1 First Eskom Power Plant Engineering Institute Student Conference Eskom Academy of Learning, 5 & 6 May 2014 Security Analysis of the SADC Regional Electric Power Grid Using DigSilent Powerfactory Software Tool Stacey J.T Mwale 1 , Innocent E. Davidson 2 EPPEI Specialization Centre in High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) University of KwaZulu-Natal 1 University of KwaZulu-Natal, School of Engineering; E-mail: Stazhio@yahoo.com 2 University of KwaZulu-Natal, HVDC/Smart Grid Research Centre; E-mail: Davidson@ukzn.ac.za Abstract Over the last decade, Southern Africa has experienced electric power deficits due to the member countries’ inadequate electrical power supply system. This partly induced the formation of organisations such as SADC and SAPP that have the common goal of achieving development and economic growth in the region which comprises of fifteen member countries. This paper presents results from a security analysis of the region’s electric power supply system using a baseline level of performance. This was carried out by performing a contingency analysis on a SADC power network model subject to the N-1 criteria which expresses the ability of the power network to experience a contingency without causing an overload or failure in any other part of the network. Simulations were carried out using DigSilent power factory tool. The balance of the paper highlights the economic and social standing of the SADC member countries and region. Key words: Contingency Analysis, Security Analysis, N-1 Criterion, Stability 1. Introduction The Southern African Development Community (SADC), formally known as Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC), is an organisation that was created in Lusaka on 1 st April 1980 with the aim of coordinating development projects in order to minimize economic dependence on the apartheid South Africa (G Cawthra,2010). Its members consist of the fifteen countries namely; Angola, Botswana, Democratic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. This SADC region has been experiencing power shortages since 2006 due to a combination of factors that have contributed to a diminishing generation reserve capacity against the increasing growth in demand [4]. This situation is undesirable and negatively impacts on trade, industries, social services and the overall economic development of a country or region.