global outage is rather small, a few occurred in Brazil (in 2002
and 1999) and in other countries, for instance, the West Coast in
the U.S. (in 1996) [3] bringing severe consequences to the so-
ciety, which has grown very dependable on electricity. Indepen-
dent of how well planned, designed, or operated, any electrical
system is prone to power outages; thus creating an interest in
restoration procedures, tools, and models.
In Brazil, the restoration procedures are intimately related to
the evolution of the Electric Transmission System. The Southern
part of the system, until the late 1970s, was dependent on the
power supply from the Southeast through a weak 230-kV in-
tertie. This configuration caused a large number of severe dis-
turbances leading to the development of an underfrequency load
shedding scheme to prevent system collapse. While the utilities
in the South felt the need for decentralized restoration proce-
dures aiming for a faster load pickup rate, other utilities in Brazil
adopted an operation centers-based procedure being therefore
centralized. Furnas (a transmission and generation utility re-
sponsible for most of the transmission system in the Southeast
and Midwest regions of Brazil) was an exception. In 1982, it
started adopting a decentralized procedure. In 1984 and 1985,
there were three large disturbances in the Southeast area causing
outages in several metropolitan regions with drastic economical
and social impact [4]. One must remember that most industries
Manuscript received April 29, 2003.
P. Gomes and A. de Pdua Guarini are with the Operador Nacional do Sistema
Eltrico, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 20091-000, Brazil (e-mail: pgomes@ons.org.br;
guarini@ons.org.br).
A. C. S. de Lima is with the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de
Janeiro, RJ 21945-970, Brazil (e-mail: acsl@dee.ufrj.br).
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TPWRS.2004.825862
0885-8950/04$20.00 2004 IEEE
1159
in Brazil are located in the southeast. The total amount of in-
terrupted load was above 10 000 MW. After these disturbances,
some frequent problems were identified such as congestion of
communication links, difficulties in identifying the postdistur-
bance configuration, halt in substation supervisions due to over-
flow alarms, high overvoltages limiting a complete restoration,
loss of communications between operating centers of intercon-
nected utilities, and a lack of a strategic plan for restoring the
system as a whole.
To solve or minimize these problems, a restoration task force
was created in 1989 to establish guidelines and criteria for the
restoration of the main grid which were later implemented in
all of the utilities in the south/southeast/middle west. In 1996,
a major blackout hit Southeast Brazil, leading to the creation
of a new working group to review and update the restoration
procedures.
The last major blackouts occurred in 1999 and in 2002 and
were initiated in the 440-kV system. The former began in the
Bauru substation in So Paulo (southeast region) and caused
the islanding of two power plants, Jupi and Ilha Solteira, af-
fecting all of the 440 kV of So Paulo and causing the switching
off of the 765-kV (ac) and the 600-kV (HVDC) systems with
an almost total collapse of the south/southeast and middle west
regions and the latter also begun in the 440-kV system at the
Araraquara substation, again almost all of the 440-kV system
went down, causing the partial collapse of the 500-kV trans-
mission system in the southeast. Some important areas in Brazil
were subjected to a loss of supply for more than 4 h. In both
cases, the amount of interrupted load was around 24 000 MW.
These last blackouts have shown that in terms of system op-
eration, the southeast presents a challenge where unexpected
switchings may lead to voltage collapse. This is in part due to the
topological structure of the Brazilian system where the 440-kV
system supplies the largest loads in the southeast and is sur-
rounded by a 500 kV with, usually, a lighter load.
ANEEL (the Brazilian regulatory agency) urged the Brazilian
ISO (ONS) to carry out a thorough review of all restoration pro-
cedures [5]. The priority procedure in the most affected areas in
these last two blackouts (Rio de Janeiro, So Paulo, and Mato
Grosso do Sul) was reassessed and alternatives restorations were
proposed in case of unavailability in priority procedures.
The restoration processes, be it partial or total, are defined
nowadays by the grid code which states all of the responsibil-
ities of operators, utilities operating centers, and the ISO re-
gional and national operating centers. This document is updated
constantly since any topology change, be it a connection of a
new generating plant, transmission path, or any other procedure,
implies in the change of restoration processes, partial or total.
1160
This demands a continuous assessment and validation through
a set of studies carried out by the ISO and the utilities. From
these studies, new restoration procedures are implemented by
the National Operating Center (owned by the Brazilian ISO).
II. RESTORATION CRITERIA
The restoration studies take into account some main aspects:
balance between load and generation with black start [2], defini-
tion of voltage limits, and availability of load blocks that can be
picked up maintaining the system reliability. Moreover, in any
restoration procedures an alternative solution should be taken
into account in case of equipment unavailability so the overall
process is not affected.
The strategy must be such that the agents, who own the gen-
erating units, start the restoration, providing the operators with
information regarding the amount of active power to be deliv-
ered to priority loads. The restoration strategy must keep the
active power balance to avoid large frequency deviations and
protection schemes misoperation.
The main restoration criteria come from load-flow analysis,
the results of the electromechanical and electromagnetic
transients are applied only at a later stage defining whether the
restoration sequence is viable. The load-flow analysis uses the
concept of geoelectrical areas together with another index, the
reliability degree, which defines the reliability of units capable
of black-start. It gives qualitative information about the overall
capability of using determined generation units during the
restoration process.
A. Geo-Electrical Areas
The concept of the geo-electrical areas is not much different
from the power restoration line used in Italy [6] where there is
a predefined partitioning of the network. Therefore, geo-elec-
trical areas are minimum grid configurations containing one or
more generating units allowing the restoration of priority loads
in the fastest and safest way. In other words, they represent the
minimum of island configuration where the power supply is still
attained within the normal limits.
B. Reliability Degree
This index is used to define a geo-electrical area, it gives qual-
itative information whether any specific units can be used for
the restoration process. This degree can be classified in the fol-
lowing way: high reliabilityunits capable of black start inde-
pendently of any external supply and can be started up from
standstill; medium reliabilitycapable of supplying their auxil-
iary systems with terminal voltage in the generating units, must
be kept rotating and excited after a disturbance occurs. Low Re-
liabilityunits that require an external supply from auxiliary sys-
tems. A geo-electrical area must contain at least one generating
unit capable of black-start (i.e., at least a single high-reliability
unit). Medium and low reliability units can participate in the first
stages of the restoration as voltage and power support. The fre-
quency control is carried out by the units with high reliability.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER SYSTEMS, VOL. 19, NO. 2, MAY 2004
III. STAGES IN RESTORATION PROCESS
In the bulk Brazilian power system, the restoration processes
have two stages: fluent and coordinated. In the former, there is
no need for communication among the parts involved, while
in the latter, several prior conditions must be reached. The
National Operating Center is responsible for the coordination
of the whole process. In other words, during fluent restoration,
an operator need not communicate with any other substations.
His or her function is to check whether the voltage conditions
are met and if all of the reactors needed are connected and then
switch on the transmission line. In the coordinated process, the
operator has to contact an operating center of higher hierarchy
and wait for instructions of what to maneuver. Moreover, in
fluent restoration, it is assumed that the system is completely
de-energised, except for any prescheduled islanding. The
restoration procedure is started by high reliability hydropower
units. The actual restoration process is started through the
startup and synchronization of the generating units, energiza-
tion of the transmission lines, and priority load pickup, with
the least level of communication. For the restoration of the
main grid of the Brazilian bulk power system, there are some
recommendations and guidelines to establish the procedures
for fluent restoration.
For each fluent restoration process, startup voltage
level and the minimum amount of generators must be
established.
The priority load pickup must be predefined keeping in
mind the balance between generation and load and not
exceed either the transmission paths and transformation
available.
The maximum amount of power in each priority load
pickup for each geo-electrical area must be predefined.
The load pickup is carried out in steps giving preference to
reduced amounts; the apparent increase in restoration time
is compensated for the increase in reliability and safety
which is crucial in the fragile starting stage.
It should consider extreme load configurations such as
maximum and minimum (heavy and light loads) to ensure
that the restoration process can be carried out at any time.
If there are no restrictions, hydropower units should
keep the highest number of units in operation during
restoration.
Financial issues should not come into consideration during
the restoration process.
Thermal power plants are usually considered last in the
restoration procedure, although, if possible, they should be
equipped with black start and islanding schemes to supply
part of the system after a disturbance.
To avoid overvoltage during outages, capacitor banks are
to be de-energized and transformer taps are operated in
such a way as to minimize this risk.
Synchronous or static compensators are not to be involved
in the general voltage control criteria unless the equipment
usage is thoroughly defined in the operating procedure.
In the case of a total collapse, the coordinated stage starts after
some geo-electrical areas are restored. In the case of a partial
collapse, there will not be a fluent but only a coordinated stage.
GOMES et al.: GUIDELINES FOR POWER SYSTEM RESTORATION IN THE BRAZILIAN SYSTEM
The national and regional operating centers coordinate the
load shedding and closing of loops or parallelling of systems in
distinct geo-electrical areas that were restored during the fluent
restoration. The geo-electrical areas are first restored in a prac-
tically independent manner during the fluent phase. There are
restoration procedures that involve, in the beginning, only fluent
process and later on, start the coordinated one, while there can
be a procedure where even the first steps in restoration are taken
in a coordinated manner.
The restoration can also be coordinated when there is any
sort of impediment that requires the action of a group of dis-
tinct operating centers or a higher hierarchical entity. Hierarchy
is defined in a way that the utilities operating centers are co-
ordinated by the ISO regional operating center which, in turn,
is controlled by the National Operating Center. The utilities are
responsible for the load pickup within predefined parameters
and this procedure can only begin after the following demands
are met: nonexistence of equipment overload in the coordinated
area; frequency stabilization; compatible voltage levels; connec-
tion of geo-electrical areas should only be done when the two
areas involved present a stable configuration.
IV. RESTORATION STUDIES
Together with the index of generator reliability, the power-
flow studies are done to assess the system conditions throughout
all of the restoration stages, verifying equipment load, voltage
profiles, and capabilities of the generating units prior, during,
and after switchings. Therefore, those studies are responsible to
check whether or not a certain restoration procedure meets all
of the standards defined in the grid code.
A. Initial Power Availability
The first criteria is the availability of generating units
equipped with black start (i.e., the amount of pickup load
cannot exceed the initial active power capability for each re-
gion). The second criteria is the minimum amount of generating
units that can be considered, taking into account maintenance
and electrical parameters. If on the one hand, the number of
generating units must be such that overload or self-excitation
are avoided; on the other hand, the overall restoration time has
to be less than the maximum operating time that any machine
can operate unloaded. Therefore, for ( ) generating units or
the minimum number of generating units available, equipped
with blackstart, the initial power availability for a geo-electrical
area is defined by
(1)
where is the number of generating units, is the nominal
power actually available. If a geo-electrical area has more than
one generation block equipped with black start and is partici-
pating in the fluent restoration process, the frequency control is
carried out by only one of these generating blocks.
B. Voltage Control in Geo-Electrical Areas During Fluent
Restoration
Shunt reactors are used together with the reactive power of
the generating units to provide a reasonable voltage profile and
1161
avoid high overvoltage due to Ferranti effects in the transmis-
sion paths. The reactive power supply provided by the gener-
ating units must comply with the machine capability curve. The
amount of priority load to be picked up in any geo-electrical
area is therefore defined from the total available active and re-
active power delivery by the generating units. During all of the
stages of the restoration process, the voltage control is such that
the maximum allowed overvoltage is 110% of nominal voltage
and the minimum is 90%. During normal operation, the range is
narrower, 105% for the maximum and 95% for the minimum.
C. Electromechanical Transients
Electromechanical transients studies are carried out to ana-
lyze the behavior of frequency and voltage oscillations during
load pickup and load rejection. In those studies, it is manda-
tory to represent the voltage and speed regulators of the units
equipped with black start.
In restoration studies, frequency deviations from 55 up to
65 Hz can be accepted as minimum and maximum limits, re-
spectively. For thermal units, these limits are narrower, around
58 and 62 Hz, respectively. This limitation is a question of de-
sign, the units nowadays operating in Brazil are not capable of
large frequency excursions. Besides the frequency oscillation,
there is another issue related to the reactive power capability of
thermal units. Typically, a thermal unit could energize around
150 to 200 km of a 500-kV transmission line. In Brazil, the main
distance far exceeds this limit ranging from 600 up to 800 km.
For dynamic voltage, the maximum and minimum acceptable
are 85% and 125% (or 5% lower than the overvoltage protection
limit). The electromechanical studies also help to evaluate the
likeness of self-excitation in case a load rejection occurs during
the early stages of the restoration process when the system is es-
sentially unloaded. This phenomenon is a function of the elec-
trical parameters of the machine, including speed and voltage
regulators, and the total impedance of the network to be re-
stored, considering also the load. Therefore, the electrical ma-
chines model must be as extensive as possible, including a pos-
sible protection scheme that might be used by the equipment.
The priority loading during the fluent part of the restora-
tion is carried out in steps, in which each represents an amount
of load that does not compromise either voltage or frequency
throughout the system. In an ideal scenario, the load pickup
ought to be done in steps of 20%50% of the available active
power.
The load pickup in the restoration process is not to be done
in time intervals less than 1 min so the voltage and frequency
oscillation due to the prior load can be stabilized with the action
of voltage and speed regulators.
For voltage levels prior to 230 kV whenever a loop or parallel
is closed, the dynamic overvoltage must be evaluated as well
as mechanical aspects of the machines in the process and the
electromechanical stability of the system. Prior to the closing of
any parallel or loop, the following limits are considered: max-
imum frequency deviation; maximum phase difference of 10 ;
maximum overvoltage up to 10% of nominal voltage.
It should also be noted that the voltage difference is not re-
strictive, the threshold is defined by the grid code. If for any
reason it is not possible to achieve the phase angles within the
1162
Fig. 1. Single-line diagram for the restoration in Rio de Janeiro area.
limits, the loop can be closed if either the voltage levels are
below the recommended values or if there is an equipment over-
load. Whenever an outage occurs, the machines in the affected
area must not participate in the automatic generation control.
D. Electromagnetic Transients
Electromagnetic transients studies define maximum voltage
for equipment energization and if it is possible to energze the
equipment without any risk considering transient overvoltages
or system resonance. They are used to verify short-term condi-
tions such as line, transformer energization, and load rejection.
The priority loads are supplied after the transformer energiza-
tion, which is done through the high voltage side and, therefore,
more troublesome since there is a greater interaction between
the capacitance of the transmission lines and the inductances of
the transformer itself and the system. Furthermore, the losses
in the high side of the system are smaller giving transients with
lower damping. For the transmission lines, the studies contem-
plate the line energization with or without a fault at the receiving
end of the transmission line. For the transformer, the results also
provided the inrush current that can be useful for a protection
system.
As it is nowadays, these studies follow this strategy: obtain
the load flow of the system; adjust the initial conditions of the
transient case so the load-flow conditions are met. The load-flow
results represent a prior to fault scenario for the transient case. A
statistical case is done to obtain which is the worst case scenario.
The load rejection studies define the levels of maximum load
pickup during the restoration process as well as the minimum
configuration of reactors for the system under study. There
are two possible problems in terms of load rejection during
restoration that can happen, either one being very harmful for
the whole restoration procedure. The first one is related with
undue operation of surge arresters because of load rejection
overvoltages. The second one is related to misoperation of over-
voltage protection schemes causing unwanted disconnection of
already restored parts of the system. This leads to the repetition
of prior steps demanding an interference from the operation
center dealing with the process. Both problems lead to a delay
and, in some cases, a reset of the whole restoration procedure.
The aforementioned problems ought to be taken carefully
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER SYSTEMS, VOL. 19, NO. 2, MAY 2004
Fig. 2. Self-excitation at Marimbondo during restoration.
during the fluent part of restoration, since, in this stage, the
black start units are still separated in geo-electrical areas with
rather different characteristics and sometimes without sufficient
generation, prone to higher overvoltages due to load rejections.
V. RESTORATION IN THE RIO DE JANEIRO AREA
The main operative procedure for a power restoration in
the Rio de Janeiro Area is done through the Marimbondo
power plant with a local generation support from a 138-kV
system in the main Rio de Janeiro Area which is used to
increase the system stability during the restoration. This local
generation is owned by Light (local distribution company
in Rio de Janeiro while the Marimbondo and the associated
transmission system belong to Furnas). Fig. 1 shows the
geo-electrical area for the restoration configuration and the
associated voltages in per unit. At the Grajau substation, there
is also a synchronous compensator connected through a step-up
(13,8 kV:500-kV) transformer. The synchronous compensator
is used only after the main load is restored. The total capability
of the Marimbondo power plant is 1488 MW (eight units of
186 MW). The minimum quantity of units at the Marimbondo
power plant was defined by electromechanical studies consid-
ering the minimum amount that would avoid self-excitation
after a load rejection. To further illustrate these tests, Fig. 2
shows the voltage at the 500-kV bus (Marimbondo Substation)
during a restoration process where load rejection occurs at each
step during the process. From the aforementioned figure, one
can see that with one machine at Marimbondo, it is impossible
GOMES et al.: GUIDELINES FOR POWER SYSTEM RESTORATION IN THE BRAZILIAN SYSTEM
Fig. 3. Voltage at Tijuco Preto 765 kV after the transformer energization
without the south system.
to even reach the next substation (Araraquara 500 kV) without
risking self excitation. To reach the Poos de Caldas 500-kV
substation, three machines are needed at Marimbondo; there-
fore, to reach the substations of Graja, Adrianpolis, and So
Jos, totaling 740 km of 500-kV transmission lines without
risking self excitation, the Marimbondo power plant must be
operated with five machines.
The initial amount of power available during the restora-
tion in the case of five machines in Marimbondo is of
. The startup voltage at the 13.8-kV bus
at Marimbondo is equal to the lower limit of the automatic
voltage regulator (AVR) 90%, the stepup transformer has
a fixed tap at 100%, even though in normal operation, it is
equipped with a load tap changer (OLTC). For this system,
the voltage at Graja, Adrianpolis, and So Jos must be
below 110%. Prior to adjusting the amount of load to be
supplied, one must define the minimum reactor configuration
to make sure that during the entire process, there is not any
equipment with a steady-state voltage higher than 110%. For
the system in Fig. 1, four line reactors are used: two 73-Mvar
reactors at Marimbondo Adrianpolis and at AraquaraPoos
de Caldas, and two 136-Mvar reactors at Poos de Caldas
Cachoeira Paulista and Cachoeira PaulistaAdrianpolis.
Another 136-Mvar reactor at Cachoeira Paulista 500 kV is also
needed. To maintain the voltage control at Poos de Caldas
345 kV, to avoid high voltage during the energization of the
500-kV Cachoeira PaulistaAdrianpolis transmission line,
and to detune the system resonance frequency so the load
transformers can be energized, another reactor is used at the
tertiary of the 500/345/13.8-kV transformer at Poos de Caldas.
The maximum load was defined through electromagnetic
studies so there is no equipment risk during load rejection, it
reaches 420 MW (360 MW for the Light Company and 60 MW
for CERJ (distribution company of Great Rio de Janeiro). In
this restoration process, one point is clearly seen, even though
one has almost 600-MW generation, it can only supply 60% of
that amount due to the circuit limitations.
1163
Fig. 4. Restoration of the Rio de Janeiro area with the south system.
A. Alternative Restoration in Rio de Janeiro Area
In case of any problem during the restoration of the main
path, there is one alternative whether there are at least three
machines at Marimbondo: restoration through the geo-elec-
trical area formed by Marimbondo and Itaipu, therefore using
the 765 kV and south systems, as shown in Fig. 4. In this
configuration, the restoration of the Rio de Janeiro area could
be carried out a priori through the parallelling of 500-kV corri-
dors MarimbondoCachoeira Paulista and the 765-kV system.
However, this is not feasible since dangerous overvoltages
would appear in case of a load rejection and the machines in
Itaipu would be subjected to self-excitation. To maintain the
voltage control, one must use some ballast loads in Campinas
138 kV, Cachoeira Paulista 138 kV, and Terminal Leste 345 kV
to keep the voltage profile. That is the reason why the parallel of
Campinas and Tijuco Preto through the 345-kV system must be
executed prior to the parallelling of the 500-kV and the 765-kV
system at Tijuco Preto. These loads are normally restored by
different geo-electrical areas; therefore, this alternative also
interferes with other restoration procedures. One alternative to
using the extra loads is to install another 136 Mvar at Cachoeira
Paulista 500-kV substation, however, this would demand a new
substation layout to allow the equipment to be installed.
From Itaipu to Tijuco Preto, the total length of the 765-kV
system to be energized is of 892 km. This configuration
has a high Ferranti effect even though there is a 50% shunt
compensation in the lines, the total amount of shunt compen-
sation required during the restoration of the 765-kV system
is 3270 Mvar. This configuration is so critical that, for in-
stance, without a 180-Mvar tertiary reactor at 765/550/69 kV,
1650-MVA transformer at Ivaipor 765-kV substation one
cannot energize the last part of the 765-kV circuit between
Itaber and Tijuco Preto. In normal operation, to avoid the
excessive high transient and steady-state voltages due to this
energization, the last part of the 765 kV is energized through
Tijuco Preto 765-kV bus. To further illustrate this situation,
Fig. 3 shows the energization of the 1500 MVA, 765/345/20 kV
at Tijuco Preto through the high voltage side, the energization
leads to an overvoltage above the transformer limits, shown in
the figure as straight lines. Without the south system voltage
support, one cannot energize this transformer accordingly to
the operational limits.
The extra generation provided by Itaipu reaches 1800 MW
(minimum three units) and the extra load pickup adds only up
to 470 MW. Despite an apparent gain in generation, the peculiar-
ities imposed by circuit configuration in Brazil lead to the con-
clusion that this alternative represents no gain for the restoration
1164
in the Rio de Janeiro area since the amount of load pickup is es-
sentially the same. Fig. 4 shows the one-line diagram for this
alternative restoration procedure.
Another possible restoration alternative for the Rio de
Janeiro area deals with using three distinct geo-electrical areas:
one from Marimbondo until Poos de Caldas, the 765-kV
system, and the area that supplies the capital of Minas Gerais,
Belo Horizonte, and Great So Paulo. This scenario presents
the longest restoration duration time and affects the load pick
up of other large load centers. The total load supplied to the
Rio de Janeiro Area is 360 MW if there is a local reactive
compensation at the 138-kV bus and 270 MW otherwise. This
alternative also presents no gain to the main procedure and is to
be used only when there is a problem in the main procedure.
VI. CONCLUSION
The restoration process in Brazil is a technical challenge, the
generation is located far from the consumer load, as shown in the
paper, for the Rio de Janeiro Area, this distance may range from
740 km (in the main procedure using five units at Marimbondo)
up to almost 2000 km (in the case of the alternative using the
765kV system). This situation puts high stress at the reactive
power compensation throughout the whole process, it must help
in the prevention of self-excitation and prevent excessively high
steady-state voltages. The absence of a single-line reactor may
invalidate a corridor demanding cooperation between different
geo-electrical areas to attend the load. The concept of geo-elec-
trical area helps the definition of which power plant must supply
a specific load center. Only hydro units are considered since the
line charging for the geo-electrical areas far exceeds the capa-
bility of any existing thermal unit in Brazil.
In most of the restoration studies, only steady-state and sta-
bility cases are considered, nonetheless all of the restorations in
Brazil have shown the necessity of incorporating electromag-
netic transients studies; otherwise, unrealistic results may occur
leading to an inefficient and risky restoration process as is the
case of the Rio de Janeiro Area presented here. It seems valid
to conclude that for a system where the transmission distance
is high, over 400 km, there must be a careful analysis of the
performance concerning not only steady-state and stability but
also electromagnetic transient studies. The load shedding was
defined as a function of safety of the voltage and the level of
reactive compensation in the LIGHT area.
An alternative restoration process can only be chosen if it
presents a minimum interference with the other processes. The
load pickup capability in Rio de Janeiro area does not increase
with a higher amount of generation nor does this imply a faster
restoration procedure for this area. The fastest restoration pro-
cedure is the one carried out only by the Marimbondo power
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER SYSTEMS, VOL. 19, NO. 2, MAY 2004
station with five machines without interference from any other
geo-electrical area.
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Paulo Gomes was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 25, 1948. He grad-
uated from the Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1973,
and received the Master of Science and Doctor of Science degrees from Itajub
Federal University, Itajub, Brazil, in 1976 and 2000, respectively. He received
the MBA degree from Fundao Getlio Vargas, Rio de Janeiro, in 1995.
Currently, he is in charge of the ONS Special Studies, Protection and Control
Area with the Operador Nacional do Sistema Eltrico, Rio de Janeiro, where he
has been since 1999. He was also with ELETROBRS, Rio de Janeiro, from
1976 to 1996, and Power Security and Quality Company, Rio de Janeiro. He has
been teaching power system dynamics at the Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio
de Janeiro, since 1979.
Antonio Carlos Siqueira de Lima (S95M00) was born in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil in 1971. He received the B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. degrees in electrical
engineering from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) in 1995, 1997,
and 1999, respectively.
Currently, he is an Associate Professor with the Electrical Engineering De-
partment of the UFRJ where he has been since 2002. In 1998, he was a Visiting
Scholar with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Uni-
versity of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. From 2000 to 2002, he was
with the Brazilian Independent System Operator, ONS, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,
dealing with electromagnetic transient studies for the Brazilian National Grid.
Antonio de Pdua Guarini was born in Monte Sio, Brazil, in 1951. He re-
ceived the B.S.E.E. degree in 1974 from the Federal University of Itajub, Ita-
jub, Brazil, and the M.S.E.E. degree from the Federal University of Rio de
Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1981.
Currently, he is with the Brazilian Independent System Operator, ONS, Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil, dealing with power system restoration and protection spe-
cial system studies for the Brazilian National Grid. He was with CEPEL from
1974 to 1996, first acting in the area of transmission line projects and since
1976 in the HVDC and static compensator systems (SVC), transients, and power
quality areas. His main interests are HVDC/SVC specification and studies, es-
pecially ac/dc harmonics filters/capacitor banks in regards to reactive power
compensation.