FERC on Friday approved NYISO’s more stringent testing requirements for generators providing black start and system restoration services (ER17-2271). The changes, effective Oct. 8, require that generators participating in the Consolidated Edison local system restoration plan comply with all applicable testing requirements imposed by mandatory reliability standards.

The New York State Reliability Council (NYSRC) last November approved proposed reliability rule 133, which requires that all generators providing restoration services annually test their ability to energize a dead bus without support from the transmission system. NYSRC coordinates its reliability rules with NERC and the Northeast Power Coordinating Council.

Con Ed in 2016 became a NERC-registered transmission operator and must comply with NERC reliability standard EOP-005-2.3.

The commission’s Oct. 6 order dismissed a protest from NRG Energy that the proposed change would give Con Ed “sole discretion to change black start testing rules at any time, without NYISO stakeholder or commission review, or adequate notice to affected generators.” NYISO had responded to NRG that any changes to its System Restoration Manual are subject to review by stakeholders, posted for review at least 15 days prior to a scheduled committee approval and must be approved by 58% of voting members of the applicable committee.

FERC agreed: “Of note, in this case, NYISO stakeholders have already reviewed and unanimously approved revisions to the System Restoration Manual that include specific black start testing requirements in the Con Edison plan.”

— Michael Kuser