Related Files
Status
Board Adopted: August 14, 2014
Filed with FERC: September 15, 2014
Order Effective
Purpose/Industry Need:
A key element for Bulk Electric System (BES) reliability is the correct performance of Protection Systems. Monitoring BES Protection System events, as well as identifying and correcting the root causes of Misoperations, will improve Protection System performance.
In FERC Order No. 693 (dated March 16, 2007), the Commission identified PRC-003-1 (Regional Procedure for Analysis of Misoperations of Transmission and Generation Protection Systems ) as a “fill-in-the-blank” standard and did not approve or remand the standard since the regional procedures had not been submitted. Since PRC-003-1 is not enforceable, there is not a mandatory requirement for Regional procedures to support the requirements of PRC-004-2 (Analysis and Mitigation of Transmission and Generation Protection System Misoperations). This could lead to a potential reliability gap. Additionally, regional procedures are not standardized among the regions, and preclude the development of consistent metrics for measuring Protection System performance.
Phase 1 of this project will develop an improved standard to support the analysis and mitigation of Misoperations. Later phases of this project will address Special Protection Systems and Remedial Action Schemes.
Additional Information:
This Project is also being used to meet one of the objectives identified within the ERO Strategic Goals for 2011-2015. In support of ensuring NERC has clear, high technical quality results-based reliability standards that provide for an adequate level of bulk power system reliability and that are delivered in a timely and efficient manner, the following objective was proposed:
Modify the standards development process to allow rapid development of an initial draft standard by a small professional team with requisite expertise and skills, including legal and compliance, followed by subsequent stakeholder consensus review, comment and balloting; the process will provide early consultation, including with regulatory authority staff, to determine a clear set of objectives for the standard. The process will allow highest priority standards to be delivered to the board within one year.
NERC’s Standard Processes Manual allows significant flexibility in the initial informal stages of SAR and standard development, and at this time, no changes to the standards development process are anticipated to be needed to meet this objective. When the informal “Rapid-Development Team” completes its work and submits it to the Standards Committee, the work will be posted for industry consideration and transitioned to a formal Drafting Team for further development under the regular rules defined in the Standards Process Manual.
