Members agreed to consider an easier method for transmission owners to access real-time generator data, an effort to improve situational awareness and emergency response.

The Markets and Reliability Committee last week approved a problem statement by AEP’s Dana Horton to ease TO access to real-time MW output and MVar data. The data would be used as inputs to the TOs’ state estimators.

Horton said TOs are discouraged from obtaining the information under the current process, which he said is “burdensome and time-consuming.”

The information will improve TOs’ ability to “assess the impacts of external conditions and be able to develop effective plans or implement corrective actions to maintain reliability,” the problem statement said.

Under an issue charge approved by the MRC, the Operating Committee will consider developing new access rules and determine “the appropriate uses, storage and protection of the data.”

The work is expected to take three months.