By Tom Kleckner
(Updated March 4 to include latest developments at CAISO.)
The nation’s grid operators are taking their first steps to respond to the spreading COVID-19 coronavirus, issuing travel restrictions, limiting access to their facilities and conducting stakeholder meetings through webinars and conference calls.
ERCOT, ISO-NE and NYISO have all emailed their stakeholders to say they are closely monitoring the outbreak and following guidance from federal, state and local health agencies to mitigate COVID-19’s further spread. CAISO followed suit Wednesday when it announced its own measures to prevent spread of the virus.
ERCOT notified stakeholders on Tuesday that, “out of an abundance of caution,” it has scrapped all in-person meetings through March 15 and replaced them with webinars or conference calls, effective Wednesday. The ISO has also instituted restrictions for visitors to all of its facilities and is canceling non-essential business travel by staff and contractors for the same period.
The Texas grid operator is also monitoring staff and their family’s international travel, instructing staff with illness or symptoms to stay home, and deep cleaning its facilities.
The ISO said it will review its restrictions on a weekly basis and alert stakeholders to any changes.
“ERCOT provides a critical service to Texans, and we are taking an abundance of caution to ensure the health and safety of our staff during this time,” spokesperson Leslie Sopko said in an email.
On Sunday, the state’s largest energy conference was cancelled because of COVID-19’s spread. (See CERAWeek Canceled as COVID-19 Virus Spreads.)
NYISO was first to email its stakeholders, doing so on Feb. 28. ISO-NE, like ERCOT, messaged its members on Tuesday.
NYISO “strongly encouraged” members’ personnel that travel to the ISO’s facilities to minimize the spread by following The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines. It also asked that it be notified if members’ staff attended recent in-person meetings or met with NYISO staff and later reported symptoms or tested positive for the coronavirus.
NYISO said its requirements are effective immediately for its personnel and will remain in place until further notice.
ISO-NE suggested members’ employees not meet with its staff or visit its facilities if they feel ill or show symptoms. The ISO referenced CDC’s expectation that the number of coronavirus cases will continue to grow and recommended stakeholders consider following the its guidelines.
“It is important to stress that, at this time, the risk to [ISO-NE] business operations remains low,” the grid operator said in its email.
COVID-19 has infected more than 90,300 people worldwide, killing more than 3,000.
PJM told its members earlier that its Incident Response Team is monitoring the outbreak and the guidance from the CDC, World Health Organization, the U.S. State Department and local health officials.
The RTO said it has suspended all international business travel and canceled all international visits to the PJM campus. It is requiring staffers to obtain a physician’s clearance to return to work after travel to affected geographic areas. It also is conducting “an enhanced cleaning process” with hospital-grade disinfectant and said staffers are equipped to work remotely if necessary.
CAISO alerted stakeholders Wednesday that “to protect the health of the company’s staff, and prevent possible disruption to critical business operations ” it has issued temporary restrictions on all in-person meetings through April 1 — or until further notice. In-person meetings hosted by CAISO and its Western Energy Imbalance Market will be conducted as teleconferences or webinars when possible, the ISO said.
The policy applies to a series of key meetings scheduled for this month, including those for CAISO’s Board of Governors; the Western EIM Governing Body and Governance Review; the Market Surveillance Committee; the Market Performance and Planning Forum; and the 2021 Local Capacity Requirements process. The decision will also impact CAISO’s March 11 Resource Interconnection Fair.
The ISO has also restricted visitor access to its facilities and suspended non-essential business travel for employees.
“We understand that the new protocol may be an inconvenience, and we apologize for any changes in travel plans, but continued reliable operation of the electrical system is our company’s first priority,” CAISO CEO Steve Berberich said.
SPP told RTO Insider it is continuing to work with health officials to monitor COVID-19 and influenza threats and respond appropriately. The RTO said it would use its communication channels and social media to alert its stakeholders of any steps being taken.
“We have a robust emergency management and business continuity plan that exists to maintain uninterrupted provision of our critical services,” SPP’s Derek Wingfield said. “Our goal is to ensure both the health and safety of our employees and the continued reliability of the grid.”
