AbstractIn the paper a new approach of adaptive automatic load shedding, a procedure for protecting electric power systems from dynamic instability and frequency collapse is presented. It is consisted of two main stages. In the first stage the frequency and the rate of its change are estimated by nonrecursive Newton type algorithm and least error squares method. In the second stage the magnitude of disturbance, i.e. the difference between the generated and the consumed active power is estimated by applying the simplest form of generator swing equation. Results of multimachine test system computer simulations are presented.