[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 11 (Thursday, January 16, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2331-2332]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-1033]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. RM01-12-000, RM02-1-000, and RM02-12-000]


Remedying Undue Discrimination Through Open Access Transmission 
Service and Standard Electricity Market Design Standardization of 
Generator Interconnection Agreements and Procedures Standardization of 
Small Generator Interconnection Agreements and Procedures, Advance 
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking; Notice of Agenda for Technical 
Conference

January 10, 2003.
    1. As announced in a Notice of Technical Conference issued December 
3, 2002, Commission staff will convene a technical conference to 
discuss queuing of generator interconnection requests. The conference 
will be held January 21, 2003 starting at 10 am and ending at 4:30 pm 
(a change from the previously announced starting and ending times) in 
the Commission Meeting Room (Room 2C) at the Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC On December 17, 2002, 
a Notice of Possible Discussion Items for the queuing conference was 
issued.
    2. The purpose of the conference is to explore the significant 
issues participants have raised during the course of the Large 
Generator Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) and Small Generator 
Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANOPR) proceedings (RM02-1-000 
and RM02-12-000, respectively), as well as the Commission's Standard 
Market Design NOPR proceeding (SMD NOPR) (RM01-12-000) concerning 
queuing procedures for managing generator interconnections. The 
technical conference will allow the development of a more complete 
record in these proceedings but is not intended to revisit non-queuing 
issues that have already been raised and explored in the Large 
Generator NOPR and the Small Generator ANOPR proceeding.
    3. The conference is open for the public to attend; to ensure 
sufficient seating, attendees are asked to register in advance a http://www.ferc.gov/queuing-registration-012103.htm. FERC Commissioners may 
attend and participate in the discussions.
    4. There will be three panels. The conference Agenda is attached to 
this Notice. It has tentative and confirmed lists of the panelists and 
the content that is to be covered during each panel. Each panelist will 
have 5 minutes for opening remarks. Panelists are asked to limit the 
hard-copy of Powerpoint presentations they may use to four pages of 
major points and observations, including a cover page. The use of 
black-and-white graphics to summarize and aggregate observations is 
strongly encouraged. Electronic files of these 4-page presentations 
should be sent to [email protected] by January 15, 2003 to allow 
copying of the material because there will be no slide projection at 
the conference. Panelists are also encouraged to file electronic copies 
of their proposals and/or other presentation materials as part of the 
referenced proceedings. Anyone may submit comments on issues addressed 
in this technical conference by February 4, 2003. The filing should not 
exceed 20 pages, including an executive summary. This conference will 
be transcribed and will broadcast over the Internet. For information on 
getting a copy of the transcript or viewing the broadcast please refer 
to the previous notices, which can be found at the following link: 
http://www.ferc.gov/electric/gen_inter.htm. Questions related to this 
conference can be directed to Norma McOmber at the email listed above 
or (202) 502-8022.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.

    Attachment: Agenda of Technical Conference.
    Panel 1: The Current Status of Generator Interconnection Queues--10 
am-11:30 am

Confirmed List of Panelists

David Cory, PacifiCorp
Steven R. Herling, PJM
Rich Kowalski, ISO New England
Paul D. Olivier, Entergy
Phil Pettingill, California ISO
Bruce Rew, Southwest Power Pool

Discussion Topics

    A. Describe generally the current status of the interconnection 
queue, including: the total size of the queue (MW); the location, size, 
queue position, date of request and expected completion date of active 
projects; and the number, size, queue position and date of request of 
any inactive projects.
    B. Explain existing interconnection queuing policies and practices: 
Summarize the rules that govern the queue of a specific transmission 
provider; how a generator's queue position is determined; what 
milestones must be met to retain queue position; what events trigger a 
change in queue position or removal from the queue; how inactive 
projects are treated; how queue position determines responsibility for 
costs of studies and upgrades; how queue position determines 
entitlements to financial transmission rights or other property rights; 
how a change in the queue position of one generator affects the cost 
responsibility of others; is there currently information available on 
queue status; whether interconnection requests are currently being 
processed on a first-come, first-served basis, on a clustered (time or 
geographically) basis, or both, and why.
    C. Describe any differences in the way small and large generators 
are treated for queuing purposes.
    D. Describe any differences in the way ``energy resources'' and 
``network (or capacity) resources'' are treated for queuing purposes.
    E. Discuss whether generator interconnection requests and 
transmission service requests are included in the same queue. If not, 
describe the relationship between the two queues. What is the 
relationship between the transmission planning process and the 
administration of the queue(s)?
    F. Do all TOs and ISOs/RTOs conduct the same interconnection 
studies, grid impact studies or other analyses for new project 
interconnection?
    Break, 11:30 am-11:45 am
    Panel 2: Experience with the Administration of Generator 
Interconnection Queues--11:45 am-1:15 pm

Confirmed List of Panelists

James Caldwell, American Wind Energy Association
J. Jolly Hayden, Calpine
John Jimison, U.S. Combined Heat and Power Association
Donald Jones, Xcel
John Simpson, Reliant
Justin Thompson, Pinnacle West
Weston L. Williams, Southern California Edison

Discussion Topics

    A. Provide examples of good and bad experiences with queues, being 
as specific as possible regarding the facts pertaining to your 
company's experiences. Of particular interest are examples of problems 
associated with

[[Page 2332]]

the following: undue discrimination on the part of transmission 
providers; inappropriate or unrealistic milestones; inequitable cost 
assignments; study procedures or other requirements that lead to 
unnecessary project delays or increased costs; and lack of flexibility 
in the queuing rules.
    B. Identify any problems that are specific to small generators or 
to large generators within the queue process.
    C. Describe the impact of letting the generator choose whether to 
interconnect as either an energy resource or a network (capacity) 
resource.
    D. Describe any problems associated with the need to manage both 
interconnection requests and transmission service requests within the 
context of an overall transmission planning and expansion process.
    E. Describe solutions to the problems identified by discussion of 
the items above.
    Lunch, 1:15 pm-2 pm
    Panel 3: Further Ideas for Improving Queue Management--2 pm-4:30 pm

Confirmed List of Panelists

John P. Buechler, New York ISO
Scott M. Helyer, Tenaska
Sam Jones, ERCOT
Pete Landrieu, Public Service Electric and Gas Company
Beth Soholt, Wind on the Wires
Lou Ann, Westerfield Idaho Public Utilities Commission
Kim Wissman, Ohio Public Utilities Commission

 Discussion Topics

    A. Are there particular queuing policies or practices that should 
change to make queue management more effective? Consider: common study/
analytical techniques and tools; different or new analytical tools; 
procedures for ensuring that the projects of independent generators are 
treated comparably with those of the transmission provider; treatment 
of inactive projects; procedures for coordinating the upgrades needed 
for projects in the queue with the transmission planning process; rules 
for assigning cost responsibility and property rights to generators in 
the queue; whether there should be a link between siting requests and 
transmission service requests; use of milestones to maintain queue 
position; and a list of actions or events that can trigger a change in 
queue position.
    B. What siting and grid operations information is needed to obtain 
a position in the queue, where is this information kept, and what are 
the rules for accessing this information? Would proposed restrictions 
on the Critical Energy Infrastructure Information Rulemaking proceeding 
(Docket Nos. RM02-4-000, PL02-1-000) affect parties' ability to site 
plants or interconnect cleanly?
    C. Should small and large non gas-fired generators receive 
different treatment within a queue? If so, how should it be different?
    D. Should the Commission standardize specific queue management 
practices or allow regional variations around a set of core principles?
    E. Should queue position be treated as a property right which can 
be transferred?

Audience Comments

[FR Doc. 03-1033 Filed 1-15-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P