[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 140 (Tuesday, July 22, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39236-39238]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-19190]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. RM95-9-003]


Open Access Same-Time Information System and Standards of 
Conduct; Notice of Filing and Request for Comments on Request for 
Clarification of Masking Procedures and Proposed Interim Steps to 
Implement On-Line Negotiations and Posting of Discounts

July 15, 1997.

Compliance Date for Unmasking the Identities of Parties to Transactions

    On June 27, 1997, the OASIS How Working Group (How Group) filed a 
letter stating that there has been confusion in the electric industry 
as to whether unmasking the identities of parties to transactions, as 
required by Order No. 889-A,\1\ was to have been accomplished by the 
effective date of the order, May 13, 1997, or as part of the 
forthcoming revisions to the OASIS Standards and Protocols document. 
The How Group proposes that this requirement be implemented as soon as 
practical, but in no case later than August 31, 1997. The How Group 
argues

[[Page 39237]]

that this date is appropriate given the industry's confusion on this 
issue and given that implementation of this requirement necessitated 
modification to OASIS software programs.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ Open Access Same-Time Information System and Standards of 
Conduct, Order No. 889, FERC Stats. & Regs. para. 31,037, 61 FR 
para. 21,737 (1996), order on reh'g, Order No. 889-A, FERC Stats. & 
Regs. para. 31,049, 62 FR 12,484 (1997), reh'g pending.
    \2\ The same letter also contains a request to extend the due 
date for submittal of a revised OASIS Standards and Protocols 
document and for submittal of a report on OASIS Phase II 
implementation. These requests were granted in a separate notice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    After consideration of the How Group's request, we will grant the 
request that implementation of the requirements in Order No. 889-A to 
unmask information, previously required to be implemented by May 13, 
1997, be implemented as soon as possible, but in no case later than 
August 31, 1997.

Unmasking Information on Source and Sink

    The How Group also states that clarification is needed on whether 
the unmasking of information identifying source and sink \3\ is 
presently required, and if so, at what point in the reservation and 
scheduling process this information is to be disclosed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \3\ The location of the generating facility or facilities 
supplying the capacity and energy is the ``source'' and the location 
of the load ultimately served by the capacity and energy transmitted 
is the ``sink.'' See Sec. 17.2(iv) of the pro forma tariff. The two 
terms are used, but not defined, in the Standards and Protocols 
document, see Sec. 4.3.5, and in the Data Element Dictionary 
accompanying Order No. 889, see 61 FR at 21,820.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The How Working Group's request for clarification states the 
positions of transmission providers and customers on the issue of 
unmasking source and sink information. However, the Commission needs to 
better understand the reasons for and against masking information on 
source and sink. For this reason, we invite interested persons to file 
with the Secretary written comments on this issue in accordance with 
the instructions provided below.
    In addition to inviting a general discussion of this issue, we have 
some specific questions we would like to see addressed. For example, 
the comments should address the reasons why some transmission providers 
and customers consider this information to be business sensitive or 
confidential while others do not.
    Source and sink information is important for determining the impact 
of a proposed transaction on the transmission grid. Masking this 
information limits public access to transmission related information. 
The comments should address whether public access to this information 
may harm competition and reduce efficiency, and if so, why. Also, the 
comments should address whether, if we allow source and sink 
information to be masked, competitors will be able to accurately 
estimate this information from other available data.
    Additionally, the Commission is interested in better understanding 
the implications of masking source and sink information as the industry 
moves from contract path to flow-based methods of determining available 
transmission capability.

Proposed Interim Procedures to Implement On-Line Price Negotiations and 
Disclosure of Discounts

    The How Group's letter also responds to the request in Order No. 
889-A that the group suggest ways to implement on-line price 
negotiation and disclosure of discounts using existing OASIS Phase I 
templates. The How Group's letter proposes:
    On-line price negotiation is proposed in Phase 1 by allowing the 
customer to modify the price field when submitting a request to 
purchase transmission service using the transrequest template. This 
would require a minor change to most OASIS nodes. The provider response 
in the transtatus template would be accepted if the bid is approved and 
denied if the bid is not acceptable. The reason for denial would be 
shown in the comments field. The transtatus template would retain the 
customer's bid price as a permanent record, whether accepted or not. If 
the request is denied for price reasons, the customer could repeat the 
process by submitting a new request with a different price bid.
    Disclosure of discounts given will be accomplished on an interim 
basis using the existing message template. A category called discounts 
will be added to Phase 1 OASIS to indicate messages which contain 
discount information. The provider will be required to indicate 
information such as service type, path, POR, POD, customer name, price, 
and terms of the discount. If a discount is given on a posted product, 
it is also required that the transmission provider change the posted 
offer price to match the discount.
    The Commission requests comments as to the effectiveness of these 
procedures. We would like to know whether the proposed interim measures 
are sufficient to permit the on-line negotiation and the disclosure of 
discounts required by Order No. 889-A and, if not, what modifications 
are needed. Specifically, it is our understanding that in the proposed 
negotiation process the customer would place a bid in the price field 
of the transrequest template when submitting a request to purchase 
transmission service as a discount. The transmission provider would 
respond by either accepting or denying the request using the transtatus 
template. If the request is accepted the transtatus template would 
contain a permanent record of the discounted price and terms and 
conditions of the transaction. If the bid is rejected, the customer 
could make another bid using the transrequest template.
    It is our understanding that before a discount is accepted on a 
posted product, the discounted price will be posted in the offer 
template. For both posted products and products in which customers have 
requested non-standard terms and conditions, the How Group proposes, on 
an interim basis, to use the existing message template to disclose 
discounts given.
    The Commission also requests suggestions for any revisions to the 
Standards and Communication Protocols and data dictionary needed to 
implement the interim measures.

Instructions for Filing Written Comments

    Written comments (an original and 14 paper copies and one copy on a 
computer diskette in Wordperfect 6.1 format or in ASCII format) must be 
received by the Commission on or before August 15, 1997. Comments must 
be filed with the Office of the Secretary and must contain a caption 
that references Docket No. RM95-9-003. All written comments will be 
placed in the Commission's public files and will be available for 
inspection or copying in the Commission's Public Reference Room during 
normal business hours. All comments received on diskette will be made 
available to the public on the Commission's electronic bulletin board 
(EBB).
    Address: Office of the Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, 888 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426.
    For Further Information Contact:

Marvin Rosenberg (Technical Information), Office of Economic Policy, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, N.E., 
Washington, D.C. 20426, (202) 208-1283
William C. Booth (Technical Information, Office of Electric Power 
Regulation, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, 
N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426, (202) 208-0849
Gary D. Cohen (Legal Information), Office of the General Counsel, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, N.E., 
Washington, D.C. 20426, (202) 208-0321


[[Page 39238]]


    By direction of the Commission.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 97-19190 Filed 7-21-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M