NERC and all regional entities have gone live with Release 2 of the Align software platform and the ERO Secure Evidence Locker (SEL), the initiative to improve and standardize compliance monitoring and reporting processes across the ERO Enterprise.

According to a statement from NERC, functionality added to Align in Release 2, which took effect on Monday, includes technical feasibility exceptions (TFE), periodic data submittals (PDS), attestations, and self-certifications; the SEL will be used to collect registered entities’ evidence submitted in support of those activities. The new features build on those of Release 1, which covered creating and submitting self-reports and self-logs, creating and managing mitigating activities and mitigation plans, and responding to requests for information. 

Release 1 went live for NERC and select REs on March 31, with the rest of the ERO Enterprise joining by May 24. (See ERO Align Tool Goes Live for NERC, MRO, Texas RE.) For Release 2, all REs are participating from launch with TFE functionality, though only Texas RE went live with all functionalities on Monday. WECC will go live with PDS functionality on Aug. 2 and with self-certifications on Sept. 1. All other REs will add PDS and self-certification on Oct. 1.

As with Release 1, the functionalities added to Align and the SEL will only apply to new cases. Registered entities should continue to process and submit supporting evidence for existing self-reports using their current tools. 

New cases using the monitoring methods covered in Release 3 will also be managed in existing systems until that update goes live. The timing of Release 3 has not been determined; a NERC representative told ERO Insider that it will take place once testing is complete, “probably after October.” Release 3 will cover compliance planning and audits, along with spot checks.

NERC has been working on the Align project since 2014, when it began as the CMEP (Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Program) Technology Project. The ERO Enterprise had planned to roll the software out in September 2019 but delayed implementation due to concerns about the software vendor’s sale to SAI Global, an Australia-based company whose investors include a private equity firm based in Hong Kong. (See NERC Investigating Chinese Tie to Software Vendor.)

The SEL was not originally planned to be rolled out alongside Release 1, but registered entities requested it be added to the schedule due to security concerns. NERC conceived the SEL to provide secure storage where potentially sensitive information collected as evidence would be kept separate from work papers managed through the Align tool. The SEL is not part of the main Align tool for security reasons, and REs are allowed to construct their own lockers for CMEP evidence as long as they meet the reliability and security specifications provided by NERC last year.

Training materials for Align and the SEL can be found on NERC’s training site, which includes training videos and user guides.