Notice2023-03313
Emergency Order Issued to PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. To Operate Power Generating Facilities Under Limited Circumstances in the PJM Region as a Result of Extreme Weather
Primary source
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Published
February 16, 2023
Issuing agencies
Energy Department
Abstract
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE or the Department) is issuing this Notice to document emergency actions that it has taken pursuant to the Federal Power Act. DOE issued an emergency order to PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. (PJM) to operate certain power generating facilities under limited circumstances as described further below. PJM is the regional transmission operator for 65 million people in thirteen states and the District of Columbia (PJM Region). The PJM Region experienced a significant drop in temperatures and high winds due to a severe winter weather system. As a consequence of the impact of wind and decreasing temperatures, the demand for electricity in the PJM Region rose to an unusually high peak load. While the vast majority of generating units in the PJM Region continued to function adequately under these stressed conditions, some units experienced operating difficulties due to cold weather or fuel limitations, primarily gas. Because the additional generation required to serve the PJM Region was anticipated to result in a conflict with environmental standards and requirements, DOE authorized only the necessary additional generation for PJM to sufficiently supply the amount of energy needed to prevent electrical disruption.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 32 (Thursday, February 16, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 32 (Thursday, February 16, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10103-10104]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-03313]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[DOE Docket No. 202-22-4]
Emergency Order Issued to PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. To Operate
Power Generating Facilities Under Limited Circumstances in the PJM
Region as a Result of Extreme Weather
AGENCY: Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency
Response, Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of emergency action.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE or the Department) is
issuing this Notice to document emergency actions that it has taken
pursuant to the Federal Power Act. DOE issued an emergency order to PJM
Interconnection, L.L.C. (PJM) to operate certain power generating
facilities under limited circumstances as described further below. PJM
is the regional transmission operator for 65 million people in thirteen
states and the District of Columbia (PJM Region). The PJM Region
experienced a significant drop in temperatures and high winds due to a
severe winter weather system. As a consequence of the impact of wind
and decreasing temperatures, the demand for electricity in the PJM
Region rose to an unusually high peak load. While the vast majority of
generating units in the PJM Region continued to function adequately
under these stressed conditions, some units experienced operating
difficulties due to cold weather or fuel limitations, primarily gas.
Because the additional generation required to serve the PJM Region was
anticipated to result in a conflict with environmental standards and
requirements, DOE authorized only the necessary additional generation
for PJM to sufficiently supply the amount of energy needed to prevent
electrical disruption.
ADDRESSES: Requests for more information should be addressed by
electronic mail to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5c1d2f371f0e1c342d72383339723b332a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7130021a32233119005f151e145f161e07">[email protected]</span></a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information on this
Notice, or for information on the emergency activities described
herein, contact Kenneth Buell, (202) 586-3362,
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#7d36181313180915533f081811113d150c53191218531a120b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a7ecc2c9c9c2d3cf89e5d2c2cbcbe7cfd689c3c8c289c0c8d1">[email protected]</span></a>, or by mail to the attention of Kenneth Buell,
CR-30, 1000 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20585.
The Order and all related information are available here: <a href="https://www.energy.gov/ceser/federal-power-act-section-202c-pjm-december-2022">https://www.energy.gov/ceser/federal-power-act-section-202c-pjm-december-2022</a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act
The Department is issuing this Notice pursuant to 10 CFR
1021.343(a) to document emergency actions taken in accordance with
section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act (FPA) (16 U.S.C. 824a(c)). FPA
section 202(c) provides that ``[d]uring the continuance of any war in
which the United States is engaged, or whenever the [Secretary of
Energy] determines that an emergency exists by reason of a sudden
increase in the demand for electric energy, or a shortage of electric
energy or of facilities for the generation or transmission of electric
energy, or of fuel or water for generating facilities, or other causes,
the [Secretary of Energy] shall have authority, either upon [her] own
motion or upon complaint, with or without notice, hearing or report, to
require by order such temporary connections of facilities and
generation, delivery, interchange, or transmission of electric energy
as in [her] judgment will best meet the emergency and serve the public
interest.
1. Request for Emergency Order From PJM
On December 24, 2022, PJM submitted to the Department a Request for
Emergency Order Under section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act
(Application) to maintain the security and reliability of the PJM
system. In its Application, PJM cited a severe winter weather system
and forecasted a supply deficiency to meet firm load on December 24,
December 25, and December 26, 2022. PJM requested the authority to
direct the operation of electric generating units identified in Exhibit
A of its Application, as well as any other generating units subject to
emissions or other permit limitations in the PJM Region set forth in
the Order (``Specified Resources''), to operate up to their maximum
generation output levels under the limited circumstances described in
the Order. PJM stated that the emergency order it was requesting could
result in exceedances of National Ambient Air Quality Standards under
the Clean Air Act and other permit limitations. Given the permit limits
of the Specified Resources, PJM anticipated that the additional
capacity may not be made available absent an order under FPA section
202(c).
2. PJM Order
On December 24, 2022, the Under Secretary of Energy for
Infrastructure, acting pursuant to delegated authority, issued Order
No. 2022-22-4 (the Order). As set forth in the Order, the Under
[[Page 10104]]
Secretary for Infrastructure found that an emergency exists in the PJM
Region due to a shortage of electric energy, a shortage of facilities
for the generation of electric energy, and other causes, and that the
issuance of the Order would meet the emergency and serve the public
interest.
The Order authorized PJM to dispatch the Specified Resources for
the period beginning with the issuance of the Order on December 24,
2022, to 12:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on December 26, 2022, under
the conditions set forth in the Order, including the following:
(i) For any generation resource whose operator notifies PJM that
the unit is unable, or expected to be unable, to produce at its maximum
output due to an emissions or other limit in any federal environmental
permit, the unit will be allowed to exceed any such limit only during
any period for which PJM has declared an Energy Emergency Alert (EEA)
Level 2 or Level 3 \1\ (during which time PJM will have triggered a
Maximum Generation Emergency Action), except as described in certain
limited circumstances in anticipation of an EEA Level 2 described below
in item (iii). Once PJM declares that the EEA Level 2 event has ended,
the unit would be required to immediately return to operation within
its permitted limits. And at all other times, the unit would be
required to operate within its permitted limits, except for the limited
exceptions provided in the Order for operations in anticipation of an
EEA Level 2 to prevent the cycling of units or facilitate the charging
or pumping of other resources necessary for the EEA Level 2.
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\1\ For more information on EEA levels, see <a href="https://nercstg.nerc.com/pa/rrm/ea/Pages/Energy-Emergency-Alerts.aspx">https://nercstg.nerc.com/pa/rrm/ea/Pages/Energy-Emergency-Alerts.aspx</a>.
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(ii) For any generation resource whose operator notifies PJM that
the unit is offline or would need to go offline due to an emissions or
other limit in any federal environmental permit, PJM may direct the
unit operator to bring the unit online, or to keep the unit online, and
to operate at the level consistent with its permits but subject to the
exceptions set forth in the Order. In this circumstance, the operator
is allowed to make all of the unit's capacity available to PJM for
dispatch during any period for which PJM has declared an EEA Level 2 or
3 (during which time PJM has triggered a Maximum Generation Emergency
Action), except as described in certain limited circumstances in
anticipation of an EEA Level 2 described below in item (iii). Once PJM
declares that such an EEA Level 2 event has ended and the Maximum
Generation Emergency Action is discontinued, the unit would be required
to immediately return to operating at a level below the higher of its
minimum operating level or the maximum output allowable under the
permitted limit.
(iii) The Order granted PJM the authority to operate the Specified
Units that are combined cycle generating units in certain limited
circumstances in advance of declaring an EEA Level 2, Maximum
Generation Emergency, or in between such events, where such operation
or continued operation of the Specified Resource is reasonably
necessary to avoid shutting down and restarting the Specified Resource.
The Order further authorized PJM to operate the Specified Resources in
certain limited circumstances in advance of declaring an EEA Level 2,
Maximum Generation Emergency where such operation or continued
operation of the Specified Resource is reasonably necessary to
facilitate charging storage resources or pumping for pumped storage
facilities that will be needed during an anticipated EEA Level 2. PJM
is required to take measures to dispatch units for which cycling would
otherwise be required in a manner reasonably intended to limit the
duration and operating level of those units in such a way as to
minimize exceedance of permit limitations consistent with the security
and reliability of the PJM Region.
(iv) Consistent with good utility practice, and notwithstanding
standard merit order dispatch, PJM was required to exhaust all
reasonably and practically available resources, including available
imports, demand response and identified behind-the-meter generation
resources selected to minimize an increase in emissions to the extent
that such resources provide support to maintain grid reliability prior
to dispatching the Specified Resources at levels above their permitted
emissions levels. PJM was required provide a daily notification to the
Department reporting each generating unit that has been designated to
use the allowance and operated in reliance on the allowances contained
in the Order.
The Order requires that PJM provide a report by January 26, 2023,
for the dates between December 24, 2022, and December 26, 2022,
inclusive, on which the Specified Resources were operated. The report
must include `(i) emissions data in pounds per hour for each Specified
Resource unit, for each hour of the operational scenario, for CO,
NO<INF>X</INF>, PM<INF>10</INF>, VOC, and SO<INF>2</INF>; (ii)
emissions data must include emissions (lbs./hr.) calculated consistent
with reporting obligations pursuant to operating permits, permitted
operating/emission limits, and the actual incremental emissions above
the permit limits; (iii) the number and actual hours each day that each
Specified Resource unit operated in excess of permit limits or
conditions; (iv) the amount, type and formulation of any fuel used by
each Specified Resource; (v) all reporting provided under the Specified
Resource's operating permit requirements over the last three years to
the United States Environmental Protection Agency or local Air Quality
Management District for the location of a Specified Resource; (vi)
additional information requested by DOE as it performs any
environmental review relating to the issuance of the Order; and (vii)
information provided by the Specified Resource describing how the
Specified Resource complied with applicable environmental requirements
to the maximum extent feasible while operating consistent with the
emergency conditions.
The Order also requires PJM to submit a final report by February
27, 2023, with any revisions to the information reported on January 26,
2023. Consistent with the National Environmental Policy Act, the
Department will prepare a Special Environmental Analysis of the
environmental impacts of the Order that will include consideration of
environmental justice. PJM will be responsible for the reasonable
third-party costs of the Special Environmental Analysis.
Signing Authority
This document of the Department of Energy was signed on February
10, 2023, by Puesh M. Kumar, Director for the Office of Cybersecurity,
Energy Security, and Emergency Response, pursuant to delegated
authority from the Secretary of Energy. That document with the original
signature and date is maintained by DOE. For administrative purposes
only, and in compliance with requirements of the Office of the Federal
Register, the undersigned DOE Federal Register Liaison Officer has been
authorized to sign and submit the document in electronic format for
publication, as an official document of the Department of Energy. This
administrative process in no way alters the legal effect of this
document upon publication in the Federal Register.
Signed in Washington, DC, on February 13, 2023.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2023-03313 Filed 2-15-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
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