A Novel Techno-Economical Control of UPFC against Cyber-Physical Attacks Considering Power System Interarea Oscillations

In the field of electrical engineering, there is an increasing concern among managers and operators about the secure and cost-efficient operation of smart power systems in response to disturbances caused by physical cyber attacks and natural disasters. This paper introduces an innovative framework for the hybrid, coordinated control of Unified Power Flow Controllers (UPFCs) and Power System Stabilizers (PSSs) within a power system. The primary objective of this framework is to enhance the system’s security metrics, including stability and resilience, while also considering the operational costs associated with defending against cyber-physical attacks. The main novelty of this paper lies in the introduction of a real-time online framework that optimally coordinates a power system stabilizer, power oscillation damper, and unified power flow controller to enhance the power system’s resilience against transient disturbances caused by cyber-physical attacks. The proposed approach considers technical performance indicators of power systems, such as voltage fluctuations and losses, in addition to economic objectives, when determining the optimal dynamic coordination of UPFCs and PSSs—aspects that have been neglected in previous modern research. To address the optimization problem, a novel multi-objective search algorithm inspired by Harris hawks, known as the Multi-Objective Harris Hawks (MOHH) algorithm, was developed. This algorithm is crucial in identifying the optimal controller coefficient settings. The proposed methodology was tested using standard IEEE9-bus and IEEE39-bus test systems. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of this approach in achieving optimal system recovery, both technically and economically, in the face of cyber-physical attacks.