Identifying critical transmission lines in power systems: A hybrid complex network and power flow methodology

Abstract

Power grids, as critical modern infrastructure, are increasingly vulnerable to disturbances and cascading failures. This paper presents an integrated vulnerability analysis framework that combines complex network theory with community detection to identify critical transmission lines. A novel community detection algorithm is proposed that incorporates generation–consumption balance within communities, enabling the precise identification of structurally and operationally significant lines. Applied to the IEEE 118-bus/IEEE 300-bus test systems, the approach reveals that transmission lines with dual importance in both network topology and power flow play pivotal roles in system stability. Moreover, the proposed balance-aware community detection effectively identifies critical edges whose failure could lead to unstable islanded subsystems. The method offers power system operators valuable insights for protecting critical infrastructure and enhancing grid resilience against cascading failures. The results underscore the effectiveness of integrating structural and operational criteria for comprehensive vulnerability assessment in complex power networks.