Nevada Administrative Code › Chapter 704 - Regulation of Public Utilities Generally › GENERAL PROVISIONS › Section 704.Sec. 7 - NEW

Current
			 through June 11, 2024
1.
			 An electric utility shall, on or before March 1, 2020, and on or before March 1
			 of every third year thereafter, submit a natural disaster protection plan to
			 the Commission. Two or more electric utilities that are affiliated through
			 common ownership and that have an interconnected system for the transmission of
			 electricity may submit a joint natural disaster protection plan. A natural
			 disaster protection plan may be an amended version of a previous
			 plan.
2. An electric utility shall
			 include in its natural disaster protection plan all of the following
			 information:
(a) A description of a
			 risk-based approach used by the electric utility to identify areas within the
			 service territory of the electric utility that are prone to different types of
			 natural disasters and an identification of potential threats in the foreseeable
			 future, including, without limitation, an identification of areas within the
			 service territory of the electric utility that are subject to a heightened
			 threat of a fire or other natural disaster.
(b) A description of the preventive
			 strategies and programs, including, without limitation, operational practices,
			 inspections and corrections, and system hardening that the electric utility
			 will adopt to minimize the risk of its electric lines and equipment causing
			 catastrophic wildfires. In determining which preventive strategies and programs
			 to include in the description required by this paragraph, the electric utility
			 shall consider dynamic climate change and other natural disaster
			 risks.
(c) A description of the
			 metrics that the electric utility plans to use to evaluate the performance of
			 the natural disaster protection plan and the assumptions underlying the use of
			 those metrics.
(d) The threshold
			 criteria for the de-energization of portions of the distribution and
			 transmission system of the electric utility due to a natural disaster that
			 considers the associated impacts on public safety.
(e) The protocols that the electric utility
			 plans to use:
(1) For disabling reclosers and
			 de-energizing portions of the distribution and transmission system of the
			 electric utility that considers the associated impacts on public safety;
			 and
(2) To mitigate the public
			 safety impacts of the protocols described in subparagraph (1), including,
			 without limitation, impacts on critical first responders and on health and
			 communication infrastructure.
(f) A description of the procedures the
			 electric utility intends to use to restore its distribution and transmission
			 systems in the event of the de-energization of those systems or a portion of
			 those systems.
(g) A communication
			 plan related to public safety outage management, which includes, without
			 limitation, communication plans specific to customers, stakeholders and
			 communication infrastructure providers. Before filing a natural disaster
			 protection plan, each electric utility shall meet with communication
			 infrastructure providers in an effort to develop a mutually agreeable plan for
			 public safety outage management notification protocols and format.
(h) A description of the standard for
			 vegetation management to be used by the electric utility and, if that standard
			 exceeds any other standard for vegetation management required by any applicable
			 statute or regulation, a description of how and why the standard exceeds those
			 requirements.
(i) A description of
			 the standard for patrols and detailed inspections of electric utility
			 infrastructure and, if that standard exceeds any other standard for such
			 patrols and inspections required by any applicable statute or regulation, a
			 description of how and why the standard exceeds those requirements.
(j) A description of the actions that the
			 electric utility will take to ensure that its system will achieve a reasonable
			 level of safety, reliability and resiliency and to ensure that its system is
			 prepared for a natural disaster, including, without limitation, vegetation
			 management, patrols, inspections, testing, and hardening and modernizing its
			 infrastructure with improved engineering, system design, standards, equipment
			 and facilities, such as undergrounding, insulation of distribution wires, pole
			 replacement and other measures. An electric utility shall use prudent practices
			 commonly used in the electric utility industry for utility design, operating
			 practices and telecommunications to prevent its infrastructure from causing a
			 fire and to maintain resiliency during a natural disaster.
(k) An explanation that the electric utility
			 has an adequately sized and trained workforce to execute the natural disaster
			 protection plan and promptly restore service after a major event, taking into
			 account employees of other utilities available to the electric utility pursuant
			 to mutual aid agreements and employees of entities with which the electric
			 utility has entered into contracts.
(l) A description of how the natural disaster
			 protection plan is consistent with the emergency response plan submitted by the
			 electric utility pursuant to
			 NRS
			 239C.270.
(m) A description of the processes and
			 procedures that the electric utility will use to monitor and audit the
			 implementation of the natural disaster protection plan and to take actions to
			 correct any deficiency that is identified.
(n) A description of the participation of the
			 electric utility, including, without limitation, any commitments made, in any
			 community wildfire protection plans, as defined in
			 16
			 U.S.C. §
										6511, established in this
			 State.