NERC has finished identifying owners of inverter-based resources that will need to register with the ERO and is ready to move on to the final stage of the work plan FERC approved in May 2023, the organization said in a quarterly update filed Aug. 4 (RD22-4).

According to the filing, NERC and the regional entities identified 720 IBRs qualifying for registration that either are or plan to be connected by the registration deadline of May 15, 2026, with a total nameplate capacity of over 32,000 MVA. They were distributed among the regional entities as follows:

• • MRO: 110 IBRs with a total nameplate capacity of 4,454 MVA;
  • NPCC: 50 at 1,752 MVA;
  • ReliabilityFirst: 73 at 3,572 MVA;
  • SERC: 171 at 9,881 MVA;
  • Texas RE: 34 at 1,792 MVA; and
  • WECC: 282 at 10,725 MVA.

The ERO Enterprise arrived at these numbers by revising their initial estimate of 863 IBRs with nameplate capacity of 38,785 MVA, derived from surveys of balancing authorities and transmission owners and submitted to FERC in February. (See NERC Updates FERC on IBR Registration Progress.) NERC refined the estimate by reaching out to generator owners and operators identified as candidates in the initial survey to confirm that their facilities qualify for registration.

GOs and GOPs with facilities requiring registration will be classified as Category 2, a label created by NERC in changes to its Rules of Procedure filed with FERC in 2024. (See FERC Accepts NERC ROP Changes, Drops Assessment Proposal.) Category 2 GOs are entities that own or maintain IBRs that “either have or contribute to an aggregate nameplate capacity of [at least] 20 MVA, connected through a system designed primarily for delivering such capacity to a common point of connection at a voltage [of at least] 60 kV.” Category 2 GOPs operate such equipment.

NERC emphasized in the filing that these numbers are subject to change. Facilities under development may be canceled or have their expected operational date delayed past the registration deadline. Registered entities also may determine their facilities were inaccurately reported, in which case they will be removed from the list.

The identification of qualifying facilities completes Phase 2 of NERC’s IBR registration work plan, developed in response to a 2022 FERC order to identify and register IBRs that currently are not required to register but, “in the aggregate, have a material impact” on reliable operation. Phase 1 was the creation of the Category 2 designation.

Phase 3, comprising registration of GOs and GOPs, will begin “in the upcoming months,” NERC said. Entities will register through the Centralized Organization Registration ERO System, the common registration portal for all utilities.

The ERO will continue to file quarterly updates on the percentage of registrations completed within each RE’s footprint, with the final update to be filed within a few days of the deadline. NERC also will update its quick reference guide on the registration initiative with links to frequently asked questions and recordings of webinars for candidates.