Document ID: FERC-2010-0128-0001
Agency: ferc
Document Type: Notice
Title: Transmission Loading Relief Reliability Standard and Curtailment Priorities
Posted Date: 2010-01-27T05:00Z

[Federal Register: January 27, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 17)]
[Notices]               
[Page 4375-4379]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr27ja10-77]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. RM10-9-000]

 
Transmission Loading Relief Reliability Standard and Curtailment 
Priorities

Issued January 21, 2010.
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of Inquiry.

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SUMMARY: The Commission requests comment on the interplay between 
Reliability Standard IRO-006-4 (Reliability Coordination--Transmission 
Loading Relief) and the curtailment priorities set forth in the 
Commission's pro forma open access transmission tariff, particularly 
sections 13.6 and 14.7.

DATES: Comments are due 60 days after publication in the Federal 
Register.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number by any 
of the following methods:
     Agency Web Site: http://www.ferc.gov. Documents created 
electronically using word processing software should be filed in native 
applications or print-to-PDF format and not in a scanned format.
     Mail/Hand Delivery: Commenters unable to file comments 
electronically must mail or hand deliver an original and 14 copies of 
their comments to: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Office of the 
Secretary, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426.
    Instructions: For detailed instructions on submitting comments and 
additional information on the rulemaking process, see the Comment 
Procedures Section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ruta Kalvaitis Sku[ccaron]as, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 
Office of the General Counsel, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 
20426, (202) 502-6647, ruta.skucas@ferc.gov.
Thomas Dautel, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Office of Energy 
Policy & Innovation, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426, (202) 
502-6196, thomas.dautel@ferc.gov.
Thanh Loung, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Office of Electric 
Reliability, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-
6080, thanh.luong@ferc,gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Before Commissioners: Jon Wellinghoff, Chairman; Marc Spitzer, 
Philip D. Moeller, and John R. Norris.

    1. In this Notice of Inquiry (NOI), the Commission requests 
comments from industry and stakeholders regarding the interplay between 
Reliability Standard IRO-006-4 (Reliability Coordination--Transmission 
Loading Relief) and curtailment priorities in Commission-approved Open 
Access Transmission Tariffs (OATT). The Commission seeks further 
information, comments and data on whether Reliability Standard IRO-006-
4 directs a reliability coordinator to curtail a firm interchange 
transaction crossing over a constrained flowgate prior to curtailing a 
non-firm native network load transaction across the same flowgate.

I. Background

    2. On December 21, 2007, the North American Electric Reliability 
Corporation (NERC), the Commission-certified electric reliability 
organization (ERO), submitted for Commission approval modifications to 
Reliability Standard IRO-006-3, known as the transmission loading 
relief (TLR) procedure.\1\ As discussed in greater detail below, 
Reliability Standard IRO-006-4 provides Interconnection-wide

[[Page 4376]]

transmission loading relief procedures that can be used to prevent or 
manage potential or actual system operating limit or interconnection 
reliability operating limit violations.\2\
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    \1\ Reliability Standard IRO-006-4 modifies Reliability Standard 
IRO-006-3, which the Commission approved in Order No. 693. Mandatory 
Reliability Standards for the Bulk-Power System, Order No. 693, FERC 
Stats. & Regs. ] 31,242, order on reh'g, Order No. 693-A, 120 FERC ] 
61,053 (2007).
    \2\ A System Operating Limit or SOL is the value (such as MW, 
MVar, amperes, frequency or volts) that satisfies the most limiting 
of the prescribed operating criteria for a specified system 
configuration to ensure operation within acceptable reliability 
criteria. NERC Glossary of Terms Used in Reliability Standards at 
19, available at http://www.nerc.com/files/Glossary_12Feb08.pdf 
(NERC Glossary). An Interconnection Reliability Operating Limit or 
IROL is a system operating limit that, if violated, could lead to 
instability, uncontrolled separation, or cascading outages that 
adversely impact the reliability of the Bulk-Power System. Id. at 
10.
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    3. As discussed below, the NRG Companies filed comments on 
Reliability Standard IRO-006-4, asserting that the proposed modified 
Reliability Standard is not consistent with the requirements of the 
Commission-approved pro forma OATT. They asserted that, due to flaws in 
the Interchange Distribution Calculator,\3\ firm transactions may be 
curtailed prior to non-firm transactions, resulting in an OATT 
violation. They also argued that the Interchange Distribution 
Calculator is flawed for several reasons, including that it does not 
take native load transactions into account when determining which 
transactions should be curtailed to relieve congestion. The 
Constellation Energy Commodities Group, Inc. filed comments in support 
of the NRG Companies' comments, arguing that the use of the Interchange 
Distribution Calculator has resulted in unjust and discriminatory 
curtailments, particularly firm transactions before non-firm 
transactions.
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    \3\ The Interchange Distribution Calculator is a mechanism used 
by the reliability coordinators in the Eastern Interconnection to 
calculate the distribution of interchange transactions over specific 
flowgates. It includes a database of all interchange transactions 
and a matrix of the distribution factors for the Eastern 
Interconnection. Id. at 9.
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    4. On July 21, 2008, the Commission issued Order No. 713, which, 
inter alia, directed NERC to submit a filing explaining one aspect of 
the TLR procedure before such procedure could be approved.\4\ Following 
NERC's response, on March 19, 2009, the Commission approved Reliability 
Standard IRO-006-4 in Order No. 713-A. In addition, the Commission 
directed NERC to develop modifications to IRO-006-4, pursuant to 
section 215(d)(5) of the Federal Power Act (FPA).\5\ In response to 
comments regarding competitive concerns and the application of the 
Interchange Distribution Calculator, the Commission concluded:

    \4\ Modification of Interchange and Transmission Loading Relief 
Reliability Standards; and Electric Reliability Organization 
Interpretation of Specific Requirements of Four Reliability 
Standards, Order No. 713, 124 FERC ] 61,071 (2008), order on reh'g, 
Order No. 713-A, 126 FERC ] 61,252 (2009), order on reh'g, Order No. 
713-B, 130 FERC ] 61,032 (2010). The Commission sought clarification 
of whether the removal and transfer to NAESB of business-related 
requirements formerly contained in Reliability Standard IRO-006-3 
would impact bulk-power system reliability, an issue unrelated to 
the current proceeding. Order No. 713, 124 FERC ] 61,071 at P 50.
    \5\ 16 U.S.C. 824o(d)(5) (2006). The modifications relate to the 
use of the term ``alone'' in Requirement R1.1 and changes to the 
Violation Risk Factors for Requirements R1 through R4 to ``high,'' 
and are not related to the issues discussed in this NOI. Order No. 
713-A, 126 FERC ] 61,252 at P 36, 59.
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    The above comments on suggested improvements to the 
[transmission loading relief] procedure are beyond the scope of this 
proceeding, which pertains to the separation of business practices 
from the ERO's [transmission loading relief] procedure and 
implementation of the Commission's directives set forth in Order No. 
693. We note, however, that the ERO indicated in its December 21, 
2007 filing that it has a three-phase plan to improve the 
[transmission loading relief] procedures, and the third phase will 
consist of ``a complete redrafting to incorporate enhancement and 
changes beyond the separation of reliability and business practice 
issues.'' Therefore, the phase three proceeding would provide a 
proper forum for commenters to raise their concerns. The Commission 
believes that NRG and other commenters raise valid issues and urges 
the commenters to raise--and expects the ERO to consider--these 
matters in an appropriate proceeding. We also note that NERC states 
it is currently updating the [Interchange Distribution Calculator] 
to more accurately determine the impacts of native load and network 
service.\6\

    \6\ Order No. 713-A, 126 FERC ] 61,252 at P 21 (footnotes 
omitted).
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    5. In a request for rehearing of Order No. 713-A, the NRG 
Companies, the Electric Power Supply Association, and Constellation 
Energy Commodities Group (Rehearing Parties) challenged the Reliability 
Standard on several grounds.\7\ First, they assert that Reliability 
Standard IRO-006-4 violates the curtailment priorities established in 
Order Nos. 888 \8\ and 890 \9\ and the pro forma OATT approved by the 
Commission in those proceedings, because the standard favors native 
network load transactions over interchange transactions with respect to 
curtailment priority, and allows the curtailment of firm transactions 
before non-firm transactions.
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    \7\ Request for Rehearing and Clarification of the NRG 
Companies, the Electric Power Supply Association and Constellation 
Energy Commodities Group, Docket No. RM08-7-002 (Apr. 20, 2009) 
(Request for Rehearing).
    \8\ Promoting Wholesale Competition Through Open Access Non-
Discriminatory Transmission Services by Public Utilities; Recovery 
of Stranded Costs by Public Utilities and Transmitting Utilities, 
Order No. 888, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,036 (1996), order on reh'g, 
Order No. 888-A, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,048, order on reh'g, Order 
No. 888-B, 81 FERC ] 61,248 (1997), order on reh'g, Order No. 888-C, 
82 FERC ] 61,046 (1998), aff'd in relevant part sub nom. 
Transmission Access Policy Study Group v. FERC, 225 F.3d 667 (D.C. 
Cir. 2000), aff'd sub nom. New York v. FERC, 535 U.S. 1 (2002).
    \9\ Preventing Undue Discrimination and Preference in 
Transmission Service, Order No. 890, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,241, 
order on reh'g, Order No. 890-A, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,261 
(2007), order on reh'g, Order No. 890-B, 123 FERC ] 61,299 (2008), 
order on reh'g, Order No. 890-C, 126 FERC ] 61,228 (2009).
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    6. The Rehearing Parties assert that, under sections 13.6 and 14.7 
of the Commission's pro forma OATT, non-firm transmission services must 
be curtailed before firm transmission services, and firm point-to-point 
and network integration transmission service customers have an equal 
priority with the transmission provider's use of the system to deliver 
Network Resources to its native load. They maintain that, because of 
its reliance on the flawed Interchange Distribution Calculator, 
Reliability Standard IRO-006-4 would direct a reliability coordinator 
\10\ to curtail a firm interchange transaction crossing over a 
constrained flowgate prior to curtailing a non-firm native network load 
transaction across the same flowgate. The Rehearing Parties also assert 
that the Commission has recognized such flaws in the Interchange 
Distribution Calculator and has directed NERC to address them.\11\
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    \10\ The NERC Glossary defines a reliability coordinator as: 
``The entity that is the highest level of authority who is 
responsible for the reliable operation of the Bulk Electric System, 
has the Wide Area view of the Bulk Electric System, and has the 
operating tools, processes and procedures, including the authority 
to prevent or mitigate emergency operating situations in both next-
day analysis and real-time operations. The Reliability Coordinator 
has the purview that is broad enough to enable the calculation of 
Interconnection Reliability Operating Limits, which may be based on 
the operating parameters of transmission systems beyond any 
Transmission Operator's vision.'' NERC Glossary at 16.
    \11\ Request for Rehearing at 8 n.12, citing North American 
Electric Reliability Council, 85 FERC ] 61,353 (1998).
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II. Discussion

A. OATT Requirements

    7. Curtailment priorities are largely set forth in two sections of 
the Commission's pro forma OATT. Section 13.6 of the Commission's pro 
forma OATT, entitled Curtailment of Firm Transmission Service, provides 
that:

    Curtailments will be made on a non-discriminatory basis to the 
transaction(s) that effectively relieve the constraint. Transmission 
Provider may elect to implement such Curtailments pursuant to the 
Transmission Loading Relief procedures specified in Attachment J. If 
multiple transactions require Curtailment, to the

[[Page 4377]]

extent practicable and consistent with Good Utility Practice, the 
Transmission Provider will curtail service to Network Customers and 
Transmission Customers taking Firm Point-To-Point Transmission 
Service on a basis comparable to the curtailment of service to the 
Transmission Provider's Native Load Customers. All Curtailments will 
be made on a non-discriminatory basis, however, Non-Firm Point-To-
Point Transmission Service shall be subordinate to Firm Transmission 
Service. * * * . [T]he Transmission Provider reserves the right to 
Curtail, in whole or in part, any Firm Transmission Service provided 
under the Tariff when, in the Transmission Provider's sole 
discretion, an emergency or other unforeseen condition impairs or 
degrades the reliability of its Transmission System. . . .\12\

    \12\ Order No. 890-B, 123 FERC ] 61,299, Pro Forma OATT 13.6 
(emphasis added).
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    8. Section 14.7 of the Commission's pro forma OATT, entitled 
Curtailment or Interruption of Service, provides that:

    The Transmission Provider reserves the right to Curtail, in 
whole or in part, Non-Firm Point-To-Point Transmission Service 
provided under the Tariff for reliability reasons * * * . 
Transmission Provider may elect to implement such Curtailments 
pursuant to the Transmission Loading Relief procedures specified in 
Attachment J. The Transmission Provider reserves the right to 
Interrupt, in whole or in part, Non-Firm Point-To-Point Transmission 
Service provided under the Tariff for economic reasons in order to 
accommodate (1) a request for Firm Transmission Service, (2) a 
request for Non-Firm Point-To-Point Transmission Service of greater 
duration, (3) a request for Non-Firm Point-To-Point Transmission 
Service of equal duration with a higher price, (4) transmission 
service for Network Customers from non-designated resources, or (5) 
transmission service for Firm Point-to-Point Transmission Service 
during conditional curtailment periods * * * . Where required, 
Curtailments or Interruptions will be made on a non-discriminatory 
basis to the transaction(s) that effectively relieve the constraint, 
however, Non-Firm Point-To-Point Transmission Service shall be 
subordinate to Firm Transmission Service. * * * . Transmission 
service for Network Customers from resources other than designated 
Network Resources will have a higher priority than any Non-Firm 
Point-To-Point Transmission Service under the Tariff.\13\

    \13\ Order No. 890-B, 123 FERC ] 61,299, Pro Forma OATT 14.7 
(emphasis added).
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    9. As indicated by the above-quoted text, the pro forma OATT 
provides that when curtailments are necessary, non-firm service shall 
be subordinate to firm service.

B. Reliability Standard IRO-006-4

    10. Reliability Standard IRO-006-4, which is applicable to 
balancing authorities, reliability coordinators and transmission 
operators, establishes transmission loading relief procedures:

    The purpose of this standard is to provide Interconnection-wide 
transmission loading relief procedures that can be used to prevent 
or manage potential or actual [system operating limit] and 
[interconnection reliability operating limit] violations to maintain 
reliability of the Bulk Electric System.

    11. The Reliability Standard contains five requirements. 
Requirement R1 obligates a reliability coordinator experiencing a 
potential or actual system operating limit or interconnection 
reliability operating limit violation within its reliability 
coordinator area to select one or more procedures to mitigate potential 
or actual transmission overloads. Pursuant to the Commission's 
direction in Order No. 693,\14\ sub-requirement R1.1 specifically 
notes:

    \14\ Order No. 693, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,242 at P 577.
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    The [transmission loading relief] procedure alone is an 
inappropriate and ineffective tool to mitigate an [interconnection 
reliability operating limit] violation due to the time required to 
implement the procedure. Other acceptable and more effective 
procedures to mitigate actual [interconnection reliability operating 
limit] violations include: reconfiguration, redispatch, or load 
shedding.

    12. Requirement R2 mandates that the reliability coordinator only 
use local transmission loading relief or congestion management 
procedures to which the transmission operator experiencing the 
potential or actual system operating limit or interconnection 
reliability operating limit is a party. Requirement R3 establishes that 
a reliability coordinator with a transmission loading relief obligation 
from an interconnection-wide procedure follow the curtailments as 
directed by the interconnection-wide procedure. It also requires that a 
reliability coordinator desiring to use a local procedure as a 
substitute for curtailments as directed by the interconnection-wide 
procedure must obtain prior approval from the ERO. Requirement R4 
mandates that each reliability coordinator comply with interconnection-
wide procedures, once they are implemented, to curtail transactions 
that cross interconnection boundaries. Requirement R5 directs balancing 
authorities and reliability coordinators to comply with applicable 
interchange-related Reliability Standards during the implementation of 
transmission loading relief procedures.
    13. NERC has established 7 TLR levels.\15\ At Level 1, the 
reliability coordinator notifies of a potential system operating limit 
or interconnection reliability operating limit violation. At Level 2, 
the reliability coordinator holds interchange transactions at current 
levels to prevent operating limit violations. At Level 3, the 
reliability coordinator reallocates transmission by curtailing non-firm 
interchange transactions to allow higher-priority transactions to 
continue, and/or curtails non-firm interchange transactions to prevent 
further operating limit violations. At Level 4, the reliability 
coordinator reconfigures the transmission system to allow firm 
transactions to continue. At Level 5, the reliability coordinator 
curtails firm interchange transactions, either to allow certain other 
firm transactions to continue or to mitigate any further operating 
limit violations. At Level 6, the reliability coordinator implements 
emergency procedures. At Level 0, the TLR has concluded.
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    \15\ Transmission Loading Relief Procedures, TLR Levels, 
available at http://www.nerc.com/page.php?cid=567205.
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    14. As previously noted, the Interchange Distribution Calculator is 
a mechanism used by the reliability coordinators in the Eastern 
Interconnection to calculate the distribution of interchange 
transactions over specific flowgates. It includes a database of all 
interchange transactions and a matrix of the distribution factors for 
the Eastern Interconnection.\16\
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    \16\ NERC Glossary at 9.
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C. Concerns Regarding Reliability Standard IRO-006-4

    15. In Docket No. RM08-7-000, both the NRG Companies and the 
Rehearing Parties raised concerns regarding Reliability Standard IRO-
006-4. In comments filed in response to the Commission's Notice of 
Proposed Rulemaking regarding Reliability Standard IRO-006-4, the NRG 
Companies argued that certain flaws in the Interchange Distribution 
Calculator result in violations of sections 13.6 and 14.7 of the 
Commission's pro forma OATT. First, NRG Companies asserted that there 
are flaws in the Interchange Distribution Calculator, which allows 
certain types of transactions to avoid curtailment.\17\ NRG Companies 
explained that, for example, the Interchange Distribution Calculator 
does not take into account internal non-firm transactions, defined as 
those with a source and sink in the same Balancing Area, and will 
curtail firm transactions before these internal non-firm transactions. 
As a result, NRG Companies assert that interchange transactions bear a 
disproportionate share of the system's reliability obligations. 
Further, NRG Companies argue, the Interchange Distribution

[[Page 4378]]

Calculator does not distinguish between firm and non-firm native load 
transmission services, assuming that all internal transactions are firm 
and assigning firm curtailment priorities to them.\18\
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    \17\ Comments of the NRG Companies at 8, 16-17, Docket No. RM08-
7-000 (Oct. 10, 2008) (NRG Comments).
    \18\ NRG Comments at 4.
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    16. Following issuance of Order No. 713-A, the Rehearing Parties 
sought rehearing, asserting that Reliability Standard IRO-006-4 is not 
just and reasonable because it results in OATT violations and 
discriminates in favor of native load transactions made by a load 
serving entity over similar transactions entered into by an otherwise 
similarly-situated transmission-dependent utility or merchant 
generator. The Rehearing Parties cite to NRG's comments in the 
underlying proceeding that point to problems with the Interchange 
Distribution Calculator, upon which the Reliability Standard relies to 
determine curtailments.\19\ They assert that sections 13.6 and 14.7 of 
the Commission's pro forma OATT require that non-firm transmission 
services be curtailed before firm transmission services, and state that 
firm point-to-point and network integration transmission service 
customers have an equal priority with the transmission provider's use 
of the system to deliver network resources to its native load.\20\
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    \19\ Request for Rehearing at 7, citing NRG Comments at 12-16.
    \20\ Id.
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    17. According to the Rehearing Parties, because of its reliance on 
the flawed Interchange Distribution Calculator, which does not take 
internal native load transactions into account, Reliability Standard 
IRO-006-4 would direct a reliability coordinator to curtail a firm 
interchange transaction crossing over a constrained flowgate prior to 
curtailing a non-firm native network load transaction across the same 
flowgate. The Rehearing Parties assert that this is a violation of the 
OATT's curtailment priorities and constitutes undue discrimination in 
favor of native load transactions. According to the Rehearing Parties, 
earlier reforms to the transmission loading relief procedures and the 
Interchange Distribution Calculator have not remedied these flaws.\21\
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    \21\ Request for Rehearing at 8, citing North Am. Electric 
Reliability Council, 85 FERC ] 61,353 (1998), order on reh'g, 87 
FERC ] 61,161 (1999).
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D. Commission Questions

    18. In an order issued concurrently with this NOI, the Commission 
denies the Rehearing Parties' request for rehearing of Order No. 713-A 
as outside of the scope of the proceeding in Docket No. RM08-7-002.\22\ 
However, the Commission believes that commenters have raised issues 
regarding Reliability Standard IRO-006-4 that merit further inquiry. 
Although we have reviewed the comments filed by NRG Companies and the 
Request for Rehearing in Docket No. RM08-7, we seek broader input from 
industry before determining how to proceed.
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    \22\ Modification of Interchange and Transmission Loading Relief 
Reliability Standards; and Electric Reliability Organization 
Interpretation of Specific Requirements of Four Reliability 
Standards, Order No. 713-B, 130 FERC ] 61,032 (2010).
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    19. Therefore, the Commission seeks public comment on whether the 
current application of the transmission loading relief procedures and 
Reliability Standard IRO-006-4 are inconsistent with OATT curtailment 
priorities and, if so, recommended corrective actions.\23\ In addition, 
the Commission seeks public comment on the following questions:
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    \23\ This proceeding will not address issues related to the 
Curtailment Threshold previously approved by the Commission. North 
Am. Electric Reliability Council, 87 FERC ] 61,160 (1999), reh'g 
denied, 96 FERC ] 61,079 (2001).

    (a) Whether Reliability Standard IRO-006-4, as implemented by 
various transmission providers, reliability coordinators and 
balancing authorities, results in firm service being made 
subordinate to non-firm service?
    (b) How do Transmission Providers currently implement OATT 
sections 13.6 and 14.7? Specifically, discuss whether Transmission 
Providers rely solely on the Interchange Distribution Calculator in 
determining which transactions to curtail, or whether they also take 
into account non-firm transactions internal to the Balancing 
Authority which are currently not reflected in the Interchange 
Distribution Calculator.
    (c) If the Interchange Distribution Calculator results in firm 
service being made subordinate to non-firm service, would including 
transactions internal to a Balancing Authority help resolve the 
problem? If so, what parties would be impacted? If there are 
affected parties, please provide examples of what the impacts on 
those parties would be.
    (d) If the Interchange Distribution Calculator results in firm 
service being made subordinate to non-firm service, would modifing 
it to calculate the Transfer Distribution Factors (TDF) for 
transactions within a Balancing Authority solve the identified issue 
of firm transactions being curtailed before non-firm transactions 
within a Balancing Authority?
    (e) What is the role and responsibility of the transmission 
provider, reliability coordinator and balancing authority, in the 
TLR procedures and curtailment?
    (f) As noted above, a Level 5 TLR is called to allow certain 
firm transactions to continue or to mitigate further operating limit 
violations and a Level 6 TLR is called to implement emergency 
procedures. Are commenters aware of Level 5 or Level 6 TLR 
procedures being called for reasons other than to allow certain 
other firm transactions to continue or to mitigate any further 
operating limit violations?
    (g) If this is an issue, does it occur in non-RTO/ISO regions, 
within ISO/RTO footprints, or both?

    20. The Commission also seeks an update from the ERO regarding its 
efforts to make improvements to the Interchange Distribution 
Calculator.\24\
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    \24\ We understand that the ERO previously estimated that 
resolving problems in the Interchange Distribution Calculator would 
take approximately 2 to 5 years; however, more than a year has 
passed since that estimate. Compliance Filing of the North American 
Electric Reliability Corporation In Response to Paragraph 50 of 
Order No. 713 at 10, Docket No. RM08-7-001 (Sept. 11, 2008).
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III. Comment Procedures

    21. The Commission invites interested persons to submit comments on 
the matters and issues proposed in this NOI, including any related 
matters or alternative proposals that commenters may wish to discuss. 
Comments are due 60 days from publication in the Federal Register. 
Comments must refer to Docket No. RM10-9-000, and must include the 
commenter's name, the organization they represent, if applicable, and 
their address in their comments.
    22. The Commission encourages comments to be filed electronically 
via the eFiling link on the Commission's Web site at http://
www.ferc.gov. The Commission accepts most standard word processing 
formats. Documents created electronically using word processing 
software should be filed in native applications or print-to-PDF format 
and not in a scanned format. Commenters filing electronically do not 
need to make a paper filing.
    23. Commenters that are not able to file comments electronically 
must send an original and 14 copies of their comments to: Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, Office of the Secretary, 888 First 
Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426.
    24. All comments will be placed in the Commission's public files 
and may be viewed, printed, or downloaded remotely as described in the 
Document Availability section below. Commenters on this proposal are 
not required to serve copies of their comments on other commenters.

IV. Document Availability

    25. In addition to publishing the full text of this document in the 
Federal Register, the Commission provides all interested persons an 
opportunity to view and/or print the contents of this document via the 
Internet through FERC's Home Page (http://www.ferc.gov)

[[Page 4379]]

and in FERC's Public Reference Room during normal business hours (8:30 
a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time) at 888 First Street, NE., Room 2A, 
Washington, DC 20426.
    26. From FERC's Home Page on the Internet, this information is 
available on eLibrary. The full text of this document is available on 
eLibrary in PDF and Microsoft Word format for viewing, printing, and/or 
downloading. To access this document in eLibrary, type the docket 
number excluding the last three digits of this document in the docket 
number field.
    27. User assistance is available for eLibrary and the FERC's Web 
site during normal business hours from FERC Online Support at 202-502-
6652 (toll free at 1-866-208-3676) or e-mail at 
ferconlinesupport@ferc.gov, or the Public Reference Room at (202) 502-
8371, TTY (202) 502-8659. E-mail the Public Reference Room at 
public.referenceroom@ferc.gov.

    By the Commission. Commissioner Norris voting present.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2010-1525 Filed 1-26-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P