Integrated expansion planning for optimizing hydropower development

When optimizing the expansion of power supply systems, the economic objective is to minimize the total investment and operating costs over the planning period. However, because of the complexity of this process, it has been customary to optimize generation additions and then design a complementary transmission system. This approach has been largely dictated by a lack of computer software capable of simultaneously optimizing both aspects. This paper demonstrates the viability of performing such optimizations while taking account of the interdependencies and constraints commonly associated with hydropower development.