A method of assessing an electrical power system is provided that includes performing a plurality of contingencies using a mathematical model of the system and determining a representative solution for each contingency. For each bus and contingency, symptoms of system stress exhibited in the representative solution are tabulated. Each contingency is categorized into a contingency cluster based on its representative solution, and those buses having a highest number of the symptoms of system stress for each contingency categorized within a respective contingency cluster are sorted into a group associated therewith. The contingency clusters are arranged into a ranking based on its effect on the network, and a location for a network enhancement is selected from a group of buses associated with a contingency cluster of the ranking that has a largest effect on the network and also includes buses as a result of the sorting.