[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 13 (Friday, January 20, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2963-2964]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-1070]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC12-1-000]


Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-725F); Comment 
Request

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Comment request.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3507(a)(1)(D), the Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission (Commission or FERC) is submitting the information 
collection FERC-725F, ``Mandatory Reliability Standards for Nuclear 
Plant Interface Coordination'', to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for review of the information collection requirements. Any 
interested person may file comments directly with OMB and should 
address a copy of those comments to the Commission as explained below. 
The Commission issued a Notice in the Federal Register (76 FR 67158, 
10/31/2011) requesting public comments. FERC received no comments on 
the FERC-725F and is making this notation in its submittal to OMB.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due by February 
21, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Comments filed with OMB, identified by the OMB Control No. 
1902-0249, should be sent via email to the Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs: [email protected]. Attention: Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission Desk Officer. The Desk Officer may also be 
reached via telephone at (202) 395-4718.
    A copy of the comments should also be sent to the Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, identified by the Docket No. IC12-1-000, by 
either of the following methods:
    eFiling at Commission's Web site: http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp.
    Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 
Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 
20426.
    Instructions: All submissions must be formatted and filed in 
accordance with submission guidelines at: http://www.ferc.gov/help/submission-guide.asp. For user assistance contact FERC Online Support 
by e-mail at [email protected], or by phone at: (866) 208-3676 
(toll-free), or (202) 502-8659 for TTY.
    Docket: Users interested in receiving automatic notification of 
activity in this docket or in viewing/downloading comments and 
issuances in this docket may do so at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/docs-filing.asp.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Ellen Brown may be reached by e-mail at 
[email protected], by telephone at (202) 502-8663, and by fax at 
(202) 273-0873.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: FERC-725F Mandatory Reliability Standards for Nuclear Plant 
Interface Coordination
    OMB Control No.: 1902-0249
    Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-725F information 
collection requirements with no changes to the reporting requirements.
    Abstract: The Commission requires the information collected by the 
FERC-725F to implement the statutory provisions of section 215 of the 
Federal Power Act (FPA) (16 U.S.C. 824o). On August 8, 2005, the 
Electricity Modernization Act of 2005, which is Title XII, Subtitle A, 
of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005), was enacted into law.\1\ 
EPAct 2005 added a new section 215 to the FPA, which required a 
Commission-certified Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) to develop 
mandatory and enforceable Reliability Standards, which are subject to 
Commission review and approval. Once approved, the Reliability 
Standards may be enforced by the ERO subject to Commission oversight, 
or the Commission can independently enforce Reliability Standards.\2\
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    \1\ Energy Policy Act of 2005, Public Law 109-58, Title XII, 
Subtitle A, 119 Stat. 594, 941 (2005), 16 U.S.C. 824o.
    \2\ 16 U.S.C. 824o(e)(3).
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    On February 3, 2006, the Commission issued Order No. 672, 
implementing section 215 of the FPA.\3\ Pursuant to Order No. 672, the 
Commission certified one organization, North American Electric 
Reliability Corporation (NERC), as the ERO. The Reliability Standards 
developed by the ERO and approved by the Commission apply to users, 
owners and operators of the Bulk-Power System as set forth in each 
Reliability Standard.
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    \3\ Rules Concerning Certification of the Electric Reliability 
Organization; and Procedures for the Establishment, Approval, and 
Enforcement of Electric Reliability Standards, Order No. 672, FERC 
Stats. & Regs. ] 31,204, order on reh'g, Order No. 672-A, FERC 
Stats. & Regs. ] 31,212 (2006).
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    On November 19, 2007, NERC filed its petition for Commission 
approval of the Nuclear Plant Interface Coordination Reliability 
Standard, designated NUC-001-1. In Order No. 716, issued October 16, 
2008, the Commission approved the standard while also directing certain

[[Page 2964]]

revisions.\4\ Revised Reliability Standard, NUC-001-2, was filed with 
the Commission by NERC in August 2009 and subsequently approved by the 
Commission January 21, 2010.\5\
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    \4\ Mandatory Reliability Standard for Nuclear Plant Interface 
Coordination, Order No. 716, 125 FERC ] 61,065, at P 189 & n.90 
(2008), order on reh'g, Order No. 716-A, 126 FERC ] 61,122 (2009).
    \5\ North American Electric Reliability Corporation, 130 FERC ] 
61,051 (2010). When the revised Reliability Standard was approved 
the Commission did not go to OMB for approval. It is assumed that 
the changes made did not substantively affect the information 
collection and therefore a formal submission to OMB was not needed.
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    The purpose of Reliability Standard NUC-001-2 is to require 
``coordination between nuclear plant generator operators and 
transmission entities for the purpose of ensuring nuclear plant safe 
operation and shutdown.'' \6\ The Nuclear Reliability Standard applies 
to nuclear plant generator operators (generally nuclear power plant 
owners and operators, including licensees) and ``transmission 
entities,'' defined in the Reliability Standard as including a nuclear 
plant's suppliers of off-site power and related transmission and 
distribution services. To account for the variations in nuclear plant 
design and grid interconnection characteristics, the Reliability 
Standard defines transmission entities as ``all entities that are 
responsible for providing services related to Nuclear Plant Interface 
Requirements (NPIRs),'' and lists eleven types of functional entities 
(heretofore described as ``transmission entities'') that could provide 
services related to NPIRs.\7\
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    \6\ See Reliability Standard NUC-001-2 at http://www.nerc.com/files/NUC-001-2.pdf.
    \7\ The list of functional entities consists of transmission 
operators, transmission owners, transmission planners, transmission 
service providers, balancing authorities, reliability coordinators, 
planning authorities, distribution providers, load-serving entities, 
generator owners and generator operators.
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    Reliability Standard NUC-001-2 requires a nuclear power plant 
operator and its suppliers of back-up power and related transmission 
and distribution services to coordinate concerning nuclear licensing 
requirements for safe nuclear plant operation and shutdown and system 
operating limits. Information collection requirements include 
establishing and maintaining interface agreements, including record 
retention requirements.
    Type of Respondents: e.g. nuclear operators, nuclear plants, 
transmission entities
    Estimate of Annual Burden: \8\ The Commission estimates the Public 
Reporting Burden for this information collection as:
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    \8\ Burden is defined as the total time, effort, or financial 
resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, or 
disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. For 
further explanation of what is included in the information 
collection burden, reference 5 Code of Federal Regulations 1320.3.

 
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                                      Number of           Number of        Average burden
 FERC data collection FERC-725F      respondents          responses          hours per       Total annual burden
  (OMB Control No. 1902-0249)         annually           (Documents)          response              hours
                                 (1)...............  (2)...............  (3)..............  (1)*(2)*(3)
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New agreements.................  10 nuclear          1.................  Reporting: 1,080.  Reporting: 32,400
                                  operators + 20
                                  transmission
                                  entities.
                                                                         Recordkeeping:     Recordkeeping: 3,240
                                                                          108.
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Modifications to agreements....  65 nuclear plants   2.................  Reporting: 67      Reporting: 26,000
                                  + 130                                   (rounded).
                                  transmission
                                  entities \9\.
                                 ..................  ..................  Recordkeeping: 7   Recordkeeping: 2,600
                                                                          (rounded).
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    Total......................  Not applicable      Not applicable....  Not applicable...  64,240
                                  (see text for
                                  discussion).
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    The Commission estimates the total annual cost burden to 
respondents as:
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    \9\ This figure of 130 transmission entities is based on the 
assumption that each agreement will be between 1 nuclear plant and 2 
transmission entities (65 times 2 = 130). However, there is some 
double counting in this figure because some transmission entities 
may be party to multiple agreements with multiple nuclear plants. 
The double counting does not affect the burden estimate and the 
correct number of unique respondents will be reported to OMB.
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     58,400 Reporting hours x $120/hour \10\ = $7,008,000.
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    \10\ The $120/hour figure is a combined average of legal, 
technical and administrative staff.
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     5,840 Recordkeeping hours x $28/hour \11\ = $163,520 (plus 
the record storage cost: 143 entities x $15.25/year per entity \12\ = 
$2,181 (rounded)
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    \11\ The $28/hour figure is based on a FERC staff study that 
included estimating public utility recordkeeping costs.
    \12\ This is based on the estimated cost to service and store 1 
GB of data (based on the aggregated cost of an IBM advanced data 
protection server).
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    Total annual cost burden to respondents = $7,173,701.
    Comments: Comments are invited on: (1) Whether the collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the Commission, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; (2) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden and 
cost of the collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility and clarity of the information collection; and (4) ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are 
to respond, including the use of automated collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.

    Dated: January 13, 2012.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. 2012-1070 Filed 1-19-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P