Notice2023-25672
Reliability Technical Conference; Notice Inviting Post-Technical Conference Comments
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
November 21, 2023
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 223 (Tuesday, November 21, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 223 (Tuesday, November 21, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 81074-81075]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-25672]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. AD23-9-000]
Reliability Technical Conference; Notice Inviting Post-Technical
Conference Comments
On Thursday, November 9, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (Commission) convened its annual Commissioner-led
Reliability Technical Conference to discuss policy issues related to
the reliability of the Bulk-Power System, and 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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All interested persons are invited to file post-technical
conference comments to address issues raised during the technical
conference and identified in the Second Supplemental Notice for this
Technical Conference issued on October 30, 2023. For reference, the
questions included in the Second Supplemental Notice are included
below. Commenters need not answer all of the questions, but are
encouraged to organize responses using the numbering and order in the
below questions. Commenters are also invited to reference material
previously filed in this docket, but are encouraged to avoid repetition
or replication of their previous comments. Comments must be submitted
on or before 30 days from the date of this Notice.
Comments, identified by docket number, may be filed electronically
or paper-filed. Electronic filing through <a href="https://www.ferc.gov">https://www.ferc.gov</a> is
preferred. Documents must be filed in acceptable native applications
and print-to-PDF, but not in scanned or picture format. Instructions
are available on the Commission's website: <a href="http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp">http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp</a>.
Although the Commission strongly encourages electronic filing,
documents may also be paper-filed. To paper-file, submissions sent via
the U.S. Postal Service must be addressed to: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, Office of the Secretary, 888 First Street NE, Washington,
DC 20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to:
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Office of the Secretary, 12225
Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
For more information about this Notice, please contact:
Michael Gildea (Technical Information), Office of Energy Reliability,
(202) 502-8420, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0b466268636a6e67254c62676f6e6a4b6d6e7968256c647d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b8f5d1dbd0d9ddd496ffd1d4dcddd9f8deddcadb96dfd7ce">[email protected]</span></a>.
Gonzalo E. Rodriguez (Legal Information), Office of the General
Counsel, (202) 502-8568, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#581f373622393437760a373c2a313f2d3d22183e3d2a3b763f372e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="561139382c373a3978043932243f3123332c163033243578313920">[email protected]</span></a>.
Dated: November 14, 2023.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
Post Technical Conference Questions
1. State of Bulk Power System Reliability With a Focus on the Changing
Resource Mix and Resource Adequacy
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
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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.
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?
(a) 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?
(b) 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?
(c) 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?
(d) 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?
(e) 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?
(f) 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?
2. CIP Reliability Standards and the Evolving Grid
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 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.
(a) Discuss the primary security issues facing electric utilities
and describe the prioritization of resources and investment. What are
some lessons learned and best practices?
(b) 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?
(c) 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?
(d) 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?
(e) What additional actions can the Commission, NERC, and industry
take to further protect the grid from security threats, both physical
and cyber?
3. Reliability Implications of EPA's Proposed Rule on ``Greenhouse Gas
Standards and Guidelines for Fossil Fuel-Fired Power Plants''
On May 23, 2023, the EPA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking
under section 111 of the Clean Air Act. The proposed rule would set New
Source Performance Standards for new power plants that run on fossil
gas.
(a) Will the rule, if implemented as proposed, affect electric
reliability? In what ways?
(b) 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?
(c) 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?
(d) 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?
[FR Doc. 2023-25672 Filed 11-20-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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