[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 196 (Wednesday, October 9, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 81902-81904]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-23298]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. IC24-16-000]
Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-725Y); Comment
Request; Extension
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice of information collection and request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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-725Y, Mandatory Reliability Standard
(Personnel Performance, Training, and Qualifications). The 60-day
notice comment period ended on September 23, 2024; no comments were
received.
DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due November 8,
2024.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments on FERC-725Y to OMB through
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Attention: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission Desk Officer. Please identify the OMB Control Number (1902-
0279) 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. IC24-16-000)
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 other delivery methods:
[cir] Mail via U.S. Postal Service Only: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street NE,
Washington, DC 20426.
[cir] All other delivery methods: 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/ferc-online/overview.
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: Kayla Williams may be reached by email
at [email protected], telephone at (202) 502-6468.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: FERC-725Y, Mandatory Reliability Standard (Personnel
Performance, Training, and Qualifications).
OMB Control No.: 1902-0279.
Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-725Y information
collection requirements with no changes to the reporting requirements.
Abstract: The FERC-725Y information collection is intended to help
ensure the safe and reliable operation of the interconnected grid
through the retention of suitably trained and qualified personnel in
positions that can impact the reliable operation of the Bulk-Power
System. The Commission uses the FERC-725Y to implement the
Congressional mandate of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to develop
mandatory and enforceable Reliability Standards to better ensure the
reliability of the nation's Bulk-Power System. FERC-725Y ensures that
personnel performing or supporting real-time operations on the Bulk
Electric System (BES) are trained using a systematic approach. The
Reliability Standard requires entities to maintain records subject to
review by the Commission and North American Electric Reliability
Corporation (NERC) to ensure compliance with the Reliability Standard.
Reliability Standard PER-003-2 purpose is to ensure that System
Operators performing the reliability-related tasks of the Reliability
Coordinator, Balancing Authority, and Transmission Operator are
certified through the NERC System Operator Certification Program when
filling a Realtime operating position responsible for control of the
Bulk Electric System. This standard includes three requirements that
are listed below:
[[Page 81903]]
R1. Each Reliability Coordinator shall staff its Real-time
operating positions performing Reliability Coordinator reliability-
related tasks with System Operators who have demonstrated minimum
competency in the areas listed by obtaining and maintaining a valid
NERC Reliability Operator certificate.
R2. Each Transmission Operator shall staff its Real-time
operating positions performing Transmission Operator reliability-
related tasks with System Operators who have demonstrated minimum
competency in the areas listed by obtaining and maintaining one of the
following valid NERC certificates.
R3. Each Balancing Authority shall staff its Real-time
operating positions performing Balancing Authority reliability-related
tasks with System Operators who have demonstrated minimum competency in
the areas listed by obtaining and maintaining one of the following
valid NERC certificates.
Reliability Standard PER-005-2 requires entities to maintain
records subject to review by the Commission and NERC to ensure
compliance with the Reliability Standard. This Reliability Standard
contains of six Requirements:
R1 requires reliability coordinators, balancing
authorities, and transmission operators to develop and implement a
training program for system operators
R2 requires transmission owners to develop and implement a
training program for system operators
R3 requires reliability coordinators, balancing
authorities, transmission operators and transmission owners to verify
the capabilities of their identified personnel
R4 requires reliability coordinators, balancing
authorities, transmission operators and transmission owners to provide
those personnel with emergency operations training using simulation
technology
R5 requires reliability coordinators, balancing
authorities, and transmission operators develop and implement training
for system operators whose job functions can impact BES real-time
reliability tasks.
R6 requires applicable generator operators to develop and
implement training for certain of their dispatch personnel at a
centrally located dispatch center.
Reliability Standard PER-006-1 ensures that personnel are trained
on specific topics essential to reliability to perform or support Real-
Time operations of the Bulk Electric System and has one requirement:
R1 identifies generator operator plant personnel
responsible for Real-time control and carrying out Operating
instructions are trained on the operational functionality of Protection
Systems and Remedial Action Schemes that affect the output of
generating facility(ies) it operates.
Type of Respondents: Transmission owners and generator owners.
Estimate of Annual Burden: \1\ Our estimate below regarding the
number of respondents is based on the NERC compliance registry as of
April 16, 2024. In general, the number of respondents has increased
from previous renewal as each entity may have multiple responsibilities
under these standards and those responsibilities are counted
separately.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ 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. For
further explanation of what is included in the information
collection burden, reference 5 Code of Federal Regulations 1320.3.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
When the original PER-003-0 was approved in Order No. 693 the
associated manhours were part of the 83 NERC Reliability Standards
approved at one time.\2\ In the two revisions done PER-003-1 and PER-
003-2 it was determined at that there was no change in burden specific
to PER-003. To increase clarity, manhours associated with the original
PER-003-0 are being moved from the 725A collection and being added into
the 725Y collection. The next update to 725A (2024) will reflect the
change in burden associated with PER-003 and moving manhours from 725A
into 725Y.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ Order No. 693 Mandatory Reliability Standards for the Bulk-
Power System--approved March 16, 2007.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Commission estimates the additional annual reporting burden and
cost as follows:3 4
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ For PER-003-2, PER-005-2, and PER-006-1: RC=Reliability
Coordinator; BA=Balancing Authority; TOP=Transmission Operator;
TO=Transmission Owner; GOP=Generator Operator. The NERC compliance
registry table April 16, 2024, was used to perform analysis.
\4\ The estimated hourly cost (salary plus benefits) is a
combination based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), as of
2023. The estimates for cost per response are loaded hourly wage
figure (includes benefits) based on two occupational categories for
2023 found on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website (http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm):
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Electrical Engineer (Occupation Code: 17-2071): $77.29 (to
calculate the reporting requirements)
Office and Administrative Support (Occupation Code: 43-
0000): $45.59 (to calculate the recordkeeping requirements).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual number Total annual burden
Number and type of of responses Total number Avg. burden & cost hours & total annual Cost per
respondents \3\ per respondent of responses per response \4\ cost ($) respondent ($)
(1).................. (2) (1) * (2) = (4).................. (3) * (4) = (5)......
(3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------(5) / (1)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FERC-725Y in Docket No. IC24-16-000 Reliability Standard PER-003-2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual Review of Credentials 12 (RC).............. 1 12 60 hrs. $4,637.40.... 720 hrs. $55,648.80.. $4,637.40
98 (BA).............. 1 98 60 hrs. 4,637.40..... 5,880 hrs. 454,465.20 4,637.40
165 (TOP)............ 1 165 60 hrs. 4,637.40..... 9.900 hrs. 765,171.00 4,637.40
Record Retention................... (RC, BA, TOP) 275.... 1 275 60 hrs. 2,735.40..... 16,500 hrs. 2,735.40
752,235.00.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total.......................... ..................... .............. .............. ..................... 33,000 hrs. ..............
2,027,520.00.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FERC-725Y(Reliability Standard PER-005-2)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual Evaluation, Update of 12 (RC).............. 1 12 14 hrs.; 1,082.06.... 168 hrs.; 12,984.72.. 1,082.06
Training Program.
98 (BA).............. 1 98 14 hrs.; 1,082.06.... 1,372 hrs.; 1,082.06
106,041.88.
165 (TOP)............ 1 165 14 hrs.; 1,082.06.... 2,310 hrs.; 1,082.06
178,539.90.
324 (TO)............. 1 324 14 hrs.; 1,082.06.... 4,536 hrs.; 1,082.06
350,587.44.
1028 (GOP)........... 1 1028 14 hrs.; 1,082.06.... 14,392 hrs.; 1,082.06
1,112,357.68.
[[Page 81904]]
Annual Evaluation and Update of (RC, BA, TOP, TO, 1 1627 8 hrs.; 364.72....... 13,016 hrs.; 364.72
Training Program. GOP) 1627. 593,399.44.
Retention of Records............... (RC, BA, TOP, TO, 1 1627 10 hrs.; 455.90...... 16,270 hrs.; 455.90
GOP) 1627. 741,749.30.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total.......................... ..................... .............. .............. ..................... 68,892 hrs.; ..............
3,095,660.36.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FERC-725Y (Reliability Standard PER-006-1)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GOP; Reporting, Recordkeeping Req.. 1028................. 1 1028 14 hrs.; 1,082.06.... 14,392 hrs.; 1,082.06
1,112,357.68.
GOP; Reporting Req. R1............. 1028................. 1 1028 5 hrs.; 386.45....... 5,140 hrs.; 386.45
397,270.60.
GOP; Recordkeeping Req............. \5\ 1028............. 1 1028 10 hrs.; 455.90...... 10,280 hrs.; 455.90
468,665.20.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total.......................... ..................... .............. .............. ..................... 29,812 hrs.; ..............
$1,978,293.48.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ The number of US unique GOPs is 1028 taken from the NERC compliance registry information of April 16, 2024.
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: October 2, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-23298 Filed 10-8-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P