[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 59 (Tuesday, March 30, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16590-16591]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-06504]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC21-12-000]


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

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Department of Energy.

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 725X (Mandatory Reliability Standards: 
Voltage and Reactive (VAR) Standards).

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due June 1, 2021.

ADDRESSES: You may submit copies of your comments (identified by Docket 
No. IC21-12-000) by one of the following methods: Electronic filing 
through http://www.ferc.gov, is preferred.
     Electronic Filing: Documents must be filed in acceptable 
native applications and print-to-PDF, but not in scanned or picture 
format.
     For those unable to file electronically, comments may be 
filed by USPS mail or by hand (including courier) delivery.
     Mail via U.S. Postal Service Only: Addressed to: Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First 
Street NE, Washington, DC 20426.
     Hand (including courier) delivery: Deliver to: Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD 
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 725X, Mandatory Reliability Standards: Voltage and 
Reactive (VAR).
    Standards OMB Control No.: 1902-0278.
    Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-725X information 
collection requirements with no changes to the current reporting 
requirements.
    Abstract: Pursuant to Section 215 of the Federal Power Act 
(FPA),\1\ North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) 
established the Voltage and Reactive (``VAR'') group of Reliability 
Standards, which consists of two continent-wide Reliability Standards, 
VAR-001-5 and VAR-002-4.1. NERC conducts periodic reviews of 
Reliability Standards in accordance with Section 317 of the NERC Rules 
of Procedure and Section 13 of the NERC Standard Processes Manual. In 
accordance with these authorities and the NERC Reliability Standards 
Development Plan: 2017-2019, NERC recently completed Project 2016-EPR-
02 Enhanced Periodic Review of Voltage and Reactive Reliability 
Standards. This project conducted a periodic review of mandatory and 
enforceable Reliability Standards VAR-001-4.1 (Voltage and Reactive 
Control) \2\ and VAR-002-4 (Generator Operation for Maintaining Network 
Schedules).\3\ These two standards were designed to maintain voltage 
stability on the Bulk-Power System, protect transmission, generation, 
distribution, and customer equipment, and support the reliable 
operation of the Bulk-Power System. Voltage stability is the ability of 
a power system to maintain acceptable voltage levels throughout the 
system under normal operating conditions and following a disturbance. 
Failure to maintain acceptable voltage levels (i.e., voltage levels 
become too high or too low) may cause violations of System Operating 
Limits (``SOLs'') and Interconnection Reliability Operating Limits 
(``IROLs''), result in damage to Bulk-Power System equipment, and 
thereby threaten the reliable operation of the Bulk-Power System.
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    \1\ 16 U.S.C. 824o (2012).
    \2\ The Commission approved Reliability Standard VAR-001-4 
(Voltage and Reactive Control) on August 1, 2014. See North American 
Electric Reliability Corp., Docket No. RD14-11-000 (Aug. 1, 2014) 
(delegated letter order). The Commission approved errata version 
VAR-001-4.1 on November 13, 2015. See North American Electric 
Reliability Corp., Docket No. RD15-6-000 (Nov. 13, 2015) (delegated 
letter order).
    \3\ The Commission approved Reliability Standard VAR-002-4, 
which clarified the applicability of the VAR-002 standard to 
dispersed generation resources, on May 29, 2015. See North American 
Electric Reliability Corp, 151 FERC ] 61,186 (May 29, 2015).
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Reliability Standard VAR-001-5

    This Reliability Standard requires Transmission Operators to:

[[Page 16591]]

     Specify a system-wide voltage schedule (which is either a 
range or a target value with an associated tolerance band) as part of 
its plan to operate within SOLs and IROLs, and to provide the voltage 
schedule to its Reliability Coordinator and adjacent Transmission 
Operators upon request (Requirement R1);
     Schedule sufficient reactive resources to regulate voltage 
levels (Requirement R2);
     Operate or direct the operation of devices to regulate 
transmission voltage and reactive flows (Requirement R3);
     Develop a set of criteria to exempt generators from 
certain requirements under Reliability Standard VAR-002-4.1 related to 
voltage or Reactive Power schedules, automatic voltage regulations, and 
notification (Requirement R4);
     Specify a voltage or Reactive Power schedule (which is 
either a range or a target value with an associated tolerance band) for 
generators at either the high or low voltage side of the generator 
step-up transformer, provide the schedule to the associated Generator 
Operator, direct the Generator Operator to comply with that schedule in 
automatic voltage control mode, provide the Generator Operator the 
notification requirements for deviating from the schedule, and, if 
requested, provide the Generator Operator the criteria used to develop 
the schedule (Requirement R5); and
     Communicate step-up transformer tap changes, the time 
frame for completion, and the justification for these changes to 
Generator Owners (Requirement R6).

Reliability Standard VAR-002-4.1

    This Reliability Standard includes an information collection 
activity for ``Requirement R1'' and a separate information collection 
activity for ``Requirements R2 through R6.''
    This Reliability Standard requires Generator Operators to:
     Operate each of its generators connected to the 
interconnected transmission system in automatic voltage control mode or 
in a different control mode as instructed by the Transmission Operator, 
unless the Generator Operator (1) is exempted pursuant to the criteria 
developed under VAR-001-5, Requirement R4, or (2) makes certain 
notifications to the Transmission Operator specifying the reasons it 
cannot so operate (Requirement R1);
     Maintain the Transmission Operator's generator voltage or 
Reactive Power schedule, unless the Generator Operator (1) is exempted 
pursuant to the criteria developed under VAR-001-5, Requirement R4, or 
(2) complies with the notification requirements for deviations as 
established by the Transmission Owner pursuant to VAR-001-5, 
Requirement R5 (Requirement R2);
     Notify the Transmission Operator of a change in status of 
its voltage controlling device within 30 minutes, unless the status is 
restored within that time period (Requirement R3); and
     Notify the Transmission Operator of a change in reactive 
capability due to factors other than those described in VAR-002-4.1, 
Requirement R3 within 30 minutes unless the capability has been 
restored during that time period (Requirement R4).
     Provide information on its step-up transformers and 
auxiliary transformers within 30 days of a request from the 
Transmission Operator or Transmission Planner (Requirement R5); and
     Comply with the Transmission Operator's step-up 
transformer tap change directives unless compliance would violate 
safety, an equipment rating, or applicable laws, rules or regulations 
(Requirement R6).
    Type of Respondents: Generator owners and transmission operators.
    Estimate of Annual Burden: \4\ The Commission estimates the annual 
public reporting burden for the information collection as:
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    \4\ The Commission defines burden 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.
    \5\ TOP = transmission operator; GOP = generator operators. 
Respondent counts based of the NERC Compliance Registry numbers 
February 5, 2021.
    \6\ The estimate for hourly cost is $70.19/hour. This figure is 
the average salary plus benefits for an electrical engineer 
(Occupation Code: 17-2071) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics at 
https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm.

                                    FERC-725X, Mandatory Reliability Standards: Voltage and Reactive (VAR) Standards
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                                                        Annual number                                                    Total annual
                                       Number of         of responses    Total number     Average burden & cost per     burden hours &       Cost per
                                    respondents \5\     per respondent   of responses           response \6\           total annual cost  respondent ($)
                                 (1).................              (2)     (1) * (2) =  (4).........................  (3) * (4) = (5)...       (5) / (1)
                                                                                   (3)
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VAR-001-5 (Requirements R1-R6).  167 (TOP)...........                1             167  160 hrs.; $11,721.73........  26,887 hrs.;            $11,721.73
                                                                                                                       $1,887,198.53.
VAR-002-4.1 (Requirement R1)...  937 (GOP)...........                1             937  80 hrs.; $5,615.20..........  74,960 hrs.;              5,615.20
                                                                                                                       $5,261,442.4.
VAR-002-4.1 (Requirements R2-    937 (GOP)...........                1             937  120 hrs.; $8,422.80.........  112,440 hrs.;             8,422.80
 R6).                                                                                                                  $7,892,163.6.
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    Total......................  ....................  ...............           2,041  ............................  214,287 hrs.;
                                                                                                                       $15,040,804.53.
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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 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: March 24, 2021.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-06504 Filed 3-29-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P