An Investigation on the Integrated Investment Strategy of the Iran's Gas and Electricity Energy Hub

Under the framework of the “multi-carrier energy systems” concept, the present paper proposes a thorough, multistage, multi-region, set-matrix-based model for investigating the optimal integrated investment strategy in gas and electricity infrastructures. Formulated as a mixed-integer linear optimization problem, the proposed model aims to determine the optimal location and installation year of main infrastructures in the relevant energy systems to meet the projected energy demand while minimizing operational and investment costs throughout the development horizon. By focusing on the Iran's energy hub, i.e. the South Pars region elements, the simulation results indicate that a coordinated investment strategy is more optimal compared to conventional investment approaches. According to the findings of the conducted scenarios, the coordinated strategy can reduce the total cost by 2276 M$, equivalent to 26.4% of the total expansion, operation, and unserved energy costs of the conventional strategy.