Long-term distribution network expansion planning considering multiple construction plans

Distribution network expansion planning is one of the important activities at distribution control centers. Many approaches have been proposed for automatic expansion planning in distribution systems using computer systems. However, most of them have been developed for allocation of substation and feeders. The method for generating combination of several construction plans, namely multiple construction plans, considering yearly increase of network loads and newly installed loads for each year is eagerly awaited. This paper proposes a distribution network expansion planning method considering multiple construction plans. The proposed method is verified by comparing construction plans generated by the proposed method with the actual plan composed by experienced planning persons in practical distribution systems. The proposed method can generate the same plan generated by the experienced persons. Moreover, the method can generate various alternative construction plan candidates. The results indicate the practical applicability of the proposed distribution expansion planning method