FERC

FERC Approves NERC Use of Operating Reserves - June 4 - FERC issued a letter order allowing NERC to spend up to $600,000 from its operating reserves to expedite development and implementation of a centralized document management program.

NERC Holds Reliability Technical Conference - June 4 - FERC held a technical conference regarding policy issues related to reliability of the Bulk-Power System.  The technical conference covered topics such as NERC's 2015 State of Reliability Report, emerging issues surrounding changes to our nation's fuel sources and power supply portfolio, and performance of NERC as the Electric Reliability Organization.  Various NERC executives, including Gerry Cauley, president and CEO of NERC, provided testimony at the technical conference.

FERC Approves Revisions to Eight Reliability Standards - May 29 - In a letter order, FERC approved NERC’s revisions to eight proposed Reliability Standards “to ensure that only those dispersed generation resources that could affect the reliability of the Bulk-Power System are subject to the standards.” The revisions are necessary to address the inclusion of certain dispersed generation resources (such as wind turbines) in the definition of “Bulk Electric System.”

NERC

NERC Requests Approval of New PRC Standards - June 8 - NERC filed with FERC a petition seeking approval of standards PRC-005-4 (Protection System Misoperation Identification and Correction) and PRC-010-2 (Undervoltage Load Shedding).  The proposed standards are intended to ensure that undervoltage load shedding (UVLS) protective relay misoperations are identified and corrected, and that UVLS equipment performance is appropriately evaluated.

NERC Requests Approval of Amended Compliance and Certification Committee Charter - June 2 - NERC submitted to FERC a request for approval of an amended Compliance and Certification Committee Charter to reflect organizational changes at NERC and correct certain references to the NERC Rules of Procedure.

Multi-Region Registered Entity Oversight Program Open - June 1 - NERC's program for coordinated oversight of registered entities located in more than one Regional Entity footprint.  Interested multi-region registered entities (MRREs) must notify NERC and the applicable Regional Entities by June 30 of their intent to participate in the program, which will designate a Lead Regional Entity for the participating MRREs to streamline compliance obligations.

NERC Submits Budgeted-to-Actual Costs Variance Filing for 2014 with FERC - May 29 - NERC filed with FERC its budgeted-to-actual costs variance for the 2014 calendar year for NERC, each of the regional entities, and Peak Reliability, Inc.  The attachments to NERC's filing show that, overall, NERC was 3.0% under budget for the 2014 calendar year.  The data for Peak Reliability also shows it being 1.3% under budget for 2014.

NERC Releases 2015 State of Reliability Report - May 28 - NERC released its annual “State of Reliability” report. The report reflects NERC’s “independent view of ongoing BPS trends” and provides recommendations that are intended to inform NERC’s reliability compliance and standard development work.

Cybersecurity and Grid Security

DOE Releases 2014 Infrastructure Events and Expansions Report - May 28 - DOE published its annual Year in Review report on Energy Infrastructure Events and Expansions. The report aggregates major events, energy disruptions, and infrastructure changes during 2014 and discusses recent trends and international developments that could significantly affect global energy markets.

Congress

Vegetation Management Bill Introduced in U.S. House of Representatives - May 15 - Representative Ryan Zinke, a republican from Texas, introduced a vegetation management bill in the U.S. House of Representatives.  The bill, H.R. 2538, is aimed at improving reliability of the portions of the electric grid located on federal lands through vegetation management that would reduce the risks of wildfires.  The bill is now before the Committees on Natural Resources and Agriculture for consideration of the provisions within each committee's jurisdiction.

Van Ness Feldman counsels, advises and trains a wide range of clients on reliability matters.  Please email us or call us at 202.298.1817 or 206.829.1814 for additional information.

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