Evaluation of the Contingencies of Interconnecting Wind Production into an Existing Distribution Network

In recent years, the demand for renewable energy sources, particularly wind power, has increased significantly. In Portugal, government projections estimate a 10 GW increase in offshore wind capacity by 2030, tripling the current installed capacity. This expansion, alongside the repowering of existing onshore wind farms, will introduce substantial challenges for power networks. Some wind farms will connect to the transmission grid, while many others will be integrated into the distribution network, where infrastructure limitations could lead to operational constraints. Given the expected rise in power flow pressure, reinforcement of transmission and distribution networks will be required. Initially, the energy evacuation will rely on existing networks, which may face significant constraints under extreme load conditions. Therefore, contingency analysis, particularly under “ $\mathrm{n}-1$ “ scenarios, is crucial to assess grid resilience. This paper presents a real-case study analyzing the contingency impacts of integrating offshore and onshore wind farms into an existing 60 kV distribution network. The results highlight significant infrastructure vulnerabilities, principally line overloads in specific scenarios, emphasizing the urgent need for targeted network reinforcements, real-time monitoring systems, and dynamic optimization strategies to ensure stable wind power integration and prevent cascading failures.