Hybrid Meetings to Start in February

After nearly two years of holding meetings online amid the COVID-19 pandemic, NERC Board Chair Ken DeFontes finally confirmed that the organization’s Board of Trustees and Member Representatives Committee (MRC) will return to in-person gatherings at their next session in February 2022.

Speaking at Thursday’s virtual open meeting of the MRC, DeFontes previewed the preliminary plans for next year’s meeting schedule. As NERC’s management has hinted on previous occasions, February’s meetings will be held in a hybrid format, with the board and MRC gathering in person and all other attendees joining virtually. While the February meeting had been planned for New Orleans, DeFontes said this session will take place at NERC headquarters in Atlanta to ensure a big enough meeting space and appropriate equipment for the online stream.

While the schedule for the remainder of the year has not been finalized yet, DeFontes said the board is planning for the May and August meetings to be in-person gatherings in D.C. and Vancouver, Canada, without an online component. The location and format of the November meeting are yet to be determined, but it will likely be another hybrid gathering.

“I think in the long run, [we’re] probably going to end up with two full, in-person meetings and two hybrid-type meetings” per year, DeFontes said. “We’ll see how that goes. I’m very optimistic that we’ll be able to do this, and I think everybody I speak to is really starving for the opportunity to get back together and continue to have the informal conversations and see people in person.”

Frustration at Cold Weather Delay

The decision of NERC’s Standards Committee last month to delay approving for industry comment a standard authorization request (SAR) developed in response to February’s winter storm drew sharp words from several attendees at Thursday’s board meeting.

NERC CEO Jim Robb | NERC

“I was really disappointed that the … committee didn’t take action in October,” NERC CEO Jim Robb said. “When I informed the FERC chairman of the Standards Committee’s inaction, the only way I could describe his reaction was one of befuddlement and disbelief.”

The SAR was drafted after FERC and NERC released their preliminary report on February’s storms, which listed nine key recommendations for avoiding another near complete collapse like the one experienced by ERCOT, in September. (See FERC, NERC Share Findings on February Winter Storm.)

Committee members were reluctant to authorize the new SAR without seeing the final report. (See NERC Standards Committee Delays Action on Cold Weather SAR.) However, Robb reminded the committee on Thursday that they were only being asked to send the SAR for comment, not to approve moving forward with standard development.

“This was just a step to … get the process started, so we can begin to work on a very complicated matter of significant importance,” Robb said. “We can’t use the process or, worse, fear of compliance to delay dealing with issues.”

DeFontes too expressed “disappointment” in the committee’s inaction, calling the “social and economic costs” of the February storms “significant” and emphasizing that the threat of cold weather toward the electric grid continues to grow.

“The board understands the desire to approach these issues in a deliberate and measured manner. The joint inquiry team recommendations call for some dramatic adjustments in how the industry approaches winter preparation,” DeFontes said. “In our opinion, these adjustments are not only dramatic, but also vitally and urgently necessary. The way we do that is by taking on these issues directly and expeditiously.”

Standards Committee Chair Amy Casuscelli, of Xcel Energy, assured the board that “the committee understands the urgency and wants to be responsive … as expeditiously as possible.” She promised prompt action once the final report is released, which is expected some time this month.

Jones, Flandermeyer Picked to Head MRC

MRC members unanimously elected Vice Chair Roy Jones, CEO of ElectriCities, to succeed Paul Choudhury of BC Hydro as chair for 2022. Evergy’s Jennifer Flandermeyer will take over from Jones as vice chair. Their terms begin in February.

Nominations for a special election to fill Flandermeyer’s role as representative of sector 1 (investor-owned utilities) will begin Nov. 5 and conclude Dec. 3, with the election to be held Dec. 13-22. Choudhury reminded members that regular elections for representatives whose terms expire in February will take place from Dec. 8 to 17; nominations for those elections opened Sept. 8 and will end on Monday.

Trustees and Members Honor Gallagher

Both the board and the MRC passed a resolution honoring Bill Gallagher, formerly of the Vermont Public Power Supply Authority, who died Oct. 15 in Florida. At the time of his death, Gallagher had served on the MRC since its inception in 2007, including stints as its vice chair on 2010 and chair in 2011.

In addition to his service at NERC, Gallagher’s resume included time as chairman of the American Public Power Association (APPA) and general manager of Vermont Electric Cooperative. According to Gallagher’s obituary, he spent the last several years serving as a consultant for the Transmission Access Policy Study Group.

“I know if we were [together] in person, we’d be using almost all of our coffee breaks and in-between time to talk about Bill and the memories he’s had for each of us,” Choudhury said. “I only knew Bill for a few years, but for many of you, Bill has been a big part of your own participation here at NERC. … Bill was always there and ready with some really good questions for us. So let’s honor his legacy by being Bill today and asking great questions.”