[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 91 (Wednesday, May 13, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22520-22521]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-11096]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology


Second Smart Grid Interoperability Standards Interim Roadmap 
Public Workshop

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), United 
States Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public workshop.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Standards and Technology announces 
that a free two-day public workshop on Smart Grid standards will be 
held on May 19-20, 2009, in the Washington, DC area.

DATES: The free public workshop will be held on May 19 and 20, 2009, 
from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The free public workshop will be held in the Washington, DC, 
area at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center, 201 
Waterfront Street, National Harbor, MD 20745. The location and 
registration information will be posted at: http://www.nist.gov/smartgrid/. Those interested in attending also can call Ashley Eldrege 
of the Electric Power Research Institute, on

[[Page 22521]]

650-855-2063 to register, or send a message to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Zulma Lainez at 301-975-2232 or by e-
mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Energy Independence and Security 
Act (EISA) of 2007 (Pub. L. 110-140), the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology (NIST) has ``primary responsibility to 
coordinate development of a framework that includes protocols and model 
standards for information management to achieve interoperability of 
smart grid devices and systems * * *'' (EISA, section 1305)
    In 2008, responding to this mandate, NIST initiated a government/
industry effort to develop and achieve consensus on an Interoperability 
Framework and to engage the many Smart Grid stakeholders in a 
coordinated approach to identify or develop needed standards. This 
coordinated effort was designed and initiated in full collaboration 
with the Department of Energy. In early 2009, responding to President 
Obama's energy-related national priorities, NIST intensified and 
expedited efforts to accelerate progress toward stakeholder consensus 
on Smart Grid standards.
    On April 28-29, 2009 an initial workshop was held in Reston, VA at 
which stakeholders engaged in discussions of Smart Grid architecture 
and requirements, and existing standards or standards under development 
that could be used as a foundation for Smart Grid interoperability 
standards. The May 19-20 workshop will continue the stakeholder 
consensus process by identifying additional standardization needs and 
providing input to a roadmap for their development. NIST has contracted 
with EPRI to facilitate both workshops. As specified in its contract 
with NIST, EPRI will utilize its technical expertise to compile, 
distill and organize stakeholder contributions into a draft interim 
roadmap for Smart Grid interoperability standards. The workshops and 
the interim roadmap document, coordinated by EPRI under its contract, 
provide an input to the NIST effort to expedite development of key 
standards for the Smart Grid. By early fall, NIST expects to describe 
an initial Smart Grid architecture, priorities for interoperability 
standards, including cybersecurity; an initial set of standards to 
support support implementation; and plans to meet remaining standards 
needs.
    NIST will submit standards that are identified or developed through 
this process to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Once 
FERC determines that there is sufficient consensus, EISA instructs FERC 
to institute a rulemaking proceeding to adopt the standards and 
protocols that may be necessary to ensure that there is Smart Grid 
functionality and interoperability in interstate transmission of 
electric power, and in regional and wholesale electricity markets.
    Plenary and break-out sessions at the May 19-20 workshop will cover 
a range of power, communication, and cybersecurity issues. Particular 
emphasis will be given to four high-priority Smart Grid applications 
identified by FERC: Demand Response, Electric Transportation, Wide-Area 
Visualization, and Storage.
    Additional Information: More information is available on the NIST 
Smart Grid project Web site at: http://www.nist.gov/smartgrid/. To help 
it fulfill its mandate to facilitate Smart Grid standards 
interoperability, NIST also manages a Smart Grid collaboration Web site 
at: http://collaborate.nist.gov/twiki-sggrid/bin/view/SmartGrid/WebHome. NIST recently contracted with the Electric Power Research 
Institute (EPRI) to perform services related to NIST's effort to 
coordinate development of Smart Grid standards. The contract requires 
EPRI to help NIST organize and facilitate two workshops at which 
stakeholders will present, review, develop, and work toward consensus 
on roadmap content and to use its technical expertise to compile, 
distill, and organize stakeholder contributions into a draft interim 
roadmap for smart grid interoperability standards. This notice 
announces the second of those workshops. All EPRI outputs under the 
contract are subject to NIST review and approval and are owned by NIST.

    Dated: May 6, 2009.
Richard F. Kayser,
Chief Scientist.
[FR Doc. E9-11096 Filed 5-12-09; 8:45 am]
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