The NEPOOL Reliability Committee last week recommended that the Participants Committee support revisions to ISO-NE’s Planning Procedures 5-5 (PP5-5), 5-1 and 5-0.

The proposed changes to PP5-5 would align the RTO’s planning procedures with upcoming changes in NERC requirements and terminology, including the shift from special protection systems to remedial action schemes (RASes). It will also align PP5-5 requirements with NERC standard PRC-012-2, effective Jan. 1, 2021, which requires submittal of information on new and functionally modified RASes.

Each entity with an RAS will be required to submit a completed Attachment 1 for each of its existing schemes within six months of the changes’ effective date for ISO-NE to populate an RAS database. This information will help the RTO appropriately evaluate the impacts of RASes on the grid, as required by NERC and Northeast Power Coordinating Council.

ISO-NE also provided some responses to feedback received on the proposed revisions during last month’s RC meeting. The RTO clarified the definition of an automatic control scheme (ACS). ISO-NE said automatic under-frequency load shedding, out-of-step tripping and power swing blocking schemes are not considered ACSes, though automatic sectionalization schemes, such as restoring load tapped from a faulted line by re-energizing the non-faulted section, are.

The RTO also answered a question about how the requirements of PP5-5 will apply to RASes located on or affecting non-bulk electric system and non-pool transmission facilities. It said language will be added to clarify that section I.3.9 requirements and schemes located on sub-69-kV facilities that could have a significant adverse impact on the transmission system or a market participant are subject to I.3.9 approval but not NPCC/NERC review.

The proposed changes to PP5-0 and PP5-1 are minor but required to conform with those to PP5-5. The PC will vote on all the revisions at its next meeting Jan. 7.

Stein Re-elected

The committee re-elected Robert Stein, a consultant for H.Q. Energy Services and principal for Signal Hill Consulting Group, as vice chair.