An Introduction to WECC and the
Mandatory Reliability Standards
Brock John
October 15, 2014
1
Northeast Blackout of 2003
• August 14, 2003 ~04:10PM EDT
• More than 508 generating units at 265 power plants shut down during the outage.
• Just before the event, the NYISO managed power system was carrying 28,700 MW of load.
• At the height of the outage, the load had dropped to 5,716 MW, a loss of 80%.
• SYSTEM RELIABILITY WAS COMPROMISED
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2
Who Became Responsible?
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FERC
North American Electric
Reliability Corp
Western Electricity Coordinating Council
Regulatory Response
• 2006 – FERC issued an order certifying NERC as the
Electricity Reliability Organization for the United States.
• Prior to this, NERC's guidelines for power system
operation and accreditation were referred to as Policies -
compliance was voluntary.
• NERC has since revised its Policies into Standards, and
now has authority to enforce those standards on power
system entities operating in the United States as well as
several provinces in Canada, including BC
• Compliance is now mandatory – BCUC has the right
to impose financial penalties for noncompliance
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North American Electric Reliability Corporation
• NERC is a not-for-profit international regulatory authority whose mission is to ensure the reliability of the bulk electric system in NA.
• NERC develops and enforces Reliability Standards;
‒ annually assesses seasonal and long‐term reliability;
‒ monitors the bulk electric system through system awareness;
‒ and educates, trains, and certifies industry personnel.
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Western Electricity Coordinating Council
• WECC is the Regional
Entity responsible for
coordinating and
promoting Bulk Electric
System reliability in the
Western
Interconnection.
• WECC’s service territory
extends from Canada to
Mexico including the
provinces of Alberta and
British Columbia, the
northern portion of Baja
California, Mexico, and all
or portions of the 14
Western states between.
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BC Utility Commission’s Role
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FERC
North American Electric
Reliability Corp
Western Electricity Coordinating Council
BC Utilities
Commission
BC Utilities Commission
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• 2007 British Columbia Energy Plan stated that BC needs to remain
consistent with evolving North American reliability standards
• BC Utilities Commission Act was amended giving the BCUC
jurisdiction to adopt reliability standards for application in British
Columbia (our standards can be slightly different).
• BCUC adopted
‒ 103 reliability standards (some already in use, but now mandatory),
‒ Rules of Procedure,
‒ Registration Manual and Compliance Monitoring Program for reliability standards
in British Columbia and
‒ Appointed WECC as Administrator to assist the BCUC in carrying out the
registration of parties and compliance monitoring.
• BCUC Reliability Standard website - http://www.bcuc.com/mrs.aspx
Does This Apply To You?
Bulk Electric System Definition
• Transmission Elements operated at 100 kV or higher
Inclusions:
• I1 - Transformers with the primary terminal and at least one secondary terminal
operated at 100 kV or higher
• I2 - Generating resource(s) with gross individual nameplate rating greater than 20
MVA or gross plant/facility aggregate nameplate rating greater than 75 MVA
including the generator terminals through the high-side of the step-up transformer(s)
connected at a voltage of 100 kV or above.
• I3 - Blackstart Resources identified in the Transmission Operator’s restoration plan.
• I4 - Dispersed power producing resources with aggregate capacity greater than
75 MVA (gross aggregate nameplate rating) utilizing a system designed primarily for
aggregating capacity, connected at a common point at a voltage of 100 kV or above.
Note - Elements may be included or excluded on a case-by-case basis through the
Rules of Procedure exception process
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Responsible Entities
Entity Definition of Entity Applicability
Reliability
Coordinator/Interchange
Authority
Responsible for the reliable operation of the Bulk Electric System, has the Wide Area view of the Bulk Electric System,.
Peak Reliability
Balancing Authority Integrates resource plans ahead of time, maintains load-interchange-generation balance within a Balancing Authority Area, and supports Interconnection frequency in real time.
BC Hydro
Generation Operator Operates generating unit(s) and performs the functions of
supplying energy and Interconnected Operations Services.
IPP
Generation Owner Owns and maintains generating units. IPP
Transmission Operator Responsible for the reliability of its “local” transmissionsystem and operates or directs the operations of the transmission facilities.
IPP or BC Hydro
(directs
operations)
Transmission Owner Owns and maintains transmission facilities. IPP
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Applicable Standards In BC
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Category Description Applicability to IPPs
BAL Balancing Issues N/A
CIP Critical Infrastructure Protection Transmission Operators
Generator Operators
COM Communications adequacy Transmission Operators
Generator Operators
EOP Emergency Operations Planning Transmission Operators
Generator Operators
FAC Facility Connection Requirements Transmission Owner
Transmission Operators
Generator Operators
INT Interchange Information N/A
IRO Reliability Coordination Transmission Owner
Transmission Operators
Generator Owners
Generator Operators
Applicable Standards In BC - continued
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Category Description Applicability to IPPs
MOD Available Transmission System Capability Transmission Owner
Transmission Operators
Generator Owners
PER Operating Personnel Responsibilities Transmission Operators
PRC Protection System Coordination Transmission Owner
Transmission Operators
Generator Owners
Generator Operators
TOP Reliability Responsibilities and Authorities Transmission Operators
Generator Operators
TPL System Performance N/A
VAR Voltage and Reactive Control Transmission Operators
Generator Owners
Generator Operators
Compliance Monitoring Program
• Self‐Certification: Attestation by an Entity as to its compliance or
noncompliance with Reliability Standards – annually
• Periodic Information Submittals: Information submitted by an Entity to
demonstrate compliance with Reliability Standards – typically quarterly.
• Self‐Reporting: Information prepared by an Applicable Entity identifying
a possible violation of a Reliability Standard, based on the Entity's own
assessment.
• Spot Checking: A request made to an Entity to provide Information to
support the Applicable Entity’s Self‐Certification, Self‐Reporting, or
Periodic Information Submittal – typically random or triggered
• Compliance Audit: A systematic and objective review and examination
of an Entity’s Information and activities to evaluate compliance with
Reliability Standards.
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Questions?
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