[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 210 (Wednesday, October 30, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 86336-86337]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-25154]
[[Page 86336]]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. IC24-25-000]
Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-725X); 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 725X, Mandatory Reliability Standards:
Voltage and Reactive (VAR) Standards. There were no changes made to the
reporting requirements for this information collection. The 60-day
notice comment period ended on October 18, 2024; no comments were
received.
DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due November 29,
2024.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments on FERC-725X to OMB through
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Attention: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission Desk Officer. Please identify the OMB Control Number (1902-
0278) 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. IC24-25-000)
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 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. The
number of manhours for VAR-001-5 and VAR-002-4.1 will remain the same,
but the type of job responsibilities to follow the requirements will be
split between an engineer and record-keeper, instead of just an
engineer. This results in a decrease of the cost of compliance and
record-keeping for these two standards.
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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:
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
[[Page 86337]]
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.
FERC-725X, Mandatory Reliability Standards: Voltage and Reactive (VAR) Standards
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Annual number Total annual burden
Number of respondents of responses Total number Average burden & cost hours & total annual Cost per
\5\ per respondent of responses per response \6\ cost respondent ($)
(1).................. (2) (1) * (2) = (4).................. (3) * (4) = (5)...... (5) / (1)
(3)
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VAR-001-5 Compliance and record- 165 (TOP)............ 1 165 160 hrs. $11,307.20 26,400 hrs. $11,307.20
keeping. $1,865,688
VAR-002-4.1 Compliance and record- 1,028 (GOP).......... 1 1,028 200 hrs. $14,134 205,600 hrs. 14,134
keeping. $14,529,752
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Total.......................... 1,193 232,000 hrs.
$16,395,440
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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.
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\5\ TOP = transmission operator; GOP = generator operators.
These values were derived from the NERC Compliance data of April 16,
2024, using only unique United States registered entities.
\6\ The estimated hourly cost (salary plus benefits) is a
combination based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), as of
2024, for 75% of the average of an Electrical Engineer (17-2071)
$79.31/hr., 79.31 x .75 = 59.4825 ($59.48-rounded) ($59.48/hour) and
25% of an Information and Record Clerk (43-4199) $44.74/hr., $44.74
x .25% = 11.185 ($11.19 rounded) ($11.19/hour), for a total ($59.48
+ $11.19 = $70.67/hour).
Dated: October 23, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-25154 Filed 10-29-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P