[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 29 (Tuesday, February 16, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9499-9501]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-03040]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC21-10-000]


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

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of information collection and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or 
FERC) is soliciting public comment on the currently approved 
information collection, FERC 725F (Mandatory Reliability Standard for 
Nuclear Plant Interface Coordination).

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due April 19, 
2021.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments (identified by Docket No. IC21-10-
000) by either of the following methods:
     eFiling at Commission's Website: http://www.ferc.gov.
     U.S. Postal Service Mail: Persons unable to file 
electronically may mail similar pleadings to the Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, Office of the Secretary, 888 First Street NE, 
Washington, DC 20426
     Delivery of filings other than by eFiling or the U.S. 
Postal Service should be delivered to Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, Office of the Secretary, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, 
Maryland 20852.
    Instructions: All submissions must be formatted and filed in 
accordance with submission guidelines at: http://www.ferc.gov. For user 
assistance, contact FERC Online Support by email at 
[email protected], or by phone at (866) 208-3676 (toll-free).
    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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ellen Brown may be reached by email at 
[email protected], telephone at (202) 502-8663.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: FERC 725F, Mandatory Reliability Standard 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 current 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

[[Page 9500]]

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 
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\ On November 4, 2014, in Docket No. 
RD14-13, the Commission approved revised Reliability Standard NUC-001-
3.\6\ On February 21, 2020 NERC filed a petition in Docket No. RD20-4 
to revise Reliability Standard NUC-001-3 to NUC-0001-4.
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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.
    \6\ The Letter Order is posted at https://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/common/OpenNat.asp?fileID=13675845.
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    The purpose of Reliability Standard NUC-001-4 is to require 
``coordination between nuclear plant generator operators and 
transmission entities for the purpose of ensuring nuclear plant safe 
operation and shutdown.'' \7\ 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.\8\
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    \7\ See Reliability Standard NUC-001-4 at http://www.nerc.com/files/NUC-001-4.pdf.
    \8\ 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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    FERC-725F information collection requirements include establishing 
and maintaining interface agreements, including record retention 
requirements. These agreements are not filed with FERC, but with the 
appropriate entities as established by the Reliability Standard.
    Type of Respondent: Nuclear operators, nuclear plants, transmission 
entities
    Estimate of Annual Burden: \9\ The Commission estimates the average 
annual burden and cost \10\ for this information collection as follows:
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    \9\ 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. Refer to 
5 CFR 1320.3 for additional information.
    \10\ The wage and benefit figures are based on the Bureau of 
Labor Statistics (BLS) data (at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm) for May 2019 for Sector 22, Utilities. (The benefits 
figure is based on BLS data as of May 2020 http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm).) The estimated hourly cost (for wages 
plus benefits) for reporting requirements is $85.41/hour, based on 
the average for an electrical engineer (occupation code 17-2071, 
$70.19/hour), legal (occupation code 23-0000, $142.65/hour), and 
office and administrative staff (occupation code 43-0000, $43.38/
hour). The estimated hourly cost (wages plus benefits) for record 
keeping is $34.79/hour for a file clerk (occupation code 43-4071).
    \11\ This figure of 120 transmission entities is based on the 
assumption that each agreement will be between 1 nuclear plant and 2 
transmission entities (57 x 2 = 114). 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.
    \12\ The 171 respondents affected by the reporting requirements 
are also affected by the recordkeeping requirements.
    \13\ The reporting requirements have not changed. The decrease 
in the number of respondents is due to: (a) Normal fluctuations in 
industry (e.g., companies merging and splitting, and coming into and 
going out of business), and (b) no new agreements being issued due 
to the lack of new nuclear plants being developed.

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                                                        Annual number                  Average burden hrs.  Total annual burden
            FERC-725F                  Number of        of responses    Total number   & cost per response  hrs. & total annual  Cost per respondent ($)
                                      respondents      per respondent   of responses      ($) (rounded)      cost ($) (rounded)         (rounded)
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                                  (1)................             (2)     (1) * (2) =  (4)................  (3) * (4) = (5)....                (5) / (1)
                                                                                  (3)
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New or Modifications to Existing  57 nuclear plants +               2             342  66.67 hrs.; $5,694.  22,801 hrs.;                         $11,388
 Agreements (Reporting).           114 transmission                                                          $1,947,433.
                                   entities \11\.
New or Modifications to Existing  57 nuclear plants +               2             342  6.67 hrs.; $232....  2,281 hrs.; $79,356                   464.07
 Agreements (Record Keeping).      114 transmission
                                   entities.
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    Total.......................  ...................  ..............        \12\ 342  ...................  25,082 hrs.; \13\    .......................
                                                                                                             $2,026,789.
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    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

[[Page 9501]]

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: February 9, 2021.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-03040 Filed 2-12-21; 8:45 am]
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