[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 187 (Thursday, September 28, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66837-66839]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-21262]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. AD23-9-000]


Reliability Technical Conference; Supplemental Notice of 
Technical Conference

    As announced in the Notice of Technical Conference issued in this 
proceeding on August 3, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 
(Commission) will convene its annual Reliability Technical Conference 
in the above-referenced proceeding on Thursday, November 9, 2023, from 
approximately 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. eastern time. The conference will 
include Commissioner-led and staff-led panels. The conference will be 
held in-person at the Commission's headquarters at 888 First Street NE, 
Washington, DC 20426 in the Commission Meeting Room.
    The purpose of this conference is to discuss policy issues related 
to the reliability and security of the Bulk-Power System. The 
conference will also discuss the impact of the Environmental Protection 
Agency's proposed rule under section 111 of the Clean Air Act on 
electric reliability.\1\
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    \1\ New Source Performance Standards for Greenhouse Gas 
Emissions from New, Modified, and Reconstructed Fossil Fuel-Fired 
Electric Generating Units; Emission Guidelines for Greenhouse Gas 
Emissions from Existing Fossil Fuel-Fired Electric Generating Units; 
and Repeal of the Affordable Clean Energy Rule, 88 FR 33240 
(proposed May 23, 2023) (to be codified at 40 CFR part 60).
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    The conference will be open for the public to attend, and there is 
no fee for attendance. Supplemental notices will be issued prior to the 
conference with further details regarding the agenda. Information on 
this technical conference will also be posted on the Calendar of Events 
on the Commission's website, www.ferc.gov, prior to the event.
    The conference will also be transcribed. Transcripts will be 
available for a fee from Ace Reporting, (202) 347-3700.
    Those who wish to nominate themselves for consideration as a panel 
participant should submit their name, title, company (or organization 
they are representing), telephone, email, a one-paragraph biography, 
picture, and panel in which they wish to participate to: 
[email protected] by close of business on October 2, 2023.
    Commission conferences are accessible under section 508 of the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973. For accessibility accommodations, please 
send an email to [email protected],

[[Page 66838]]

call toll-free (866) 208-3372 (voice) or (202) 208-8659 (TTY), or send 
a fax to (202) 208-2106 with the required accommodations.
    For more information about this technical conference, please 
contact Michael Gildea at [email protected] or (202) 502-8420. 
For information related to logistics, please contact Sarah McKinley at 
[email protected] or (202) 502-8368.

    Dated: September 22, 2023.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Deputy Secretary.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN28SE23.020

2023 Reliability Technical Conference

Docket No. AD23-9-000

November 9, 2023, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Morning Session: Bulk Power System Reliability and the Evolving Grid
9:00-9:15 a.m. Opening Remarks and Introductions
9:15-10:45 a.m. Morning Panel 1: State of Bulk Power System Reliability 
with a Focus on the Changing Resource Mix and Resource Adequacy 
(Commission Led)

    The transformation of the Bulk-Power System is resulting in 
significant changes to the nation's power supply portfolio. These 
changes include increased penetrations of inverter-based resources, the 
increased use and importance of natural gas generating units for system 
balancing, and the participation of distributed energy resources. 
Ensuring the adequate supply of electric energy to service loads during 
peak hours and during extreme weather conditions is also becoming more 
challenging in many regions of North America. This panel will explore 
the current state of grid reliability, and resource and energy 
adequacy, and efforts that can be undertaken to improve them.
    The panel will begin with a presentation by NERC of the findings, 
conclusions, and recommendations from its annual State of Reliability 
report.
    This panel may include a discussion of the following topics and 
questions:
    (1) What should the Commission's top reliability priorities be for 
the next one to three years? What are potential actions the Commission 
could take to improve reliability regarding these priorities?
    (2) What trends and risks identified in NERC's 2023 State of 
Reliability Report and the 2023 ERO Reliability Risk Priorities Report 
warrant the most attention and effort?
    (3) Resource adequacy traditionally has been characterized in terms 
of planning reserve margin, which assesses the excess generating 
capacity required to meet peak load. NERC and industry have recently 
been discussing the notion of energy adequacy, which assesses whether 
there is sufficient energy--power over time--to meet customers' energy 
needs. Is energy adequacy a more appropriate metric to characterize 
reliability risks given the changing grid?
    (4) NERC has highlighted essential reliability services (e.g., 
frequency response, voltage control, and ramping capability) as core to 
maintaining reliable operation of the grid. How does the changing 
resource mix and characteristics of load affect the needed amount and 
provision of these essential reliability services? What actions, and by 
whom, are necessary to ensure adequate levels of these services?
    (5) The electric grid is undergoing its most significant changes in 
a century. How should reliability oversight adapt to this change? Is 
the existing reliability oversight model flexible and agile enough to 
help lead the change?
    (6) In recent years, reliance on natural gas as a fuel for electric 
generation has steadily increased. At the Commission's recommendation, 
the North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB) held forums between 
August 2022 and July 2023 to discuss the growing interdependence 
between the natural gas and electric sectors. NAESB issued 
recommendations to enhance market coordination to address challenges 
posed by this growing interdependence. Should the Commission prioritize 
pursuing any specific NAESB recommendation?
    (7) Wildfires are no longer considered only a California or Western 
states issue for grid reliability, as drought conditions are expanding 
into additional regions including MISO, ERCOT and SPP creating further 
reliability impacts. What preparations have you taken (or are you 
considering) to address emerging wildfire and drought reliability risks 
in your region?

10:45-11:00 a.m. Break
11:00-12:30 p.m. Morning Panel 2: CIP Reliability Standards and the 
Evolving Grid (Commission Led)

    Cybersecurity vulnerabilities and threats continue to evolve at a 
pace that tests utility cybersecurity programs. These quickly evolving 
threats present a challenge when assessing whether security controls, 
including the CIP Reliability Standards, adequately respond to the 
latest cyber risks. Most utilities and other electric sector 
stakeholders with mature cybersecurity programs implement an 
overarching cybersecurity program to oversee all aspects of their 
cybersecurity activities, including identification of the assets to be 
protected, staffing, technology selection and procurement, and 
compliance with the CIP Reliability Standards. However, ongoing and 
anticipated changes to the interconnected electric grid, such as the 
shift in the types of energy sources used to generate electricity may 
disrupt cyber programs. Utilities are digitizing their grids while 
managing an increasing number of grid-connected devices. As a 
consequence, utilities require more advanced tools to process and 
analyze large amounts of data for grid planning, operations, and 
security. These changes are also leaving uncertainty as to where

[[Page 66839]]

these digital assets will fit into the cybersecurity regulatory 
framework and what tools can be used to effectively manage them or even 
what the future may bring as cyberattacks continue to grow in 
sophistication. This panel will discuss how the evolving grid affects 
cybersecurity, the CIP Reliability Standards and compliance, as well as 
best practices; the challenges of implementing appropriate oversight; 
and ways in which industry can address these challenges to improve its 
response to evolving vulnerabilities and threats to reduce the risk to 
the Bulk-Power System.
    (1) Discuss the primary security issues facing electric utilities 
and describe the prioritization of resources and investment. What are 
some lessons learned and best practices?
    (2) With regard to evolving cyber threats, describe how your 
cybersecurity program identifies and responds to such conditions. When 
responding, how do you assess the risk posed to your systems by the 
threats?
    (3) Describe the benefits and challenges of implementing and 
maintaining a cybersecurity program as the resource mix continues to 
evolve. How does this program interact with actions to comply with the 
CIP Reliability Standards? How does such a program help to identify and 
prioritize security concerns, and what actions are taken to address 
those concerns, including the application of best practices?
    (4) Describe how supply chain security and the use of third-party 
systems, such as cloud services, are addressed in your risk assessments 
and implemented in the cybersecurity program. What concerns still exist 
related to supply chain and third-party systems?
    (5) What additional actions can the Commission, NERC, and industry 
take to further protect the grid from security threats, both physical 
and cyber?

12:30-1:15 p.m. Lunch Break
Afternoon Session: EPA's ``Clean Power Plan 2.0'' and Reliability
    On May 23, 2023 the EPA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking 
under section 111 of the Clean Air Act. Several comments submitted to 
EPA on the proposed rule indicated that implementation of the proposal 
would affect electric reliability. The afternoon panels will discuss 
the possible reliability impacts of the rule and possible mitigations.

1:15-2:15 p.m. Afternoon Panel 1: EPA Presentation of EPA Section 111 
Proposed Rule (Commission Led)

    Joseph Goffman, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for the 
Office of Air and Radiation (OAR), Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA), accompanied by staff, will provide an overview of the Section 
111 Proposed Rule, and highlight specific issues relevant to the 
reliable operation of the electric system.

2:15-4:50 p.m. Afternoon Panels 2 and 3: Discuss the Proposed Rule 
(Staff Led)
    --2:15-3:30 p.m. Electric Industry Stakeholders
    --3:30-3:40 p.m. Break
    --3:40-4:50 p.m. Regional, State, and Local Regulatory Entities

    Afternoon Panels 2 and 3 will present perspectives on reliability 
aspects of the proposed rule, followed by an opportunity for questions 
and answers. Panelists for both Panels 2 and 3 should be prepared to 
discuss the following topics and questions:
    (1) Will the rule, if implemented as proposed, affect electric 
reliability? In what ways?
    (2) What tools and processes should the Commission, other federal 
and state agencies, and industry consider in order to implement the 
proposed rule? What authority should the Commission and other federal 
and state agencies have in order to address potential reliability 
issues that could arise during implementation of the proposed rule?
    (3) What existing processes for coordination will enable federal 
and state agencies, planning entities, and industry stakeholders to 
share ongoing developments relevant to the implementation of the 
proposed rule?
    (4) What specific tools are currently available to agencies to 
consider impacts to retail consumers? Are there additional tools that 
should be developed to consider these issues?

4:50-5:00 p.m. Closing Remarks

[FR Doc. 2023-21262 Filed 9-27-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P