Available transmission capability - Sell firm or interruptible?

Available Transfer Capability (ATC) is an important parameter for all compa nies participating in the power transaction activities. One aspect of the A TC analysis relates to the following important questions: what part of the posted ATC should be bought/sold as firm and what as an interruptible (non- firm) capacity? In the emerging competitive electricity market, this will p erhaps be one of the crucial problems faced by the market participants. Thi s problem has not been discussed in the literature yet, and is considered i n this paper by calculating the optimal split between firm and interruptibl e ATC, using a DC load flow model and Monte Carlo optimization approach.