[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 1, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-2186]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: February 1, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. EL94-23-000]

 

Inquiry Concerning Conditions in Portions of the Eastern 
Interconnection; Order Directing Filing of Information

    Issued January 26, 1994.

    During the week of January 16, 1994, vast portions of the Eastern 
Interconnection\1\ experienced record low temperatures. While voltage 
reductions were implemented in many areas within the Eastern 
Interconnection, rolling blackouts were required only in the 
Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland Pool (PJM) and in Virginia Electric 
and Power Company's (VEPCO) service territory. During this period, 
sales of power, into PJM in particular, were at or near record levels. 
Both PJM and VEPCO set new peak demand records in this period. While 
the interconnected system in these areas did not fail, it appears that 
the system was stretched to its physical limits.
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    \1\The Eastern Interconnection includes all of the continental 
United States except for those areas contained in the Western 
Systems Coordinating Council, in the Electric Reliability Council of 
Texas, and in Alaska.
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    As part of its public interest responsibilities, including 
improving the ability of public utilities to avoid, if possible, 
similar situations in the future, the Commission is interested in 
learning about what took place during the week of January 16. 
Specifically, the Commission needs information concerning the sales, 
purchases, and transmission transactions that took place during this 
period in these areas that, in conjunction with unprecedented 
conservation efforts including a declared emergency in Washington, DC 
and the shutdown of Federal and state government offices in the 
Washington Metropolitan region, apparently prevented the physical 
collapse of the network in PJM and VEPCO. Accordingly, pursuant to 
sections 202(g), 301, 304, 307, 309 and 311 of the Federal Power 
Act,\2\ the Commission is directing all public utilities\3\ that are 
interconnected with PJM and/or VEPCO and that engaged in the sale of 
electric energy at wholesale in interstate commerce and/or the 
transmission of electric energy in interstate commerce with utilities 
located in PJM or with VEPCO\4\ to provide the information specified on 
the Attachment to this order no later than February 4, 1994. The 
Commission also directs the public utility members of PJM\5\ and VEPCO 
to provide information concerning any purchases during the period and 
any transactions among themselves, including any purchase, sale or 
transmission between PJM and VEPCO, or vice versa. The information is 
limited to jurisdictional service scheduled in whole or in part during 
the period beginning January 16, 1994, at 12:01 am. and ending January 
22, 1994, at midnight.
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    \2\16 U.S.C. 824a(g), 825, 825c, 824f, 825h, and 825j (1988).
    \3\16 U.S.C. 824(e) (1988).
    \4\Public utilities interconnected with PJM and/or VEPCO include 
Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company, the public utility 
subsidiaries of the Allegheny Power System, the public utility 
subsidiaries of American Electric Power Company, the public utility 
members of the New York Power Pool and Carolina Power & Light 
Company.
    \5\The public utility members of PJM include Atlantic City 
Electric Company, Baltimore Gas and Electric Company, Delmarva Power 
& Light Company, Jersey Central Power & Light Company, Metropolitan 
Edison Company, Pennsylvania Electric Company, Pennsylvania Power & 
Light Company, Philadelphia Electric Company, Potomac Electric Power 
Company, and Public Service Electric and Gas Company.
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    Finally, the Commission is also interested in learning whether 
there was adequate transmission capacity available to wheel power to 
those utilities unable to meet their load during the critical time 
period and, if not, where transmission constraints were located. 
Accordingly, the public utility members of PJM and VEPCO should advise 
the Commission no later than February 4, 1994, of any instance during 
the week of January 16 in which they were able to arrange for a 
purchase of power but were unable to complete the transaction due to 
the inability to arrange transmission. They should identify the 
entity(ies) that failed to provide transmission and describe the 
reasons given. In addition, any entity, whether or not interconnected 
with PJM and/or VEPCO that had capacity available to sell power to PJM 
and VEPCO but was unable to obtain transmission should advise the 
Commission of such facts no later than February 4, 1994.
    The Director, Office of Electric Power Regulation, or his designee, 
is hereby authorized to obtain any additional information which is 
necessary to accomplish the purposes of this inquiry.

Information Collection Statement

    The Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) regulations require 
that OMB approve certain information collection requirements.\6\ The 
Commission has obtained approval of the information collection 
requirements in this order pursuant to the expedited review provisions 
in Sec. 1320.18 of OMB's regulations.\7\
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    \6\18 CFR part 1320.
    \7\Id. at 1320.18(a).
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    By the Commission.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.

Attachment

    1. Who must report: Public utilities that are interconnected with 
PJM and/or VEPCO and that scheduled sales of electric energy at 
wholesale in interstate commerce and/or the transmission of electric 
energy in interstate commerce with utilities located in PJM and/or 
VEPCO in whole or in part, during the period beginning January 16, 
1994, at 12:01 a.m. and ending January 22, 1994, at midnight and the 
public utility members of PJM and VEPCO must provide the information.
    2. Information to report for each hour during the covered period 
(individually for all transactions entered into by the public utility 
in that hour):
    A. Name, address and contact person for the recipient or provider 
of the service under OTHER PARTY.
    B. The name of the service as found in the FERC Rate Schedule and 
FERC Rate Schedule No.
    C. The rates on file for the service provided (i.e., an energy 
charge of 110% of seller's incremental cost and a demand charge of up 
to 7 mills/kWh) and the rates actually charged for the service (i.g., 
an energy charge of 44 mills/kWh and a demand charge of 6 mills/kWh). 
If the rate on file is a split the savings rate, give the seller's 
incremental cost and the buyer's decremental cost in addition to the 
rate actually charged.
    D. The MW of the transaction if billed in MW and the MWh sold in 
each hour for all transactions.
    E. Your system load in each hour.
    F. Any explanatory information including information regarding 
transactions which could not be scheduled.
    G. The original and two copies of the information requested.

                                                  Hourly Transaction Report of________ (Utilities Name)                                                 
                                                                    [Date__________]                                                                    
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                                          Name of                 Rates for service on file       Actual rates charged                                  
                           Other party  service as   FERC rate ------------------------------------------------------------                       Your  
     Hour beginning        provider--P   listed in   schedule                                                                  MW        MWH     system 
                          recipient--R     rate         No.      Demand    Energy     Other    Demand    Energy     Other                        load in
                                         schedule                                                                                               the hour
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                          ............  ..........  ..........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........
                          ............  ..........  ..........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........
                          ............  ..........  ..........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........
                          ............  ..........  ..........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........
                          ............  ..........  ..........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........
                          ............  ..........  ..........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........
                          ............  ..........  ..........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........  ........
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Notes: List all transactions occurring in each hour, if a transaction encompasses more than one hour report all data for each hour. If you sold power or
  provided transmission service to the OTHER PARTY place a (P) before the OTHER PARTY name, if you purchased power or received transmission service from
  the OTHER PARTY place an (R) before the OTHER PARTY name. With respect to the ``OTHER'' column under RATES FOR SERVICE ON FILE and ACTUAL RATES       
  CHARGED, describe the charges, if any, in a footnote. RATES FOR SERVICE ON FILE are the rates or rate ceilings in the rate schedule on file, ACTUAL   
  RATES CHARGED are the actual rates in $/kWh, $/kW/day, $/kW/week, $/kW/month as shown on the bills.                                                   

[FR Doc. 94-2186 Filed 1-31-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M