[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 195 (Tuesday, October 8, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53717-53718]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-21969]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. AD19-15-000]
Notice Inviting Post-Technical Conference Comments: Managing
Transmission Line Ratings
On September 10 and September 11, 2019, Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (Commission) staff convened a technical conference to
discuss what transmission line ratings and related practices might
constitute best practices, and what, if any, Commission action in these
areas might be appropriate.
All interested persons are invited to file initial and reply post-
technical workshop comments on any or all of the questions listed in
the attachment to this Notice. Commenters may also respond to the
questions outlined in the September 4, 2019 supplemental notice of
technical conference.\1\ Commenters need not answer all of the
questions. Commenters should organize responses consistent with the
structure of the attached questions. Commenters are also invited to
reference material previously filed in this docket, including technical
workshop transcripts, but are encouraged to avoid repetition or
replication of previous material. Initial comments must be submitted on
or before 30 days from the date of this notice. Reply comments must be
submitted on or before 15 days after the deadline to submit initial
comments.
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\1\ Available at https://www.ferc.gov/CalendarFiles/20190904173327-AD19-15-000supplTC.pdf.
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For more information about this Notice, please contact:
Dillon Kolkmann (Technical Information), Office of Energy Policy and
Information, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE,
Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8650, [email protected].
Kevin Ryan (Legal Information), Office of the General Counsel, Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Washington, DC
20426, (202) 502-6840, [email protected].
Dated: October 2, 2019.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
Post-Technical Conference Questions for Comment
Commenters may respond to the questions outlined in the September
4, 2019 supplemental notice of technical conference.\2\ In addition,
based on discussions during the Managing Transmission Line Ratings
technical conference, Staff developed the following questions to better
understand whether Commission action might be appropriate. To guide
discussion, ambient-adjusted ratings (AAR) are defined as ratings that
are adjusted daily, hourly, or more frequently and account for ambient
air temperatures. Dynamic line ratings (DLRs) are defined as line
ratings that are adjusted hourly or more frequently and account for
local weather conditions (e.g., ambient temperature, wind,
precipitation, solar irradiation) and/or account for conductor
parameters (conductor temperature, tension, sag, clearance), typically
as measured by local sensors.
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\2\ Available at https://www.ferc.gov/CalendarFiles/20190904173327-AD19-15-000supplTC.pdf.
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1. Discussion of a Possible Requirement for Transmission Owners To
Implement AARs
a. Should transmission owners be required to implement AARs? If so,
to which lines would the requirement apply? What criteria (e.g.,
congestion, facility age) and process would be used to determine to
which lines the requirement would apply? What would be the benefits or
drawbacks to such a requirement?
b. If AARs are required, should they be required for modeling in
both the day-ahead and real-time markets?
c. What type of forecasting (e.g., how frequently, how granularly,
and of what variables) is needed to incorporate AARs and DLRs into both
real-time and day-ahead markets? If forecasts submitted in day-ahead
markets differ from the real-time rating, how should
[[Page 53718]]
the difference be treated by the transmission system operator? Who is
liable if forecasted ratings are wrong?
d. Aside from ambient air temperature, are there other ambient
conditions that can be forecasted or calculated without need for local
sensors that should be considered in AARs? Should maximum possible
solar irradiance intensity (conservatively calculated or forecast
assuming no cloud cover) be included in calculation of any required
AARs? Are there any instances where wind can be conservatively forecast
without local sensors, such that wind should be considered in AARs for
such lines?
2. Reducing Barriers to DLRs
a. Can RTOs/ISOs currently accept and use a DLR data stream from a
transmission owner in both real-time and day-ahead markets? Can
transmission owners outside of RTO/ISOs currently automatically
implement a DLR data stream in operations? Are there limits on what
type and amount of data can be received and incorporated into dispatch?
Would a transmission owner's or RTO/ISO's implementation of AARs be
sufficient to also implement DLRs? If not, what additional changes
would be necessary and how feasible are such changes?
b. Would a requirement for transmission owners or other entities
(e.g., RTOs/ISOs) to study the cost effectiveness of DLRs on their most
congested lines be appropriate? If so, what metrics for congestion
(e.g., congestion cost, hours of congestion) would be appropriate for
determining the most congested lines?
3. AARs/DLRs in Available Transmission Capacity (ATC) Calculations
a. In the non-RTO/ISO regions, a transmission owner's use of AARs
could affect ATC for transmission customers. ATC could also be affected
at RTO/ISO seams. Given the importance of ATC calculations, should
AARs/DLRs be incorporated into the determination of ATC? Specifically:
i. At what times in advance of transmission reservation and/or
scheduling deadlines should ATC made possible through AARs/DLRs be made
available to point-to-point and network customers?
ii. Should AARs/DLRs affect when network customers (and the
transmission provider's own resources) are subjected to redispatch,
load shedding, and/or curtailments under sections 30.5 and 33 of the
pro forma open access transmission tariff (OATT)?
iii. Would any revisions be needed to section 30.5, section 33, or
Attachment C of the pro forma OATT to accommodate a requirement to
implement AARs or voluntary implementation of DLRs? Are there any other
sections of the pro forma OATT that would be relevant to or affected by
AAR/DLR implementation?
4. Discussion of Transparency of Transmission Line Rating Methodologies
Currently, some transmission line rating methodology information is
made available through certain transmission expansion processes or
voluntarily on certain transmission owners' websites. Transmission line
rating methodologies are also sometimes provided in annual FERC Form
715 part 4 filings. Lastly, some RTO/ISOs post actual facility ratings
on their open access same-time information system (OASIS) pages.
However, there appear to be concerns about the inaccessibility of
transmission line rating methodologies and resulting ratings.
a. Should transmission owners' transmission line rating methodology
be made more transparent? If so, how and how much additional
transparency? Should underlying assumptions be made available? Should
transmission line ratings be made more transparent? If so, how? For
both transmission line rating methodologies and resulting ratings, who
should have access to such information?
b. Should transmission owners or other entities (e.g., NERC
regional entities or RTOs/ISOs) be required to develop a database to
document each transmission facility's most limiting element? Should
limiting elements consider first and second contingency operating
conditions? Please describe the burden associated with reporting and
maintaining such a database. Who should have access to such a database
and what levels of confidentiality protections would need to exist for
such a limiting elements database?
c. If a transmission system operator contacts a transmission owner
to request an ad hoc increase in transmission line ratings above static
or seasonal ratings, should information about the request be publicly
posted? If so, where, when, and how often should such information be
posted?
5. Review and Audit Procedures for Transmission Line Rating Practices
a. Are the current review and audit procedures for transmission
line ratings sufficient to ensure that such transmission line ratings
are consistent with the methodology set forth by the transmission owner
under FAC-008?
b. What entities currently review or audit transmission line rating
methodologies, assumptions, and values? What standards or criteria do
these entities use in their reviews?
c. What changes, if any, should be made to the review and audit
procedures for transmission line ratings?
d. What, if any, changes to information and document retention with
respect to transmission line ratings might be needed?
e. Where should any non-reliability criteria (e.g., economic) for
transmission line ratings be established (e.g., regulations, tariff,
policy statement)? What should these criteria be, and how would the
Commission ensure that such criteria for transmission line ratings are
consistent with reliability criteria?
f. In implementing DLR, is there any data verification necessary
from devices that measure DLR by the transmission system operators or
transmission owners? If so, what data and why?
6. NERC Reliability Standards
a. Are there security concerns associated with implementing AARs
and DLRs with respect to communicating line ratings and field
measurements?
[FR Doc. 2019-21969 Filed 10-7-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P