Review of International and Russian Regulatory Documentation on the Level of Current Harmonics in Power Supply Systems

The way the requirements to electricity consumers are expressed is a key aspect of standards in the fi eld of higher harmonics. Various ap- proaches to regulating the emission of higher harmonic current components are shown; these are integrated into the regulatory frameworks of Western European countries, the People’s Republic of China, and the United States. In the common European space, the main regulatory tools regard- ing the permissible emission of current harmonics are the standards and documents of the International Electrotechnical Commission. At the same time, some EU countries have national standards that regu- late the level of current harmonics in power supply systems. The German standard VDE AR N 4120 expresses the requirements as specifi c absolute values of harmonic currents up to the 40th order, related to the unit of short circuit power at the connection point. It is noted that in Russia, harmonic components of voltage (up to the 40th order) are fully regulated by GOST 32144 2013. Partially (from the 2nd to the 13th order), the limits for current distortions are regulated at consumer connections with a total power exceeding 670 kW and at generation facilities delivering power via converter equipment in medium (6-35 kV) and high (110-220 kV) voltage networks of general purpose power supply systems. This is covered in the newly introduced GOST R 72176 2025, which was developed taking into account IEEE 519 2022 – a document widely recognized as a recommended practice for controlling harmonic distortion.