Introduction  An assessment method based on ATP simulation model automatic generation was proposed to solve the problems of low efficiency in model establishment and complex assessment process when analyzing and evaluating the lighting performance of overhead transmission line by simulation.

  Method  The working thoughts， general framework and implementation step of the proposed method were presented at first. Based on the resolution of the structure of the ATP simulation model file， the ATP simulation model automatic generation was realized through coding the data cards in model file according to initial data of transmission line， and then connecting all the cards effectively. The simulation results automatic determination was realized through executing the simulation model automatically and then reading the file containing the simulation results. The method of model parameter auto-adjustment according to simulation results was designed， and finally the auto-assessment of lighting protection performance of overhead transmission line was achieved.

  Result  The proposed method is verified by a specific application example，the calculated value of lightning current with breakdown is 13.7 kA， and the breakdown occurs in phase B， which is consistent with the setting of hitting phase B in the simulation model，the results show the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method.

  Conclusion  The proposed method can improve the accuracy and efficiency in assessing the lighting protection performance of transmission line utilizing simulation method， and has practical value.