The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission last week approved a final rule extending reliability standards to generator tie-lines and a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on standards regarding generator verification.

Generator Requirements at the Transmission Interface (RM12-16)

In a final rule, the commission approved Reliability Standards FAC-001-1 (Facility Connection Requirements), FAC-003-3 (Transmission Vegetation Management), PRC-004-2.1a (Analysis and Mitigation of Transmission and Generation Protection System Misoperations), and PRC-005-1.1b (Transmission and Generation Protection System Maintenance and Testing).

Reason for change: The North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) proposed the standards to close a reliability gap for generator interconnection facilities without requiring generators to register as transmission operators.

Impact: The FAC-001 and FAC-003 standards currently in effect are applicable only to transmission owners and operators; the change will extend their applicability to certain generator interconnection facilities.

The current versions of PRC-004 and PRC-005 do apply to generator owners as well as transmission owners.  NERC proposed modifications to clarify that their requirements extend not only to protection systems associated with the generator, but also to any protection systems associated with the generator interconnection.

The standards define “generator interconnection facility” as referring to “generator interconnection tie-lines and their associated facilities extending from the secondary (high) side of a generator owner’s step-up transformer(s) to the point of interconnection with the host transmission owner.”

FERC Contacts:

Technical Information — Susan Morris, Office of Electric Reliability, (202) 502-6803, susan.morris@ferc.gov

Legal Information — Julie Greenisen, Office of the General Counsel, (202) 502-6362, julie.greenisen@ferc.gov

Generator Verification Reliability Standards (RM13-16)

The commission approved a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) endorsing NERC’s proposed standards MOD-025-2 (Verification and Data Reporting of Generator Real and Reactive Power Capability and Synchronous Condenser Reactive Power Capability), MOD-026-1 (Verification of Models and Data for Generator Excitation Control System or Plant Volt/Var Control Functions), MOD-027-1(Verification of Models and Data for Turbine/Governor and Load Control or Active Power/Frequency Control Functions), PRC-019-1 (Coordination of Generating Unit or Plant Capabilities, Voltage Regulating Controls, and Protection), and PRC-024-1 (Generator Frequency and Voltage Protective Relay Settings).

Reason for change: The standards are designed to reduce the risk of generator trips and provide more accurate models for transmission planners and planning coordinators to develop system models and simulations. Portions of the standards were proposed to comply with FERC Order 693.

Impact: The standards should ensure that generator models accurately reflect generator capabilities and equipment performance.

Standards MOD-026-1, MOD-027-1, PRC-019-1 and PRC-024-1 are new.

MOD-025-2 consolidates two existing standards, MOD-024-1 (Verification of Generator Gross and Net Real Power Capability) and MOD-025-1 (Verification of Generator Gross and Net Reactive Power Capability), which will be retired.

Standards MOD-026-1 and MOD-027-1 would exclude units rated below 100 MVA (Eastern and Quebec Interconnections), 75 MVA (Western Interconnection) and 50 MVA (ERCOT Interconnection), potentially excluding about 20% of registered generators from compliance.

MOD-026-1 would allow transmission planners to compel the compliance of generators below the threshold if the generator is deemed to have “technically justified” units.

The commission is seeking comment on whether the higher thresholds limit the effectiveness of the proposed standards and on the exception regarding “technically justified” units.

FERC contacts:

Technical Information — Syed Ahmad, Office of Electric Reliability, (202) 502-8718, syed.ahmad@ferc.gov

Legal Information — Mark Bennett, Office of General Counsel, (202) 502-8524, mark.bennett@ferc.gov