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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 232 (Tuesday, December 3, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 95776-95777]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-28251]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. AD25-4-000]

Interregional Transfer Capability Study: Strengthening 
Reliability Through the Energy Transformation; Notice of Request for 
Comments

    On November 19, 2024, the North American Electric Reliability 
Corporation (NERC) submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission (Commission) an Interregional Transfer Capability Study (ITC 
Study) pursuant to section 322 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 
(Fiscal Responsibility Act).\1\ All interested persons are invited to 
file comments on this ITC Study no later than 60 days after the date of 
publication in the Federal Register. We request the public to submit 
comments in the format indicated below.
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    \1\ Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, Public Law 118-5, 137 
Stat 10, sec. 322 (2023).
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    In June 2023, Congress passed the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which 
requires the Commission-approved Electric Reliability Organization 
(i.e., NERC),\2\ in consultation with each regional entity and each 
transmitting utility \3\ that has facilities interconnected with a 
transmitting utility in a neighboring transmission planning region, to 
conduct a study of total transfer capability \4\ between

[[Page 95777]]

transmission planning regions. The Fiscal Responsibility Act requires 
the ITC Study to include:
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    \2\ Federal Power Act (FPA) section 215 provides that the 
Commission may certify an Electric Reliability Organization, the 
purpose of which is to develop mandatory and enforceable Reliability 
Standards, subject to Commission review and approval. 16 U.S.C. 
824o(c). The Commission subsequently certified NERC as the Electric 
Reliability Organization. N. Am. Elec. Reliability Corp., 116 FERC ] 
61,062, order on reh'g and compliance, 117 FERC ] 61,126 (2006), 
aff'd sub nom. Alcoa, Inc. v. FERC, 564 F.3d 1342 (D.C. Cir. 2009).
    \3\ Transmitting utility is defined in 16 U.S.C. 796 as ``an 
entity (including an entity described in section 824(f) of [title 
16]) that owns, operates, or controls facilities used for the 
transmission of electric energy--(A) in interstate commerce; (B) for 
the sale of electric energy at wholesale.''
    \4\ 18 CFR 37.6(b)(1)(vi) (2024).
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    (1) Current total transfer capability between each pair of 
neighboring transmission planning regions.
    (2) A recommendation of prudent additions to total transfer 
capability between each pair of neighboring transmission planning 
regions that would demonstrably strengthen reliability within and among 
such neighboring transmission planning regions.
    (3) Recommendations to meet and maintain total transfer capability 
together with such recommended prudent additions to total transfer 
capability between each pair of neighboring transmission planning 
regions.
    The Fiscal Responsibility Act requires NERC to submit the ITC Study 
to the Commission no later than 18 months after the date of enactment 
of the Act (i.e., by December 2, 2024). After the ITC Study is 
submitted to the Commission, the Commission must publish the study for 
public comment and, no later than 12 months after the end of the public 
comment period, submit a report on its conclusions to Congress and 
include recommendations, if any, for statutory changes.\5\
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    \5\ Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, Public Law 118-5, 137 
Stat 10, sec. 322 (2023).
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    Comments may be filed electronically via the internet.\6\ 
Instructions are available on the Commission's website https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp. For assistance, please contact 
FERC Online Support at [email protected] or toll free at 1-
866-208-3676, or for TTY, (202) 502-8659. 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.
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    \6\ See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) (2024).
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    For more information about this Notice, please contact Jessica L. 
Cockrell at [email protected] or 202-502-8190. For legal 
information, please contact Gonzalo E. Rodriguez at 
[email protected] or 202-502-8568.

    Dated: November 25, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-28251 Filed 12-2-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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