Electric Co-op Today

NRECA has called on federal regulators to drop their proposal to expand a transmission reliability standard developed and submitted for approval by the nation’s grid watchdog, saying the expansion is unwarranted.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s proposal would ex­pand significantly the scope of the mandate given the North American Electric Reliability Corp. and its regional entities, NRECA stated in comments submitted Aug. 17.

The standard addresses transmission relay loadability reliability, re­quiring that transmission and generator owners and distribution pro­viders set protective relays according to specific criteria.

This is designed to ensure that the relays reliably detect and protect the electric network from all fault conditions, without limiting transmission loadability or interfering with system operators’ ability to protect system reliability.

In approving the standard [Docket RM08-13], FERC proposed to direct the grid watchdog to investigate specific issues that would broaden the standard’s scope to include virtually all facilities that operate above 100 kilovolts.

This would impose serious burdens on many of NRECA’s member co-ops and other entities, “even though a vast majority of the facilities drawn into the standard have no material impact on the reliability of the bulk power system,” the association underscored.

“Certain of NRECA’s members that do not have facilities which otherwise fall into the definition of [bulk power system] facilities due to their voltage levels, radial operation or for other reasons, will be affected by the proposed change,” the association said. “Other members that have protection systems on lower voltage facilities will have significantly greater responsibility.

“Compliance costs and costs of physical modifications to the affected facilities will also be significant,” it added.

The association said that while FERC has statutory authority to require that NERC investigate standards modifications, it must give the watchdog’s technical expertise “due weight” with regard to the conclusions it reaches on the need for standards expansion.

“The statute does not require NERC to adopt a specific result,” the association underscored. In this case, it asserted, that result had not been justified from a technical and engineering standpoint and was contrary to the Federal Power Act’s objectives.

“This proposal would grossly expand FERC’s reliability jurisdiction over small co-ops, and we’re against it,” said Rich Meyer, NRECA senior regulatory counsel.

Tags: Electric Grid, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, North American Electric Reliability Corporation, Transmission and Distribution