[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 80 (Thursday, April 25, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17408-17409]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-08319]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Energy Information Administration


Agency Information Collection Extension

AGENCY: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Department of 
Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: EIA requests a three-year extension, with changes to the 
Electric Power & Renewable Electricity Surveys (EPRES) as required 
under The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The EPRES consists of nine 
surveys, including annual, monthly and a daily survey. These surveys 
collect data from entities involved in the production, transmission, 
delivery, and sale of electricity, and in maintaining the reliable 
operation of the power system. The data collected are the primary 
source of information on the nation's electric power system. The 
renewable energy survey collects information on the manufacture, 
shipment, import, and export of photovoltaic cells and modules, and is 
the primary national source of information on these topics.

DATES: EIA must receive all comments on this proposed information 
collection no later than June 24, 2019. If you anticipate any 
difficulties in submitting your comments by the deadline, contact the 
person listed in the ADDRESSES section of this notice as soon as 
possible.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments to Sara Hoff, Office of Electricity, 
Renewables, and Uranium Statistics, U.S. Energy Information 
Administration, Forrestal Building, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 
Independence Ave. SW, EI-23, Washington, DC 20585. Submission via email 
to [email protected] is recommended.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sara Hoff, (202) 586-1242 email: 
[email protected]. The forms and instructions are available on 
EIA's website at https://www.eia.gov/survey/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This information collection request 
contains:
    (1) OMB No. 1905-0129.
    (2) Information Collection Request Title: Electric Power & 
Renewable Electricity Surveys;
    (3) Type of Request: Renewal with changes;
    (4) Purpose: EIA's EPRES consists of the following nine surveys:
Form EIA-63B, Photovoltaic Module Shipments Report;
Form EIA-411, Coordinated Bulk Power Supply Program Report;
Form EIA-860, Annual Electric Generator Report;
Form EIA-860M, Monthly Update to the Annual Electric Generator Report;
Form EIA-861, Annual Electric Power Industry Report;
Form EIA-861S, Annual Electric Power Industry Report (Short Form);
Form EIA-861M, Monthly Electric Power Industry Report;
Form EIA-923, Power Plant Operations Report;
Form EIA-930, Balancing Authority Operations Report.
    Form EIA-63B Photovoltaic Module Shipments Report tracks 
photovoltaic module manufacturing, shipments, technology types, 
revenue, and related information. The data collected on this form are 
used by DOE, Congress, other government and non-government entities, 
and the public to monitor the current status and trends of the 
photovoltaic industry and to evaluate the future of the industry.
    Form EIA-411 Coordinated Bulk Power Supply Program Report collected 
information relating to the reliability of the electric power system in 
the lower 48 states, including regional electricity supply and demand 
projections for a 10-year advance period, the characteristics, and 
frequency of outages occurring on the Bulk Electric System, and other 
information on the transmission system and supporting facilities. The 
data are collected from the regional reliability entities by the North 
American Electric Reliability Corp., (NERC), which then organizes and 
edits the information and submits the data to EIA.
    Form EIA-860, Annual Electric Generator Report collects data on 
existing and planned electric generation plants, and associated 
equipment including generators, boilers, cooling systems, and 
environmental control systems. Data are collected from all existing 
units and from planned units scheduled for initial commercial operation 
within ten years of the specified reporting period (depending on the 
type of power plant).
    Form EIA-860M, Monthly Update to the Annual Electric Generator 
Report collects data on the status of proposed new generators scheduled 
to begin commercial operation within the future 12-month period; and 
existing generators that have proposed modifications that are scheduled 
for completion within one month. The information is needed to ensure a 
complete and accurate inventory of the nation's generating fleet, for 
such purposes as reliability and environmental analysis.
    Form EIA-861, Annual Electric Power Industry Report collects annual 
information on the retail sale, distribution, transmission, and 
generation of electric energy in the United States and its territories. 
The data include related activities such as energy efficiency and 
demand response programs. In combination with Form EIA-861S short form 
and the monthly Form EIA-861M, this annual survey provides coverage of 
sales to ultimate customers of electric power and related activities. 
Form EIA-861S, Annual Electric Power Industry Report (Short Form) 
collects a limited set of information annually from small companies 
involved in the retail sale of electricity. A complete set of annual 
data are collected from large companies on Form EIA-861. The small 
utilities that currently report on Form EIA-861S are required to 
complete Form EIA-861 once every eight years to provide updated 
information for the statistical estimation of uncollected data. Form 
EIA-861M, Monthly Electric Power Industry Report collects monthly 
information from a sample of electric utilities, energy service 
providers and distribution companies that sell or deliver electric 
power to end users. Data included on this form includes sales

[[Page 17409]]

and revenue for end-use sectors--residential, commercial, industrial, 
and transportation. This survey is the monthly complement to the annual 
data collection from the universe of respondents that report on Form 
EIA-861 and Form EIA-861S.
    Form EIA-923, Power Plant Operations Report collects information 
from electric power plants in the United States on electric power 
generation, energy source consumption, end of reporting period fossil 
fuel stocks, as well as the quality and cost of fossil fuel receipts.
    Form EIA-930, Balancing Authority Operations Report collects a 
comprehensive set of the current day's system demand data on an hourly 
basis and the prior day's basic hourly electric system operating data 
on a daily basis. The data provide a basic measure of the current 
status of electric systems in the United States and can be used to 
compare actual system demand with the day-ahead forecast thereby 
providing a measure of the accuracy of the forecasting used to commit 
resources. In addition, the data can be used to address smart grid 
related issues such as integrating wind and solar generation, improving 
the coordination of natural gas and electric short-term operations and 
expanding the use of demand response, storage, and electric vehicles in 
electric systems operations.
    (4a) Proposed Changes to Information Collection:

Form EIA-411

    EIA proposes to discontinue the use of Form EIA-411. Data reported 
on Form EIA-411 are collected by NERC and sent to EIA. NERC annually 
publishes an Electricity Supply and Demand (ES&D) public-use database 
at https://www.nerc.com/pa/RAPA/ESD/Pages/default.aspx. This ES&D 
database includes all the data that EIA published from the information 
reported on Form EIA-411. The ES&D public database contains more detail 
than the data EIA published.
    (5) Annual Estimated Number of Respondents: 19,803:
Form EIA-63B has 55 respondents;
Form EIA-860 has 4,757 respondents;
Form EIA-860M has 312 respondents;
Form EIA-861 has 2,262 respondents;
Form EIA-861S has 1,157 respondents;
Form EIA-861M has 620 respondents;
Form EIA-923 has 10,575 respondents;
Form EIA-930 has 65 respondents.
    (6) Annual Estimated Number of Total Responses: 75,220.
    (7) Annual Estimated Number of Burden Hours: 169,870 hours.
    (8) Annual Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: 
$12,573,777 (169,870 burden hours times $74.02 per hour). EIA estimates 
that there are no additional costs to respondents associated with the 
surveys other than the costs associated with the burden hours since the 
information is maintained during normal course of business.
    Comments are invited on whether or not: (a) The proposed collection 
of information is necessary for the proper performance of agency 
functions, including whether the information will have a practical 
utility; (b) EIA's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of 
information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used, is accurate; (c) EIA can improve the quality, utility, and 
clarity of the information it will collect; and (d) EIA can minimize 
the burden of the collection of information on respondents, such as 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.

    Statutory Authority: 15 U.S.C. 772(b) and 42 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.

    Signed in Washington, DC, on April 19, 2019.
Nanda Srinivasan,
Director, Office of Survey Development and Statistical Integration U. 
S. Energy Information Administration.
[FR Doc. 2019-08319 Filed 4-24-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P