§ 292.207 Procedures for obtaining qualifying status. ( a ) *Self-certification* — ( 1 ) *FERC Form No. 556.* The qualifying facility status of an existing or a proposed facility that meets the requirements of § 292.203 may be self-certified by the owner or operator of the facility or its representative by properly completing a FERC Form No. 556 and filing that form with the Commission, pursuant to § 131.80 of this chapter, and complying with paragraph (e) of this section.
( 2 ) *Factors.* For small power production facilities pursuant to § 292.204, the owner or operator of the facility or its representative may, when completing the FERC Form No. 556, provide information asserting factors showing that the facility for which qualification or recertification is sought is at a separate site from other facilities using the same energy resource and owned by the same person(s) or its affiliates.
( 3 ) *Commission action.* Self-certification and self-recertification are effective upon filing. If no protests to a self-certification or self-recertification are timely filed pursuant to paragraph (c) of this section, no further action by the Commission is required for a self-certification or self-recertification to be effective. If protests to a self-certification or self-recertification are timely filed pursuant to paragraph (c) of this section, a self-certification or self-recertification will remain effective until the Commission issues an order revoking QF certification. The Commission will act on the protest within 90 days from the date the protest is filed; provided that, if the Commission requests more information from the protester, the entity seeking qualification or recertification, or both, the time for the Commission to act will be extended to 60 days from the filing of a complete answer to the information request. In addition to any extension resulting from a request for information, the Commission also may toll the 90-day period for one additional 60-day period if so required to rule on a protest. Authority to toll the 90-day period for this purpose is delegated to the Secretary or the Secretary's designee. Absent Commission action before the expiration of the tolling period, a protest will be deemed denied, and the self-certification or self-recertification will remain effective.
( b ) *Optional procedure* —*Commission certification*— ( 1 ) *Application for Commission certification.* In lieu of the self-certification procedures in paragraph (a) of this section, an owner or operator of an existing or a proposed facility, or its representative, may file with the Commission an application for Commission certification that the facility is a qualifying facility. The application must be accompanied by the fee prescribed by part 381 of this chapter, and the applicant for Commission certification must comply with paragraph (c) of this section.
( 2 ) *General contents of application.* The application must include a properly completed FERC Form No. 556 pursuant to § 131.80 of this chapter. For small power production facilities pursuant to § 292.204, the owner or operator of the facility or its representative may, when completing the FERC Form No. 556, provide information asserting factors showing that the facility for which qualification is sought is at a separate site from other facilities using the same energy resource and owned by the same person(s) or its affiliates.
( 3 ) *Commission action.* ( i ) Within 90 days of the later of the filing of an application or the filing of a supplement, amendment or other change to the application, the Commission will either: Inform the applicant that the application is deficient; or issue an order granting or denying the application; or toll the time for issuance of an order. Any order denying certification shall identify the specific requirements which were not met. If the Commission does not act within 90 days of the date of the latest filing, the application shall be deemed to have been granted.
( ii ) For purposes of paragraph (b) of this section, the date an application is filed is the date by which the Office of the Secretary has received all of the information and the appropriate filing fee necessary to comply with the requirements of this Part.
( c ) *Protests and Interventions* — ( 1 ) *Filing a Protest.* Any person, as defined in § 385.102(d) of this chapter, who opposes either a self-certification or self-recertification making substantive changes to the existing certification filed pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section or an application for Commission certification or Commission recertification making substantive changes to the existing certification filed pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section for which qualification or recertification is filed on or after December 31, 2020, may file a protest with the Commission. Any protest to and any intervention in a self-certification or self-recertification must be filed in accordance with §§ 385.211 and 385.214 of this chapter, on or before 30 days from the date the self-certification or self-recertification is filed. Any protestor must concurrently serve a copy of such filing pursuant to § 385.211 of this chapter. Any protest must be adequately supported, and provide any supporting documents, contracts, or affidavits to substantiate the claims in the protest.
( 2 ) *Limitations on protest.* Protests may be filed to any initial self-certification or application for Commission certification filed on or after the effective date of this final rule, and to any self-recertification or application for Commission recertification that are filed on or after December 31, 2020 that makes substantive changes to the existing certification. Once the Commission has certified an applicant's qualifying facility status either in response to a protest opposing a self-certification or self-recertification, or in response to an application for Commission certification or Commission recertification, any later protest to a self-recertification or application for Commission recertification making substantive changes to a qualifying facility's certification must demonstrate changed circumstances that call into question the continued validity of the certification.
( d ) *Response to protests.* Any response to a protest must be filed on or before 30 days from the date of filing of that protest and will be allowed under § 385.213(a)(2) of this chapter.
( e ) *Notice requirements* — ( 1 ) *General.* An applicant filing a self-certification, self-recertification, application for Commission certification or application for Commission recertification of the qualifying status of its facility must concurrently serve a copy of such filing on each electric utility with which it expects to interconnect, transmit or sell electric energy to, or purchase supplementary, standby, back-up or maintenance power from, and the State regulatory authority of each state where the facility and each affected electric utility is located. The Commission will publish a notice in the Federal Register for each application for Commission certification and for each self-certification of a cogeneration facility that is subject to the requirements of § 292.205(d).
( 2 ) Facilities of 500 kW or more. An electric utility is not required to purchase electric energy from a facility with a net power production capacity of 500 kW or more until 90 days after the facility notifies the facility that it is a qualifying facility or 90 days after the utility meets the notice requirements in paragraph (c)(1) of this section.
( f ) *Revocation of qualifying status.* ( 1 ) ( i ) If a qualifying facility fails to conform with any material facts or representations presented by the cogenerator or small power producer in its submittals to the Commission, the notice of self-certification or Commission order certifying the qualifying status of the facility may no longer be relied upon. At that point, if the facility continues to conform to the Commission's qualifying criteria under this part, the cogenerator or small power producer may file either a notice of self-recertification of qualifying status pursuant to the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section, or an application for Commission recertification pursuant to the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section, as appropriate.
( ii ) The Commission may, on its own motion or on the motion of any person, revoke the qualifying status of a facility that has been certified under paragraph (b) of this section, if the facility fails to conform to any of the Commission's qualifying facility criteria under this part.
( iii ) The Commission may, on its own motion or on the motion of any person, revoke the qualifying status of a self-certified or self-recertified qualifying facility if it finds that the self-certified or self-recertified qualifying facility does not meet the applicable requirements for qualifying facilities.
( 2 ) Prior to undertaking any substantial alteration or modification of a qualifying facility which has been certified under paragraph (b) of this section, a small power producer or cogenerator may apply to the Commission for a determination that the proposed alteration or modification will not result in a revocation of qualifying status. This application for Commission recertification of qualifying status should be submitted in accordance with paragraph (b) of this section.
[45 FR 17972, Mar. 20, 1980] Editorial Note
Editorial Note: For Federal Register citations affecting § 292.207, see the List of CFR Sections Affected, which appears in the Finding Aids section of the printed volume and at *www.govinfo.gov .*