[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 1 (Thursday, January 2, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 86-87]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-28322]


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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 submitted an information collection request for extension 
as required by The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The information 
collection requests a three-year extension with changes to the Electric 
Power & Renewable Electricity Surveys (EPRES), OMB Control Number 1905-
0129. The collection consists of eight surveys and collects data from 
entities involved in the production, transmission, delivery, and sale 
of electricity, and the manufacture, shipment, import, and export of 
photovoltaic cells and modules 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.

DATES: Comments on this information collection must be received no 
later than February 3, 2020. If you anticipate any difficulties in 
submitting your comments by the deadline, contact the OMB Desk Officer 
by email or mail.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to OMB Desk Officer: Office 
of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 
New Executive Office Building, Room 10102, 735 17th Street NW, 
Washington, DC 20503. [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you need additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument, send your request to 
Daniel Bier by email at [email protected], or by phone at (202) 
586-0379. 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;
    The surveys included in this information collection request are:
     Form EIA-63B Photovoltaic Module Shipments 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; and
     Form EIA-930 Balancing Authority Operations Report.
    (3) Type of Request: Three-year extension with changes;
    (4) Purpose: The EPRES survey program collects data from business 
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 industry.
    The individual surveys and their uses are described below:
     Form EIA-63B Photovoltaic Module Shipments Report collects 
information on 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.
     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 to provide information on the generating 
capacity of the U.S. electric grid.
     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 as well as existing 
generators scheduled to shut down within the subsequent 12 months.
     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 or deliver 
electric power to end users. Data included on this form includes sales 
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.

[[Page 87]]

     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) Changes to Information Collection:

Form EIA-411

    EIA is discontinuing Form EIA-411.
    (5) Annual Estimated Number of Respondents: 19,789:
    Form EIA-63B has 55 respondents;
    Form EIA-860 has 4,757 respondents;
    Form EIA-860M has 312 respondents;
    Form EIA-861 has 1,675 respondents;
    Form EIA-861S has 1,730 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: 75,206.
    (7) Annual Estimated Number of Burden Hours: 170,041 hours.
    (8) Annual Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: 
$13,351,619 (170,041 burden hours times $78.52 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.

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

    Signed in Washington, DC, on December 17, 2019.
Nanda Srinivasan,
Director, Office of Statistical Methods and Research, U.S. Energy 
Information Administration.
[FR Doc. 2019-28322 Filed 12-31-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P