Optimizing Transmission Expansion for Sustainable Energy Integration in Ghana: A Multiscenario Analysis of Nuclear and Renewable Synergies Within the West African Power Pool Framework

This study presents an integrated, scenario-based transmission expansion planning (TEP) framework for Ghana, explicitly quantifying the technical, economic, and regional impacts of nuclear and renewable energy integration through 2040. Leveraging a hybrid simulation-optimization environment (Power System Simulator for Engineering, General Algebraic Modeling System, Model for Energy Supply Strategy Alternatives and their General Environmental Impact), three strategic scenarios were evaluated: baseline, nuclear integration (1 GW by 2032), and hybrid nuclear-renewable expansion (1-GW nuclear plus 1.2-GW utility-scale renewables). Results demonstrate that while baseline development offers lower near-term capital requirements, the hybrid strategy achieves the most favorable long-term outcomes, reducing cumulative system costs by 14%, renewable curtailment by 60%, and carbon-adjusted operating costs by 18% relative to the baseline. Grid reliability under N – 1 contingencies improved markedly, with the bus voltage stability index increasing from