As the ERO, NERC must address all directives in Orders issued by FERC.  On March 18, 2010 FERC issued Order No. 733 which approved Reliability Standard PRC-023-1 – Transmission Relay Loadability, and also directed NERC, as the Electric Reliability Organization (“ERO”), to develop certain modifications to the PRC-023-1 standard through its Reliability Standards development process, to be completed by specific deadlines. Attachment 1 to the SAR contains the directives and associated deadlines. The Order also directed development of two new Reliability Standards to address issues related to generator relay loadability and the operation of protective relays due to power swings. The standards-related directives in Order 733 are aimed at closing some reliability-related gaps in the scope of PRC-023-1.

This SAR’s scope includes three standard development phases to address the standards-related directives in Order No. 733 directives. Phase I is focused on making the specific modifications to PRC-023-1 that were identified in the order; Phase II is focused on developing a new standard to address generator relay loadability; and Phase III is focused on developing requirements that address protective relay operations due to power swings.

This is the first draft of the SAR and the proposed requirements developed to address the first set of FERC directives in Order No. 733.  The SAR is being posted for a 30-day formal comment period and the proposed requirements are being posted for an informal 30-day comment period.  Under Order 733, NERC must file a revised PRC-023 in March, 2011. 

A draft PRC-023 Attachment B has been posted for a 20-day informal comment period through 8 p.m. Eastern on October 12, 2010.  PRC-023 – Attachment B provides a set of criteria for the Planning Coordinator to use in determining which of the facilities (transmission lines operated below 200 kV and transformers with low voltage terminals connected below 200 kV) in its Planning Coordinator Area are critical to the reliability of the bulk electric system to identify the facilities below 200 kV that must meet specific relay loadability criteria.  The criteria proposed in Attachment B were under field test and not available to the drafting team when the team prepared the other modifications to PRC-023-1 that were posted through September 19, 2010. 

 

The Standards Committee authorized an abbreviated comment period for this posting to assist the team in meeting its project schedule.  Order 733 directed that the initial set of specific changes to PRC-023-1, including the criteria addressed in Attachment B, be filed with the Commission by March 18, 2011.

Phase II addresses directives associated with development of a new standard to address generator relay loadabilty.

A draft PRC-023-2 has been posted for a 45-day formal comment period with ballot pool formation during the first 30 days of the comment period and an initial ballot conducted during the last 10 days of the comment period. 

 

PRC-023-2 addresses the Phase I directives from Order 733 including a process for use in determining which facilities (transmission lines operated below 200 kV and transformers with low voltage terminals connected below 200 kV) must meet specific relay loadability criteria.  The Phase I directives must be incorporated into PRC-023 and filed with the Commission by March 18, 2011.

The Standards Staff has reviewed the qualifications of those who have been nominated for appointment to the Relay Loadability Phase II Drafting Team drafting team.  The Standards Committee has approved the recommendations for appointment, and the Relay Loadability Phase II Drafting Team is seeking additional appointments to ensure that the team has adequate geographic and technical diversity.

 

The drafting team has posted its responses to the comments received with the initial ballot and formal comment period that ended on December 16, 2010.  The team made several conforming changes to the standard and the implementation plan and has posted its revised documents for a 20-day successive ballot.  This standard must be completed and filed with the Commission by March 18, 2011 to meet a set of directives in Order 733.  In support of meeting those directives, the Standards Committee authorized the team to post its revised standard for a longer successive ballot period without a parallel comment period. 

The NERC Board of Trustees will act on the standard at its March 10, 2011 meeting.