In this paper, a new voltage collapse proximity index (VCPI) based on system apparent power loss sensitivity is proposed. The newly proposed index .lambda.$^{Sloss}$ reaches -.inf. at system voltage collapse point and can be represented by .root..lambda.$^{Ploss}$$^{2}$+.lambda.$^{Qloss}$$^{2}$ where .lambda.$^{Ploss}$ and .lambda.$^{Qloss}$ are the VCPI based on the system active and reactive power loss sensitivity respectively. These indices can be used for the system VAR investment. .DELTA.Q [VAR] is invested, step by step, by the priority of the VCPI index given for each bus. The indices use information from normal power flow equations and their Jacobians. Computation time for deriving .lambda.$^{Sloss}$ is almost same as that for power flow calculation. Two case studies prove the effectiveness of the .lambda.$^{Sloss}$ index and the VAR investment algorithm proposed.