November
Item E-6: FERC seeks comment on proposed Reliability Standard BAL-001-2 (Real Power Balancing Control Performance) which is designed to ensure that applicable entities maintain system frequency within narrow bounds around a scheduled value. FERC further is requesting that NERC submit an informational filing that would address the impact of the proposed Reliability Standard on inadvertent interchange and unscheduled power flows. November 20, 2014 NOPR.
Item E-10: FERC accepts NERC's Five-Year Performance Assessment, finds that NERC continues to satisfy the statutory and regulatory criteria for certification as the Electric Reliability Organization, and finds that the Regional Entities continue to satisfy applicable statutory and regulatory criteria. In addition, the FERC directs NERC to submit an informational filing addressing specific matters. November 20, 2014 Decision.
Item E-4: FERC approves Reliability Standard CIP-014-1 that enhances the physical security measures for the most critical Bulk-Power System facilities and thereby lessen the overall vulnerability of the Bulk-Power System against physical attacks. In addition, FERC directs NERC to develop one modification to the Standard and submit an informational filing. November 20, 2014 Order No. 802.
October
Item E-8: FERC accepts the North American Electric Reliability Corporation 2015 business plan and budget, the 2015 business plans and budgets of each Regional Entity, the 2015 business plan and budget of the Western Interconnection Regional Advisory Body, and the 2015 business plan and budget of Peak Reliability, Inc. October 16, 2014 Decision.
Item E-4: FERC Denies Request for Rehearing of Order No. 797 and Approves Reliability Standard EOP-010-1, Geomagnetic Disturbance Operations. October 16, 2014 Order No. 797-A.
September
Item E-6: The order accepts NERC’s compliance filing and approves two modifications to the FFT program. First, the order approves NERC’s proposal to continue to process certain moderate risk possible violations as FFTs, and directs NERC to provide additional reporting on the treatment of moderate risk FFTs in the next annual report. Second, the order approves in part and rejects in part NERC’s proposal to extend the timeframe for competing mitigation activities associated with an FFT. Specifically, the order approves NERC’s proposal to extend the mitigation period after an FFT is posted from 90 days to one year. However, the order rejects NERC’s proposal to allow mitigation activities to extend longer than one year after an FFT is posted. September 18, 2014 Decision.
Item E-16: FERC seeks comments on two revised Reliability Standards, COM-001-2 (Communications) and COM-002-4 (Operating Personnel Communications Protocols). The NOPR also raises concerns and seeks additional comment on the responsibility of transmission owners and generator owners that receive operating instructions to use three-part communications, on a proposed directive to modify COM-001-2 to address internal communication capabilities, and on NERC’s intended meaning and use of the terms Interpersonal Communication and Alternative Interpersonal Communication. September 18, 2014 NOPR.
Item E-4: FERC seeks comments on collecting Demand and Energy Data Reliability Standard (MOD-031-1). Reliability Standard MOD-031-1 provides authority for applicable entities to collect demand, energy and related data to support reliability studies and assessments and to enumerate the responsibilities and obligations of requestors and respondents of that data. September 18, 2014 NOPR.
July
Item E-10: FERC Approves Final Rule Approves New Reliability Standard, Generator Relay Loadability and Revised Transmission Relay Loadability Reliability Standard. July 17, 2014 Order No. 799.
Item E-9: FERC seeks comment on proposed physical security Reliability Standard PRC-005-3 Protection System Maintenance. The NOPR adds certain autoreclosing relays to the currently approved standard (PRC-005-2). The NOPR also proposes to direct NERC to submit a report based on actual performance data or simulated system conditions from planning assessments, two years after the effective date of the proposed standard, addressing whether the proposed Reliability Standard applies to an appropriate set of autoreclosing relays. In addition, the NOPR proposes to direct NERC to modify the proposed Reliability Standard to include maintenance and testing of supervisory relays. July 17, 2014 NOPR.
Item E-8: FERC seeks comment on proposed physical security Reliability Standard CIP-014-1. The NOPR also proposes to direct NERC to develop two modifications to the physical security Reliability Standard. July 17, 2014 NOPR.
June
Item E-19: FERC approves Reliability Standard on Systems Personnel Training (PER-005-2), along with its associated implementation plan and violation risk factors and severity levels. The final rule also approves the new NERC Glossary term “Operations Support Personnel” and the proposed changes to the Glossary term “System Operator.” June 19, 2014 Decision E-19.
Item E-18: FERC approves Reliability Standard EOP-010-1 (Geomagnetic Disturbance Operations). This Reliability Standard is designed to mitigate the effects of geomagnetic disturbances (GMDs) on the Bulk-Power System by requiring responsible entities to implement Operating Plans and Operating Procedures or Processes. FERC further approved the associated violation risk factors and violation severity levels, implementation plan, and effective dates proposed by NERC. June 19, 2014 Order No. 797.
Item E-17: FERC seeks comment on the proposed Reliability Standard MOD-001-2 (Modeling, Data, and Analysis) developed by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation. Reliability Standard MOD-001-2 addresses the reliability issues associated with determinations of available transfer capability and available flowgate capability. June 19, 2014 NOPR.
March
FERC approves revisions to the definition of bulk electric system. The revisions respond to two Commission directives from Order Nos. 773 and 773-A: (1) to implement the exclusions for radial systems (exclusion E1) and local networks (exclusion E3) so that they do not apply to generator interconnection facilities for bulk electric system generators identified in inclusion I2, and (2) to modify the local network exclusion to remove the 100 kV minimum operating voltage to allow systems that include one or more looped configurations connected below 100 kV to be eligible for the local network exclusion. The revisions also respond to industry concerns raised during the initial development of the revisions to the definition. March 20, 2014 Decision.
FERC seeks comments on the proposed new standard on generator relay loadability, Reliability Standard PRC-025-1, which will serve to enhance reliability by imposing mandatory requirements governing generator relay loadability, thereby reducing the likelihood of premature or unnecessary tripping of generators during system disturbances. In addition, the proposed revisions to PRC-023-2 are appropriate in that they clarify the applicability of the two standards governing relay loadability (PRC-025-1 and PRC-023-3), and prevent potential compliance overlap due to inconsistencies. Finally, FERC seeks comment on the proposed violation risk factors and violation severity levels as proposed for PRC-025-1, as well as the proposed implementation plans for the two standards. March 20, 2014 NOPR.
FERC grants in part the requests for clarification and denies the requests for rehearing of Order No. 791, which approved the CIP version 5 Reliability Standards. March 20, 2014 Order No. 791-A.
FERC approves five modeling (MOD) Reliability Standards submitted by the NERC: MOD-025-2, MOD-026-1, MOD-027-1, PRC-019-1, and PRC-024-1. The Reliability Standards help ensure that verified data is available for power system planning and operational studies by requiring the verification of generator equipment and capability needed to support Bulk-Power System reliability and promoting the coordination of protection system settings. The improvements in the accuracy of model verifications should help reduce the risk of generator trips and provide more accurate models for transmission planners and planning coordinators to develop system models and simulations. March 20, 2014 Order No. 796.
FERC directs the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) to develop reliability standards requiring owners and operators of the Bulk-Power System to address risks to the reliable operation of the Bulk-Power System due to physical security threats and vulnerabilities. March 7, 2014 Order.
January
FERC seeks comments on Notice of Proposed Rulemaking which proposes to approve proposed Reliability Standard EOP-010-1 (Geomagnetic Disturbance Operations) submitted by NERC. The proposed Reliability Standard was developed and submitted by NERC in response to a Commission directive in Order No. 779. January 16, 2014 NOPR.
FERC approves Reliability Standard BAL-003-1 (Frequency Response and Frequency Bias Setting) submitted by the NERC. The Reliability Standard defines the amount of frequency response needed from balancing authorities to maintain Interconnection frequency within defined bounds and includes requirements for the measurement and provision of frequency response. Also, Reliability Standard BAL-003-1 establishes a minimum Frequency Response Obligation for each balancing authority, provides a uniform calculation of frequency response, sets Frequency Bias Settings that set values closer to actual balancing authority frequency response, and encourages coordinated automatic generation control operation. January 16, 2014 Order No. 794.