[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 131 (Tuesday, July 11, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44119-44120]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-14476]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. RD23-4-000]


Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-725G)

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 proposed changes currently 
approved information collection, FERC-725G (Mandatory Reliability 
Standards for the Bulk-Power System: Approval of PRC Reliability 
Standard PRC-002-4). No Comments were received on the 60-day notice 
published on June 23, 2023.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due August 10, 
2023.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments on FERC-725G (Mandatory Reliability 
Standards for the Bulk-Power System: PRC Reliability Standard PRC-002-
4) to OMB through www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Attention: Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission Desk Officer. Please identify the OMB 
Control No: 1902-0252 in the subject line of your comments. Comments 
should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to 
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.
    Please submit copies of your comments to the Commission. You may 
submit copies of your comments (identified by Docket No. RD23-4-000) by 
one of the following methods: Electronic filing through https://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.
    [cir] Mail via U.S. Postal Service Only: Addressed to: Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First 
Street NE, Washington, DC 20426.
    [cir] Hand (including courier) Delivery: Deliver to: Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 12225 Wilkins 
Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852.
    Instructions: OMB submissions must be formatted and filed in 
accordance with submission guidelines at www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Using the search function under the ``Currently Under Review'' 
field, select Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; click ``submit,'' 
and select ``comment'' to the right of the subject collection.
    FERC submissions must be formatted and filed in accordance with 
submission guidelines at: https://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 https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: FERC-725G (Mandatory Reliability Standards for the Bulk-
Power System: Approval of PRC Reliability Standard PRC-002-4).
    OMB Control No.: 1902-0252.
    Type of Request: Approval of FERC-725G information collection 
requirements associated with proposed PRC Reliability Standard PRC-002-
4.
    Abstract: This Notice pertains to the FERC-725G information 
collection requirements associated with PRC Reliability Standard PRC-
002-4, (Disturbance Monitoring and Reporting Requirements), the 
associated Violation Risk Factors and Violation Severity Levels, and 
the proposed implementation plan that includes the retirement of the 
currently effective Reliability Standard PRC-002-3. The PRC-002-4 was 
proposed by the North American Electric Reliability (NERC) in a 
petition dated March 10, 2023. At that time, NERC also proposed the 
retirement of Reliability Standard PRC-002-3. The Commission included 
the petition in a Combined Notice of Filings published on March 23, 
2023, at 88 FR 17564.
    On March 4, 2022, the Commission's Office of Electric Reliability 
approved PRC-002-3 in Docket No. RD22-2-000.
    NERC's proposed revisions in Docket No. RD23-4-000: (1) clarify 
requirements for notifications under the standard, including when 
generator owners and transmission owners must have data for an 
applicable transformer or transmission line; (2) clarify and make 
consistent terminology used in the Standard; (3) incorporate the 
implementation timeframe for newly-identified facilities; and (4) add a 
criterion defining substantial changes in fault current levels 
requiring changing the locations for which certain data is recorded.
    The proposed Reliability Standard PRC-002-4 (Disturbance Monitoring 
and Reporting Requirements) would advance the reliability of the bulk 
electric system (BES) by providing needed clarity regarding the 
application of the standard's requirements. First, proposed Reliability 
Standard PRC-002-4 would clarify requirements for notifications under 
the standard, including when Generator Owners and Transmission Owners 
must have data for an applicable transformer or transmission line. 
Second, the proposed Reliability Standard clarifies and promotes 
consistency in terminology used in the standard. Third, the proposed 
Reliability Standard brings the implementation timeframe for newly 
identified facilities into the standard. Last, the proposed Reliability 
Standard adds a criterion that defines what constitutes a substantial 
change in fault current levels that would require changing the 
locations for which sequence of events (SER) and fault recording (FR) 
data is recorded. The revisions and supporting rationale are discussed 
in further detail below.
    The proposed change to the Bulk Electric System (BES) allows the 
possibility of significant change over time without a required change 
in data

[[Page 44120]]

recording location. The Reliability Standard PRC-002-4 would provide 
necessary clarifications to the standard in the requirements R1, R3 and 
R5 and promotes consistency in terminology used in the standard. The 
new requirement R13 brings the implementation timeframe for newly 
identified facilities into the standard. These changes would clarify 
the extent of the required notifications and data collection 
requirements consistent with other provisions in the currently 
effective and approved versions of the PRC-002 standard. The number of 
respondents below is based on an estimate of the NERC compliance 
registry for balancing authority, transmission operator, generator 
operator, generator owner and reliability coordinator. The Commission 
based its paperwork burden estimates on the NERC compliance registry as 
of February 10, 2023. According to the registry, there are 325 
transmission owners, 1,117 generator owners and 12 reliability 
coordinators. The estimates are based on the change in burden from the 
currently pending standard (i.e., PRC-002-3) to the standard approved 
in this Docket (i.e., PRC-002-4). The Commission based the burden 
estimates on staff experience, knowledge, and expertise.
    The estimates are based on one-time (years 1 and 2) obligations to 
follow the revised Reliability Standard.

                             Proposed Changes Due to Order in Docket No. RD23-4-000
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                                                  Number of
    Reliability standard &      Type \1\ and       annual       Total number    Average number     Total burden
         requirement              number of     responses per   of responses    of burden hours       hours
                                   entity          entity                      per response \2\
                                          (1)             (2)     (1) * (2) =  (4).............  (3) * (4) = (5)
                                                                          (3)
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                                                    FERC-725G
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PRC-002-4
    TO.......................             325               1             325  16 hrs..........  5,200 hrs.
                                                                               $978.72.........  $318,084
    GO.......................           1,117               1           1,117  16 hrs..........  17,872 hrs.
                                                                               $978.72.........  $1,093,230.24
    RC.......................              12               1              12  8 hrs...........  96 hrs.
                                                                               $489.36.........  $5,872.32
                              ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Total for PRC-002....  ..............  ..............           1,454  40 hrs..........  23,168 hrs.
        One Time Estimate--    ..............  ..............  ..............  $2,446.8........  $1,417,186.56.
         Years 1 and 2.
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    The one-time burden of 23,168 hours only applies to Year 1 and 2 
and will be averaged over three years (23,168 hours / 3 = 7,722.667 
(7,722.67-rounded) hours/year over three years). The number of 
responses is also averaged over three years (1,454 responses / 3 = 
484.667 (484.67-rounded) responses/year).
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    \1\ TO = Transmission Owner, GO = Generator Owner and RC = 
Reliability Coordinator.
    \2\ The estimated hourly cost (salary plus benefits) derived 
using the following formula: Burden Hours per Response * $/hour = 
Cost per Response. Based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), as 
of February 10, 2023, of an Electrical Engineer (17-2071)-$77.02,-
and for Information and Record Clerks (43-4199) $42.35, the average 
hourly burden cost for this collection is [($77.02 + $42.35)/2 = 
$61.17)] rounded to $61.17 an hour.
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    The responses and burden hours for Years 1-3 will total 
respectively as follows for Year 1 one-time burden:

Year 1: 484.67 responses; 7,722.67 hours
Year 2: 484.67 responses; 7,722.67 hours
Year 3: 484.67 responses; 7,722.67 hours

    The ongoing burden for FERC 725G that includes PRC-002-4 remains 
unchanged. The increase in burden is considered to only be necessary 
for the first two years. During those years 1 and 2, applicable 
entities will modify the procedures to account for handling 
notifications and sharing data. Other changes to the requirements are 
largely clarifications in language or help establish triggers that 
should be used and to where measuring equipment would be placed. After 
the first two years the modifications will be integrated into normal 
business and engineering procedures of the entity, and it will be part 
of normal tasks to demonstrate compliance.
    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: July 3, 2023.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-14476 Filed 7-10-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P