This paper presents a load frequency control (LFC) design using the model predictive control (MPC) technique in a multi-area power system in the presence of wind turbines. In the studied system, each local area controller is designed independently such that stability of the overall closed loop system is guaranteed. A frequency response model of multi-area power system including wind turbines is introduced. A physical constraints of the governors and turbines are considered in the model. The model was employed in the MPC structures. Digital simulations for a two area power system are provided to validate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme. The results show that, with the proposed MPC technique, the overall closed loop system performance demonstrated robustness in the face of uncertainties due to governors and turbines parameters variation and load disturbances. Also, it was denoted that wind turbine has a positive effect on the total response of the system. A performance comparison between the proposed controller with and without the participation of the wind turbines and a classical integral control scheme is carried out for confirming the superiority of the proposed MPC technique in the presence of the participation of the wind turbines.
