Notice2021-12377
Commission Information Collection Activities (Ferc-725x); Comment Request; Extension
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
June 14, 2021
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Abstract
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 a renewal of currently approved information collection FERC 725X (Mandatory Reliability Standards: Voltage and Reactive (VAR) Standards), which will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 112 (Monday, June 14, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 112 (Monday, June 14, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31498-31500]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-12377]
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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.
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 a renewal of
[[Page 31499]]
currently approved information collection FERC 725X (Mandatory
Reliability Standards: Voltage and Reactive (VAR) Standards), which
will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for
review.
DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due July 14, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments on FERC-725X to OMB through
<a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>. 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 <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>.
Please submit copies of your comments to the Commission. You may
submit copies of your comments (identified by Docket No. IC21-12-000)
by one of the following methods:
Electronic filing through <a href="http://www.ferc.gov">http://www.ferc.gov</a>, is preferred.
<bullet> Electronic Filing: Documents must be filed in acceptable
native applications and print-to-PDF, but not in scanned or picture
format.
<bullet> 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, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852.
Instructions: OMB submissions must be formatted and filed in
accordance with submission guidelines at <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>. 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: <a href="http://www.ferc.gov">http://www.ferc.gov</a>. For user assistance,
contact FERC Online Support by email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#81e7e4f3e2eeefede8efe4f2f4f1f1eef3f5c1e7e4f3e2afe6eef7"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="75131007161a1b191c1b10060005051a070135131007165b121a03">[email protected]</span></a>, 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 <a href="https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview">https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ellen Brown may be reached by email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#da9ebbaebb99b6bfbba8bbb4b9bf9a9c9f8899f4bdb5ac"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="387c594c597b545d594a59565b5d787e7d6a7b165f574e">[email protected]</span></a>, 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:
<bullet> 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);
<bullet> Schedule sufficient reactive resources to regulate voltage
levels (Requirement R2);
<bullet> Operate or direct the operation of devices to regulate
transmission voltage and reactive flows (Requirement R3);
<bullet> 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);
<bullet> 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
<bullet> 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:
<bullet> 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
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reasons it cannot so operate (Requirement R1);
<bullet> 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);
<bullet> 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
<bullet> 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).
<bullet> 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
<bullet> 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).
The 60-day notice was published to the Federal Register on March
31, 2021 and received no comments.
Type of Respondents: Generator operators and Transmission
Operators.
Estimate of Annual Burden: <SUP>4</SUP>
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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 $70.19/hour. This figure is
the average salary plus benefits for an electrical engineer
(Occupation Code: 17-2071) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May
2020) at <a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm">https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm</a>.
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The Commission estimates the annual public reporting burden for the
information collection as:
FERC-725X--Mandatory Reliability Standards: Voltage and Reactive (VAR) Standards
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Annual number Average burden & Total annual burden
Number of respondents of responses Total number of cost per response hours & total Cost per
\5\ per respondent responses \6\ annual cost respondent ($)
(1)..................... (2) (1) * (2) = (3) (4)................ (3) * (4) = (5).... (5) / (1)
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VAR-001-5 (Requirements R1-R6)... 167 (TOP)............... 1 167 160 hrs.; 26,720 hrs.; $11,230.40
$11,230.40. $1,875,476.80.
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-R6). 937 (GOP)............... 1 937 120 hrs.; $8,422.80 112,440 hrs.; 8,422.80
$7,892,163.6.
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Total........................ ........................ .............. 2,041 ................... 214,120 hrs.; ..............
$15,029,082.80.
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The burden for the FERC-725X information collection includes
estimates related to both of the previously approved Reliability
Standards (VAR-001-4.2 and VAR-002-4.1). The total annual burden and
cost of the FERC-725X information collection is 214,120 hours and
$15,029,083 (rounded).
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: June 8, 2021.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-12377 Filed 6-11-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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