A Review on Optimal Resource Allocation Methodsto Defend the Power Grids against Intentional Attacks

International reports and statistics reveal that power grids have been one of the main targets for terrorist groups in recent years. Power grid has a vital role in all countries and, the functionality of all infrastructures depends on the performance of this network. In a country, the economy and the electric industry are highly interdependent and, consequently, the malfunction of the power grid results in a huge economic loss for that country. As a result, various models have been proposed by researchers, in an attempt to answer the question that how the available defensive resources should be optimally allocated to alleviate the negative consequences of intentional attacks. Power grid planner’s knowledge of these models can be helpful in selecting the best defense strategy for defending the power grid against intentional attacks. To the best of our knowledge, no review has been conducted on the proposed methods so far. Hence, in this paper, a comprehensive review of the most important models is conducted and a proper classification is provided. Then, the models belonging to each class are analyzed in detail, focusing on their flaws and merits.