Perturbations of weakly resonant power system electromechanical modes

It is not uncommon for oscillatory electric power system modes to move close to a resonance in which eigenvalues coincide. In a weak resonance, the modes are decoupled and the eigenvalues do not interact. We analyze general perturbations of a weak resonance and find two distinct behaviors, including interactions near strong resonances in which the eigenvalues quickly change direction. The possible perturbations are illustrated with interactions between electromechanical modes in a 4-generator power system. Some of the interactions are similar to subsynchronous resonance and can lead to oscillatory instability.