[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 102 (Tuesday, May 27, 2008)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 30326-30328]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-11694]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

18 CFR Part 40

[Docket No. RM08-7-000]


Modification of Interchange and Transmission Loading Relief 
Reliability Standards; and Electric Reliability Organization 
Interpretation of Specific Requirements of Four Reliability Standards

May 16, 2008.
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, DOE.

ACTION: Supplemental Notice of proposed rulemaking.

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SUMMARY: On April 21, 2008, the Commission issued a Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking (NOPR) that proposes, inter alia, to approve interpretations 
of specific requirements of Commission-approved Reliability Standards 
submitted to the Commission for approval by the North American Electric 
Reliability Corporation (NERC).

[[Page 30327]]

Pursuant to section 215 of the Federal Power Act (FPA), the Commission 
supplements the NOPR by proposing to approve NERC's modified 
interpretation of Reliability Standard BAL-005-0 (Automatic Generation 
Control), Requirement R17.

DATES: Comments for this Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking are 
due June 12, 2008, concurrent with the comment due date for the NOPR 
issued on April 21, 2008.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number by any 
of the following methods:
     Agency Web Site: http://www.ferc.gov. Documents created 
electronically using word processing software should be filed in native 
applications or print-to-PDF format and not in a scanned format.
     Mail/Hand Delivery. Commenters unable to file comments 
electronically must mail or hand deliver an original and 14 copies of 
their comments to: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Secretary of 
the Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Patrick Harwood (Technical Information), Office of Electric 
Reliability, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, 
NE., Washington, DC 20426.
Christopher Daignault (Legal Information), Office of the General 
Counsel, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE., 
Washington, DC 20426.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

May 16, 2008.
    1. On April 21, 2008, the Commission issued a Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking (NOPR) that proposes, inter alia, to approve interpretations 
of specific requirements of Commission-approved Reliability Standards 
submitted to the Commission for approval by the North American Electric 
Reliability Corporation (NERC).\1\ Pursuant to section 215 of the 
Federal Power Act (FPA),\2\ the Commission supplements the NOPR by 
proposing to approve NERC's modified interpretation of Reliability 
Standard BAL-005-0 (Automatic Generation Control), Requirement R17.
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    \1\ Modification of Interchange and Transmission Loading Relief 
Reliability Standards; and Electric Reliability Organization 
Interpretation of Specific Requirements of Four Reliability 
Standards, 73 FR 22,856 (Apr. 28, 2008), FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 
32,632 (2008).
    \2\ 16 U.S.C. 824o (Supp. V 2005).
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I. Background

A. Regulatory History

    2. On December 19, 2007, NERC submitted for Commission approval 
interpretations of requirements in four Commission-approved Reliability 
Standards, including an interpretation of BAL-005-0, Requirement 
R17.\3\ On April 15, 2008, NERC submitted a request to withdraw the 
interpretation of Requirement R17 and substitute a revised 
interpretation of the same requirement (referred to by NERC as 
``interpretation (b)'').
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    \3\ The Commission approved BAL-005-0 in Order No. 693. 
Mandatory Reliability Standards for the Bulk-Power System, Order No. 
693, 72 FR 31,452, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,242, at P 396 (2007), 
order on reh'g, Order No. 693-A, 120 FERC ] 61,053 (2007).
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    3. On April 21, 2008, the Commission issued a NOPR in this 
proceeding. In the NOPR, the Commission noted that NERC submitted a 
modified interpretation of BAL-005-0 on April 15, 2008. The Commission 
stated that it did not plan to act on the initial interpretation and 
would address ``interpretation (b)'' at a future time.

B. NERC's Proposed Interpretation

    4. Requirement R17 of Reliability Standard BAL-005-0 obligates each 
balancing authority to ``at least annually check and calibrate its time 
error and frequency devices against a common reference.'' This is one 
aspect of ensuring the accurate calculation of area control error 
(ACE). Requirement R17 states that a balancing authority must adhere to 
minimum accuracies in terms of ranges for the following devices: 
Digital frequency transducer, voltage transducer, remote terminal unit, 
potential transformer, and current transformer.
    5. NERC received a request for interpretation regarding the type 
and location of the equipment to which Requirement R17 applies. In 
response, a NERC task force developed, and the NERC board of trustees 
approved, interpretation (b), which provides that BAL-005-0, 
Requirement R17

applies only to the time error and frequency devices that provide, 
or in the case of back-up equipment may provide, input into the 
reporting or compliance ACE equation or provide real-time time error 
or frequency information to the system operator. Frequency inputs 
from other sources that are for reference only are excluded. The 
time error and error frequency measurement devices may not 
necessarily be located in the system operations control room or 
owned by the Balancing Authority; however the Balancing Authority 
has the responsibility for the accuracy of the frequency and time 
error devices. * * *
New or replacement equipment that provides the same functions noted 
above requires the same calibrations. Some devices used for time 
error and frequency measurement cannot be calibrated as such. In 
this case, these devices should be cross-checked against other 
properly calibrated equipment and replaced if the devices do not 
meet the required level of accuracy.

II. Discussion

    6. The Commission proposes to approve NERC's interpretation (b) of 
BAL-005-0, Requirement R17. The Commission agrees that, as stated in 
interpretation (b), time error and frequency devices that serve as 
input into the reporting or compliance of the ACE equation, whether 
inside or outside the operations control room, must be annually checked 
and calibrated. In addition, the Commission notes that tie-line 
megawatt metering data is another important aspect of ensuring the 
accurate calculation of area control error (ACE), and interpretation 
(b) limits the specific accuracy requirements of Requirement R17 to 
frequency and time error measurement devices. We seek comment on 
whether interpretation (b): (1) Could decrease the accuracy of 
frequency and time-error measurements by not requiring calibration of 
tie-line megawatt metering devices; (2) what conditions would preclude 
the requirement to calibrate these devices; and (3) whether the 
accuracy of these devices is assured by other requirements within BAL-
005-0 in the absence of calibration.

III. Comment Procedures

    7. The Commission invites interested persons to submit comments on 
the matters and issues proposed in this notice to be adopted, including 
any related matters or alternative proposals that commenters may wish 
to discuss. Comments are due June 12, 2008, concurrent with the comment 
due date for the NOPR issued on April 21, 2008. Comments must refer to 
Docket No. RM08-7-000, and must include the commenter's name, the 
organization they represent, if applicable, and their address in their 
comments.
    8. The Commission encourages comments to be filed electronically 
via the eFiling link on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov. The Commission accepts most standard word processing 
formats. Documents created electronically using word processing 
software should be filed in native applications or print-to-PDF format 
and not in a scanned format. Commenters filing electronically do not 
need to make a paper filing.

[[Page 30328]]

    9. Commenters that are not able to file comments electronically 
must send an original and 14 copies of their comments to: Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First 
Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426.
    10. All comments will be placed in the Commission's public files 
and may be viewed, printed, or downloaded remotely as described in the 
Document Availability section below. Commenters on this proposal are 
not required to serve copies of their comments on other commenters.

IV. Document Availability

    11. In addition to publishing the full text of this document in the 
Federal Register, the Commission provides all interested persons an 
opportunity to view and/or print the contents of this document via the 
Internet through FERC's Home Page (http://www.ferc.gov) and in FERC's 
Public Reference Room during normal business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. 
Eastern time) at 888 First Street, NE., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426.
    12. From FERC's Home Page on the Internet, this information is 
available on eLibrary. The full text of this document is available on 
eLibrary in PDF and Microsoft Word format for viewing, printing, and/or 
downloading. To access this document in eLibrary, type the docket 
number excluding the last three digits of this document in the docket 
number field.
    13. User assistance is available for eLibrary and the FERC's Web 
site during normal business hours from FERC Online Support at (202) 
502-6652 (toll free at 1-866-208-3676) or e-mail at 
[email protected], or the Public Reference Room at (202) 502-
8371, TTY (202) 502-8659. E-mail the Public Reference Room at 
[email protected].

List of Subjects in 18 CFR Part 40

    Electric power, Electric utilities, Reporting and recordkeeping 
requirement.

    By direction of the Commission.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8-11694 Filed 5-23-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P