The team modifying NERC’s standards for cold weather preparedness confirmed in a webinar Thursday that the joint inquiry by the ERO and FERC into the recent power outages in Texas and neighboring states will not affect its schedule for completing Project 2019-06, which remains on track to be finished “by the end of the year.” (See Anger Rises over Texas Power Restoration.)

However, NERC Senior Standards Developer Jordan Mallory also acknowledged that the effort “is a high-priority project” for the organization. She said the standard drafting team (SDT) has been actively conducting industry outreach and is confident that “we will only need one more ballot” after the current formal comment period, which ends on March 3.

SPP proposed Project 2019-06 in response to a joint FERC-NERC report on the Jan. 17, 2018, cold-weather event in the South Central U.S. that caused it and its neighbor MISO to seek voluntary load reductions, and nearly forced load shedding in MISO South. (See NERC Panel Delays Action on Cold Weather Prep.)

Team Credits Industry Feedback for Improved Product

Industry reaction to previous postings have been lukewarm at best, as noted at September’s meeting of NERC’s Standards Committee, where the standard authorization request (SAR) was approved. (See “Cold Weather SAR Approved,” NERC Standards Committee Briefs: Sept. 24, 2020.) Many respondents from northern latitudes — where cold weather preparedness is commonplace — have warned against issuing new standards that bind all utilities equally regardless of their exposure to or experience with cold weather preparedness. (See Gen Operators Cool to Winter Preparedness Standard.)

SPP’s Matthew Harward, chair of the SDT, said at Thursday’s webinar that the constructive criticism had helped the team create a proposal that would be acceptable to more stakeholders. He emphasized that the team is aware that “a one-size-fits-all approach will not be the most efficient way” to address the issue, and that it had focused on giving generator owners “flexibility … to make many determinations based on their own situations.”

The proposal currently out for comment involves three updated standards: EOP-011-2 (Emergency preparedness), IRO-010-4 (Reliability coordinator data specification and collection) and TOP-003-5 (Operational reliability data).

Changes to EOP-011-2 include adding new requirements for cold weather preparedness plans on the part of generator owners, along with data specifications and collections for balancing authorities and annual maintenance and inspection requirements. IRO-010-4 would be modified to include data specification requirements and cold weather parameters for reliability coordinators, while updates to TOP-003-5 would include those requirements for transmission operators.

The team is also seeking comment on the implementation plan, which would see all new requirements take effect one year after the new standards are accepted by FERC. Harward emphasized that despite the team’s confidence in their work, they still welcome feedback from stakeholders to make sure they are on the right track.

If “you have a suggestion — another standard or new standard … where these requirements should go — please submit comments, because those are very valuable to the drafting team to help us navigate where to place the standards,” Harward said.