Virginia Administrative Code › Title 20 - PUBLIC UTILITIES AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS › Agency 5 - STATE CORPORATION COMMISSION › Chapter 314 - REGULATIONS GOVERNING INTERCONNECTION OF SMALL ELECTRICAL GENERATORS › Section 20VAC5-314-20 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 24, July 15, 2024
The following terms when used in this chapter shall have the
				  following meaning unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Affected system" means an electric utility system other than
				  that of the utility that may be affected by the proposed
				  interconnection.
"Affected system operator" means an entity that operates an
				  affected system or, if the affected system is under the operational control of
				  an independent system operator or a regional transmission entity, such
				  independent entity.
"Applicable laws and regulations" means all duly promulgated
				  applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, rules, ordinances,
				  codes, decrees, judgments, directives, or judicial or administrative orders,
				  permits, and other duly authorized actions of any government authority.
"Attachment facilities" means the facilities and equipment
				  owned, operated, and maintained by the utility that are built new in order to
				  physically connect the customer's interconnection facilities to the utility
				  system. Attachment facilities shall not include distribution upgrades or
				  previously existing distribution and transmission facilities.
"Business day" means Monday through Friday, excluding federal
				  holidays.
"Calendar day" means Sunday through Saturday, including all
				  holidays.
"Certified" has the meaning ascribed to it in Schedule 2 of
				  20VAC5-314-170.
"Commission" means the Virginia State Corporation
				  Commission.
"Customer's interconnection facilities" means all of the
				  facilities and equipment owned, operated, and maintained by the IC, between the
				  small generating facility and the point of interconnection necessary to
				  physically and electrically interconnect the small generating facility to the
				  utility system.
"Default" means the failure of a breaching party to cure its
				  breach under the SGIA.
"Distribution system" means the utility's facilities and
				  equipment generally delivering electricity to ultimate customers from
				  substations supplied by higher voltages (usually at transmission level). For
				  purposes of this chapter, all portions of the utility's transmission system
				  regulated by the commission for which interconnections are not within FERC
				  jurisdiction are considered also to be subject to this chapter.
"Distribution upgrades" means the additions, modifications,
				  and enhancements made to the utility's distribution system on the utility's
				  side of the point of interconnection necessary to ensure continued system
				  reliability and power quality on the utility's distribution system caused by
				  the interconnection of the SGF. Distribution upgrades do not include network
				  upgrades or the customer's interconnection facilities or the utility's
				  attachment facilities.
"Facilities study" has the meaning ascribed to it in
				  20VAC5-314-70
				  E.
"Feasibility study" has the meaning ascribed to it in
				  20VAC5-314-70
				  C.
"FERC" means the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
"Good Utility Practice" means any of the practices, methods,
				  and acts engaged in or approved by a significant portion of the electric
				  industry during the relevant time period, or any of the practices, methods, and
				  acts that, in the exercise of reasonable judgment in light of the facts known
				  at the time the decision was made, could have been expected to accomplish the
				  desired result at a reasonable cost, consistent with good business practices,
				  reliability, safety, and expedition. Good Utility Practice is not intended to
				  be limited to the optimum practice, method, or act to the exclusion of all
				  others, but rather to include practices, methods, or acts generally accepted in
				  the region.
"Governmental authority" means any federal, state, local, or
				  other governmental regulatory or administrative agency, court, commission,
				  department, board, or other governmental subdivision, legislature, rulemaking
				  board, tribunal, or other governmental authority having jurisdiction over the
				  parties, their respective facilities, or the respective services they provide,
				  and exercising or entitled to exercise any administrative, executive, police,
				  or taxing authority or power; provided that such term does not include the IC,
				  the utility, or a utility affiliate.
"Interconnection customer" or "IC" means any entity proposing
				  to interconnect a new small generating facility with the utility system.
"Interconnection request" means the IC's request, in
				  accordance with this chapter, to interconnect a new small generating facility,
				  or to increase the capacity of, or make a material modification to the
				  operating characteristics of, an existing small generating facility that is
				  interconnected with the utility system.
"Interconnection studies" means the studies conducted by the
				  utility, or, if agreed to by the utility and the IC, a third party supervised
				  by the utility, in order to determine the interaction of the small generating
				  facility with the utility system and the affected systems in order to specify
				  any modifications to the small generating facility or the electric systems
				  studied to ensure safe and reliable operation of the small generating facility
				  in parallel with the utility system.
"Interdependent customer" or "interdependent project" means
				  an IC or project whose upgrades to the utility system or attachment facilities
				  are impacted by another earlier-queued generating facility, as determined by
				  the utility.
"Material modification" has the meaning ascribed to it in
				  20VAC5-314-39.
"Maximum generating capacity" means the maximum continuous
				  electrical output of the SGF at any time as measured at the point of
				  interconnection or the maximum kW delivered to the utility during any metering
				  period, whichever is greater. Requested maximum generating capacity will be
				  specified by the IC in the interconnection request and an approved maximum
				  generating capacity will subsequently be included as a limitation in the
				  interconnection agreement.
"Network upgrades" means additions, modifications, and
				  enhancements to the utility's transmission system that are required in order to
				  accommodate the interconnection of the small generating facility with the
				  utility's system. Network upgrades do not include distribution upgrades.
"Operating requirements" means any operating and technical
				  requirements that may be applicable due to regional transmission entity,
				  independent system operator, control area, or the utility's requirements,
				  including those set forth in the SGIA.
"Party" means the utility or the IC.
"Point of interconnection" means the point where the
				  customer's interconnection facilities connect physically and electrically to
				  the utility's system.
"Processing fee" means a nonrefundable cost to administer or
				  file an application.
"Project A" means any interconnection request that is not
				  interdependent with another interconnection request.
"Project B" means any interconnection request that is
				  interdependent with only one other interconnection request and has a higher
				  queue number than a designated Project A.
"Queue number" refers to the number assigned by the utility,
				  establishing a customer's interconnection request position in the study queue
				  relative to all other valid interconnection requests. A lower queue number will
				  be studied prior to a higher queue number, except in the case of interdependent
				  projects.
"Regional Transmission Entity" or "RTE" means an entity
				  having the management and control of a utility's transmission system as further
				  set forth in §
									56-579
				  of the Code of Virginia.
"Small generating facility" or "generating facility" or
				  "generator" or "SGF" means the IC's equipment used for the production of
				  electricity , as identified in the interconnection request.
"Small Generator Interconnection Agreement" or "SGIA" means
				  the agreement between the utility and the IC as set forth in Schedule 10 of
				  20VAC5-314-170.
"Standby generating facility" means an electric generating
				  facility primarily designed for standby or backup power in the event of a loss
				  of power supply from the utility. Such facilities may operate in parallel with
				  the utility for a brief period of time when transferring load back to the
				  utility after an outage, or when testing the operation of the facility and
				  transferring load from and back to the utility.
"Supplemental review" has the meaning ascribed to it in
				  20VAC5-314-60
				  H.
"System" or "utility system" means the distribution and
				  transmission facilities owned, controlled, or operated by the utility that are
				  used to deliver electricity.
"System impact study" has the meaning ascribed to in
				  20VAC5-314-70
				  D.
"System upgrades" means distribution upgrades and network
				  upgrades collectively.
"Tariff" means the rates, terms, and conditions filed by the
				  utility with the commission for the purpose of providing commission-regulated
				  electric service to retail customers.
"Transmission system" means the utility's facilities and
				  equipment delivering electric energy to the distribution system, such
				  facilities being operated at voltage levels above the utility's typical
				  distribution system voltage levels.
"Utility" means the public utility company subject to
				  regulation by the commission pursuant to Chapter 10 (§
									56-232
				  et seq.) of Title 56 of the Code of Virginia with regard to rates or service
				  quality, to whose system the IC proposes to interconnect a small generating
				  facility.
Statutory Authority: §§
											12.1-13
					 and
					 56-578
					 of the Code of Virginia.