Document ID: FERC-2014-0715-0001
Agency: ferc
Document Type: Notice
Title: Reliability Technical Conference
Posted Date: 2014-06-04T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 107 (Wednesday, June 4, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32277-32279]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-12876]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

[Docket No. AD14-9-000]

Reliability Technical Conference; Supplemental Notice With Agenda

    As announced in the Notice of Technical Conference issued on April 
16, 2014, the Commission will hold a technical conference on Tuesday, 
June 10, 2014 from 8:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to discuss policy issues 
related to the reliability of the Bulk-Power System. The agenda for 
this conference is attached. Commission members will participate in 
this conference.
    After the close of the conference, the Commission will accept 
written comments regarding the matters discussed at the technical 
conference. Any person or entity wishing to submit written comments 
regarding the matters discussed at the conference should submit such 
comments in Docket No. AD14-9-000 on or before July 15, 2014.
    Information on this event will be posted on the Calendar of Events 
on the Commission's Web site, www.ferc.gov, prior to the event. The 
conference will be transcribed. Transcripts will be available for a fee 
from Ace Reporting Company (202-347-3700 or 1-800-336-6646). A free 
webcast of this event is also available through www.ferc.gov. Anyone 
with Internet access who desires to listen to this event can do so by 
navigating to www.ferc.gov's Calendar of Events and locating this event 
in the Calendar. The event will contain a link to the Webcast. The 
Capitol Connection provides technical support for webcasts and offers 
the option of listening to the meeting via phone-bridge for a fee. If 
you have any questions, visit www.CapitolConnection.org or call 703-
993-3100.
    Commission conferences are accessible under section 508 of the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973. For accessibility accommodations, please 
send an email to accessibility@ferc.gov or call toll free 1-866-208-
3372 (voice) or 202-208-1659 (TTY), or send a FAX to 202-208-2106 with 
the required accommodations.
    For more information about this conference, please contact: Sarah 
McKinley, Office of External Affairs, Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8368, 
sarah.mckinley@ferc.gov.

    Dated: May 28, 2014.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN04JN14.003

Reliability Technical Conference

Commissioner-Led Reliability Technical Conference

July 10, 2014

8:45 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

8:45 a.m. Commissioners' Opening Remarks
9:00 a.m. Introductions
Acting Chairman Cheryl LaFleur, Conference Chair
9:15 a.m. Panel I: 2014 State of Reliability Report and Emerging 
Challenges

    Presentations: Panelists will be asked to address the following 
issues:

[[Page 32278]]

    a. What priorities have been identified in the 2014 report and how 
are these different from the 2013 report? What does the 2014 State of 
Reliability Report show about the effectiveness of the ERO's 
reliability activities and related industry efforts? What progress has 
been made with respect to the recommendations in the 2013 report and 
what are the obstacles to continued progress? What are the successes/
strengths? What areas need the most improvement? What resource needs 
and limitations are associated with these areas and what criteria can 
be used to address them?
    b. The 2014 State of Reliability report draws attention to two risk 
issues that contribute to system disturbances and automatic 
transmission outage severity: Protection system misoperations and AC 
substation outage failures. What actions have been taken to address 
these issues and have these actions been effective in improving 
performance?
    c. What has NERC done, and what can it do, to foster a culture of 
reliability excellence in the industry? What are the best indicators of 
an effective culture of reliability excellence?
    Panelists:
1. Gerry W. Cauley--President and Chief Executive Officer, North 
American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC)
2. Tom Burgess--Vice President and Director of Reliability Assessment 
Performance Analysis, NERC
3. William O. Ball--Executive Vice President, Southern Company 
Services, Inc., on behalf of Edison Electric Institute
4. Asim Haque--Commissioner and Vice Chairman, Public Utilities 
Commission of Ohio, on behalf of the National Association of Regulatory 
Utility Commissioners
5. Peter Fraser--Vice President, Industry Operation & Performance, 
Ontario Energy Board

11:15 a.m. Break
11:30 a.m. Panel II: Emerging Issues

    Presentations: Our Nation's power supply portfolio and 
infrastructure are changing rapidly due to factors such as the 
affordability of domestic natural gas, Federal and state policies on 
renewable and demand response resources, and new environmental 
regulations such as the Mercury and Air Toxics Standard. How does the 
industry expect the overall resources mix to change in the next 5 to 10 
years? What approaches are being developed to maintain reserve margins 
and address real-time operational challenges related to changes in 
resource mixes in the following areas:
    a. Gas Electric Interdependency: How has an increased dependency on 
natural gas impacted reliability in various regions, and what actions 
will be needed to maintain reliability?
    b. Variable Resources: How are entities addressing operational 
concerns related to variable resources as described in the 2013 Special 
Reliability Assessment ``Maintaining Bulk Power System Reliability 
While Integrating Variable Energy Resources--CAISO Approach'' a joint 
report published by NERC and the CAISO. What additional work is needed 
to integrate variable resources in ways that ensure adequate operating 
reserves, frequency response, and other operational issues?
    Panelists:
1. Gerry Cauley--President and Chief Executive Officer, NERC
2. Tom Burgess--Vice President and Director of Reliability Assessment 
and Performance Analysis, NERC
3. Peter Brandien--Vice President, System Operations, ISO New England
4. Brad Bouillon--Director, Day-Ahead Market and Real-Time Operations 
Support, California Independent System Operator
5. Allen Mosher--Vice President, Policy Analysis and Reliability 
Standards, American Public Power Association
6. Bradley Albert--General Manager of Resource Management, Arizona 
Public Service
7. Robert Hayes--Vice President, Natural Gas Trading, Calpine

12:45 p.m. Lunch
1:30 p.m. Panel III: ERO Initiatives

    Presentations: Panelists will be asked to address the following 
issues:
    a. Risk Registration initiative: What is the status of the Risk-
Based Registration Initiative? How does this effort align with existing 
practices and other initiatives?
    b. Several Reliability Standards and ERO initiatives depend on 
prioritizing or differentiating facilities based on how critical they 
are to the reliable and secure operation of the Bulk Power System. How 
should this ``tiering'' of facilities be determined? Should a set of 
common, uniform criteria apply in all contexts or does the appropriate 
approach depend on the particular context?
    c. BES: What issues or trends has NERC observed regarding the 
implementation of the revised BES definition? To what extent is the 
exceptions process being utilized and how is it working?
    d. Reliability Assurance Initiative: What have NERC and the 
Regional Entities learned from the Reliability Assurance Initiative 
(RAI) pilot projects? What are the essential factors NERC and the 
Regions will use to evaluate internal controls and on what objective 
basis will NERC determine the quality of one internal control program 
versus another? What potential impact could the ARI have on the need 
for and scope of audits?
     How does NERC plan to integrate the results of the pilots 
into a uniform national program? What obstacles will NERC face in 
ensuring consistent application of RAI across the eight regions?
    Panelists:

1. Tom Burgess--Vice President and Director of Reliability Assessment 
and Performance Analysis, NERC
2. Jerry Hedrick--Director of Regional Entity Assurance and Oversight, 
NERC
3. Scott Henry--Chief Executive Officer and President, SERC Reliability 
Corporation
4. Steven T. Naumann--Vice President, Transmission and NERC Policy, 
Exelon
5. Barry T. Lawson--Associate Director, Power Delivery and Reliability, 
National Rural Electric Cooperative Association
6. Sylvain Clermont--Manager, Transmission Services, Hydro-Quebec 
TransEnergie, on behalf of the Canadian Electricity Association

2:45 p.m. Break
3:00 p.m. Panel IV: ERO Performance

    Presentations: Panelists will be asked to address the following 
issues:
    a. Standards Development Process
     What efficiencies have resulted from the revision of 
NERC's standards development process?
     In what ways has the RISC improved the standards 
development process? On what bases have the current standards 
development projects been prioritized and have they deviated from last 
year?
    b. Compliance and Enforcement: What are the trends in the 
compliance and enforcement of Reliability Standards requirements? Which 
are the most violated Reliability Standards requirements and what steps 
are being taken to address this problem?
    c. Security Issues
     What is the status of the effort to enhance physical 
security of the grid?
     What progress has been made regarding CIP version 5 
implementation?
    i. What issues have entities discovered during the initial effort 
to implement CIP version 5?

[[Page 32279]]

    ii. How is NERC planning to address these issues and are there any 
issues that require Commission action?
    iii. What are NERC and the Regional Entities doing to prepare for 
the enforcement of the CIP version 5 standards to ensure consistent 
enforcement across the regions?
    Panelists:

1. Sonia Mendonca--Associate General Counsel and Director of 
Enforcement, NERC
2. Steve Noess--Associate Director of Standards Development, NERC
3. Tim Gallagher--Chief Executive Officer and President, Reliability 
First Corporation
4. Brian Murphy--Manager, NERC Reliability Standards, NextEra Energy
5. Jon Eric Thalman--Director, Regulatory Strategy and Transmission 
Asset Management, Pacific Gas & Electric Company
6. Carol Chinn--Regulatory Compliance Officer, Florida Municipal Power 
Agency, on behalf of Transmission Access Policy Study Group

4:30 p.m. Commissioner Closing Remarks

[FR Doc. 2014-12876 Filed 6-3-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P