Project 2021-07 Extreme Cold Weather Grid Operations, Preparedness, and Coordination

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Related Files​

Status

Board Adopted: February 15, 2024
​Filed with FERC: February 16, 2024


Background
Extreme cold weather and precipitation affected the south central United States February 8-20, 2021. Many generating units experienced outages, derates, or failures to start, resulting in energy and transmission emergencies (referred to as “the Event"). The total Event firm load shed was the largest controlled firm load shed event in U.S. history and was the third largest in quantity of outaged megawatts (MW) of load after the August 2003 northeast blackout and the August 1996 west coast blackout​.

Standard(s)
Affected  BAL, EOP, IRO, TOP, or Other Standards as Identified in the SAR​​​

Purpose/Industry Need
The primary purpose of this project is to address reliability related findings from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), NERC, and Regional Entity Joint Staff Inquiry into the February 2021 Cold Weather Grid Operations1. The project scope will address nine recommendations for new or enhanced NERC Reliability Standards proposed by the report.

The NERC Board of Trustees (Board) issued a resolution in November 2021 for the development of standards under this project be completed in accordance with the staged timelines recommended by the joint inquiry team, as follows​:

  • ​New and revised Reliability Standards to be submitted for regulatory approval before Winter 2022/2023: development completed by September 30, 2​​022 for the Board's consideration in October 2022;​
  • ​​New and revised Reliability Standards to be submitted for regulatory approval before Winter 2023/2024: development completed by September 30, 2023 for the Board's consideration in October 2023.

Phase 1 of the project ran from February – September 2022 and addressed the 4 Key Recommendations identified in the SAR. These standards were presented and approved by the NERC Board in October 2022. Phase 2 of the project began in October 2022 and is addressing the remaining Key Recommendations.

On February 16, 2023, FERC issued an Order Approving Extreme Cold Weather Reliability Standards EOP-011-3 and EOP-012-1 and Directing Modification of Reliability Standard EOP-012-1, N. Am. Elec. Reliability Corp., 182 FERC  61,094 (Feb. 16, 2023). In this order, FERC directed changes to be made to EOP-012-1.2


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1 The February 2021 Cold Weather Outages in Texas and the South Central United States | FERC, NERC and Regional Entity Staff Report | Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
2  eLibrary | File List (ferc.gov)


Draft

Actions

Dates

Results


Consideration of Comments

Phase 2 - Final Ballot of EOP-012-2​

EOP-012-2

Clean | Redline to Last Posted l Redline to​ Last Approved​ (EOP-012-1)

​Implementation Plan
Clean | Redline

 

​​​​​​Supporting Materials

Mapping Document

VRF/VSL Justifications


Technical Rationale
EOP-012-2
Clean | Redline







Final Ballot










02/05/24-02/09/24





​​​​​​​Ballot Results

Phase 2 - Draft 3 of EOP-012-2​

EOP-012-2

Clean | Redline to Last Posted l Redline to​ Last Approved​ (EOP-012-1)

​Implementation Plan
Clean | Redline

 

​​​​​​Supporting Materials

Unofficial Comm​ent Form ​(Word)​

Mapping Document

VRF/VSL Justifications


Technical Rationale
EOP-012-2
Clean | Redline



A​​dditional Ballots and Non-binding Poll

Ballots Open Reminder​

Info​

Vote




01/16/24-01/22/24
​​
Ballot Results

Non-Binding Poll Result
















​Consideration of Comments​

Comment Period

Info​​​

Submit Comments​


01
/10/24-01/22/24​​
​​

Comments Received​


Waiver​
​Standards Committee accepted the waiver on December 13, 2023. ​​
​​

Phase 2 - Draft 2 of EOP-012-2​

EOP-012-2*updated
*Requirement R3 was updated to correct error in date to align with previous posting of EOP-012-2

Clean | Redline to Last PostedRedline to​ Last Approved​ (EOP-012-1)

​Implementation Plan
Clean | Redline

 

​​​​​​Supporting Materials

Unofficial Comm​ent Form ​(Word)​​*updated

Mapping Document

VRF/VSL Justifications


Technical Rationale
EOP-012-2
Clean | Redline



A​​dditional Ballots and Non-binding Poll


Ballots Open reminder​

Info​*updated

Vote

​​​​​​


11/21/23-11/30/23

Ballot Results

Non-Binding Poll Result

​​
















Consideration of Comments


Comment Period


Info​​​*updated

Submit Comments​




10/27/23-11/30/23




Comments R​​eceived​​​​

Phase 2 – Final Ballot of EOP-011-4 and TOP-002-5

EOP-011-4
Clean | Redline to Last Posted | Redline to Last Approved (EOP-011-3)

TOP-002-5
Clean | Redline to Last Posted​ | Redline to Last Approved (TOP-002-4)

Implementation Plan
Clean | Redline


Supporting Materials

VRF/VSL Justifications


Technical Rationale
EOP-011-4
Cle​an | Redline to Last Posted

TOP-002-5
Clean | Redline to Last Posted








Final Ballot










09/29/23 - 10/06/23





Ballot Results

​​

Phase 2 - Draft 2 of EOP-011-4 and TOP-002-5

EOP-011-4
Clean | Redline to Last Posted | Redline to Last Approved (EOP-011-3)

TOP-002-5
Clean | Redline to Last Posted | Redline to Last Approved (TOP-002-4)​

Implementation Plan
Clean | Redline


Supporting Materials

Unofficial Comment Form (Word)

VRF/VSL Justifications


Technical Rationale
EOP-011-4
Clean | Redline to Last Posted

TOP-002-5
Clean | Redline to Last Posted



A​dditional Ballots and Non-binding Polls

Ballots Open Reminder​

Info

Vote

 

 

09/01/23 - 09/12/23


Ballot Results
Non-Binding Poll Results


















Consideration of Comments​


 

Comment Period

Info​

Submit Comments​


 

 

 

08/24/23 - 09/12/23




​​Comments Received​

Waiver

Waiver l Meeting Minutes

​Standards Committee accepted the waiver on August 23, 2023. ​​

Phase 2 - Draft 1 of EOP-012-2

EOP-012-2

Clean | Redline to Last Approved (EOP-012-1)

Implementation Plan


Supporting Materials

Unofficial Comment Form (Word)

Mapping Document

VRF/VSL Justifications​

 FAQ​

Technical Rationale
EOP-012-2​



Initial Ballots and Non-binding Polls

Ballots Open Reminder​

Info

Vote


07/11/23 - 07/20/23

Ballot Results

Non-Binding Poll Result
















Consideration of Comments
​​​​
​​

Join Ballot Pools





06/05/23 - 07/5/23

Comment Period

Info

Submit Comments​


​06/05/23 - 07/20/23
​​


​​Comments Received

​​Phase 2 - Draft 1

EOP-011-4

Clean | Redline to EOP-011-3​

TOP-002-5

Clean | Redline to Last Approved

Implementation Plan


Supporting Materials

Unofficial Comment Form (Word)

VRF/VSL Justifications

Technical Rationales

EOP-011-4

TOP-002-5​


Initial Ballots and Non-binding Polls

Ballot Open Reminder​

Info

Vote



04/04/23 - 04/13/23​
​​
Ballot Results
Non-Binding Poll Results

















Consideration of Comments
​​Join Ballot Pools
02/28/23 - 03/29/23​


​Comment Period

Info

Submit Comments​
​​


02/28/23 - 04/13/23



​Comments Received​

Phase 1 - Final Draft

EOP-011-3
Clean | Redline to Last Posted | Redline to Last Approved

EOP-012-1
Clean | Redline to Last Posted

Implementation Plan
Clean | Redline

 

Supporting Materials

Mapping Document
Clean | Redline

VRF/VSL Justification


Technical Rationale

EOP-011-3
Clean | Redline

EOP-012-1
Clean | Redline​

Technical ​Reference Document  
 Calculating Extreme Cold Weather Temperature​








Final Ballot


Info

Vote









09/23/22 – 09/30/22
​​








Ballot Results

​​
Phase 1 - ​​Draft 2

EOP-012-1 is a new standard dra fted by the Project 2021-07 SDT. Requirements R1, R2, R4, R6 and R7 are new requirements. Requirements R3 and R5 are carried over from EOP-011-2, which was revised under Project 2019-06 Cold Weather. These requirements have had minor revisions. ​

EOP-012-1
Clean​ *updated | Redline to Last Posted

Implementation Plan
Clean | Redline

Supporting Materials

Unofficial Comment Form (Word)

Mapping Document
Clean | Redline

VRF/VSL Jus​tification​

Technical Rationale
EOP-012-1

Technical Reference Document​ *New


Additional Ballots and 
Non-binding Polls

Updated Info

I​n​fo 

Vote

​​



08/23/22 – 09/01/22
Ballot Results
Non-Binding Poll Results
















Sum​mary Response to Comments​
​​


​​

















Summary Response to Comments


Comment Period

Updated Info​

Info

Submit Comments



08/03
/22 – 09/01/22​​
​​


Comments Received​

Waiver

Waiver​

Standards Committee accepted the waiver on May 18, 2022. ​​

​Phase 1 - Draft 1
EOP-012-1 is a new standard dra​​fted by the Project 2021-07 SDT. Requirements R1, R2, R4, and R6 are new requirements. Requirements R3 and R5 are carried over from EOP-011-2, which was revised under Project 2019-06 Cold Weather. These requirements have had minor revisions.​

EOP-011-3
Clean | Redline

EOP-012-1
Clean | Redline

Implementation Plan

 

Supporting Materials

Unofficial Comment Form (Word)

Mapping Document

VRF/VSL Justification

Technical Rationale
EOP-011-3 | EOP-012-1​



Initial Ballots and 
Non-binding Polls

I​nfo ​(updated)

Vote





06/08/22 – 06/21/22 (Extended)


Comment Period

Info

Submit Comments



​​05/19/22 – 06/21/22 (Extended)



Comments Received​​ (updated)
(comments to question 8 were included in responses to question 10​)

Join Ballot Pools

05/19/22 – 06/02/22
​​
Standard Authorization Request (SAR)
Clean Redline​
The Standards Committee Executive Committee accepted the SAR on February 25, 2022


Drafting Team Nominations

Supporting Materials

Unofficial Nomination Form (Word) 
Nomination Period

Info

Submit Nominations 

11/22/21 – 12/21/21



Standard Authorization Request

Supporting Materials

Unofficial Comment Form (Word) ​
Comment Period

Info​

Submit Comments​​

11/22/21 – 12/21/21
​​

Comments Received​​​
​​


​​​Summary Response to Comments​

​ ​