Congestion management is a key challenge in power systems, and topology reconfiguration offers a promising solution. This paper introduces the Configure-and-Bound (C&B) algorithm to efficiently solve network topology reconfiguration (NTR) problems, focusing on substation switching and busbar splitting. By exploiting the locality effects of switching maneuvers, the C&B algorithm significantly reduces the computational time required to solve the NP-hard NTR problems, while achieving most of the cost savings achieved by exact methods. We explore the conditions under which the proposed C&B algorithm is most effective by classifying congestion into two broad classes; near congestion and far congestion. The locality condition and the foundation of the proposed algorithm generalize to a broader class of (power system) optimization problems. Case studies done on IEEE 39, 118, 240, 300, 500, 588, and 793 bus systems demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can reduce the computational runtime by up to 99% and achieve up to 99.9% similar costs relative to the global optimal solution.

Transmission system operators face significant hurdles in integrating variable renewables and facilitating operational flexibility. This has sparked renewed interest in optimizing network capacity utilization. This paper explores the synergy between two flexibility-enhancing methods in hybrid AC/DC grids: Voltage Source Converter (VSC) set-point control pre- and post-contingency, and corrective Network Topology Reconfiguration (NTR). This paper introduces soft bus-bar splitting for converter substations with modular architectures to maximize grid flexibility. We propose an approach to optimize the topology of hybrid AC/DC grids under N-1 security constraints. As the original problem is NP-hard, this paper utilizes a column-and-constraint generation algorithm. Case studies on IEEE 5, 24, 39, and 67 hybrid AC/DC systems show superiority of the proposed method, manifested as significant improvement in operating costs, security, and converter redispatch needs, under different loading conditions.