Virginia Administrative Code › Title 20 - PUBLIC UTILITIES AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS › Agency 5 - STATE CORPORATION COMMISSION › Chapter 300 - ENERGY REGULATION; IN GENERAL › Section 20VAC5-300-20 - Virginia electric energy emergency conservation plan

Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 24, July 15, 2024
In the event of an electric energy shortage the following
				  emergency procedures shall be adopted so as to minimize the potential adverse
				  effects on the public health, safety and welfare.
STEP I
When the system average fuel supply for the electric utility
				  or its major supplier has decreased to 50 days and a continued downward trend
				  in fuel supplies is anticipated:
1.
				Curtail all non-essential uses of electrical energy at company owned
				facilities.
2. Discontinue all
				economy sales to neighboring utility systems.
3. Discontinue economic dispatch of all
				generation and implement a loading procedure which will (i) maximize the
				generation of electricity for load from a given quantity of coal (ii) levelize
				the distribution of fuel in storage at System plants.
4. Make public appeals to all wholesale and
				retail customers to reduce their electric consumption.
5. Discontinue all non-firm sales to
				neighboring utility systems except where the dropping of regular customers or
				severe equipment overload would result or where the transaction is part of a
				wheeling arrangement.
6. Make a
				determination as to what amounts of energy, if any, would be available from
				outside of the system. Such data shall include such amounts of energy which
				could reasonably be anticipated to be purchased, time period, cost of such
				energy, anticipated impact on cost to consumer and effect such purchases would
				have on the life expectancy of existing in-system inventories. This data shall
				be submitted to the appropriate governmental body having
				jurisdiction.
7. Notify large
				customers and customers who use electricity to process raw materials of
				impending mandatory curtailments.
STEP II
When the system average fuel supply has decreased to 40 days
				  and a continued downward trend in fuel supplies is anticipated:
1. Make public appeals to all wholesale and
				retail customers to further reduce their consumption of electricity only to
				their most minimal needs.
2.
				Request authorization from the proper authorities to curtail use of air
				pollution control facilities where such curtailment will enhance availability
				of electricity.
3. Request all
				commercial and industrial customers to utilize self-generation equipment to
				supplement utility generation to the maximum extent practicable.
4. Blend or mix oil or natural gas with coal
				where plant design permits and when such alternate fuels are
				available.
5. Limit emergency
				deliveries to neighboring utilities to situations where regular customers of
				such utilities would otherwise be dropped.
6. Curtail electric energy consumption by
				customers on interruptible contracts to a maximum of 132 hours of use at
				contract demand per week.
7. Make
				maximum purchases of energy from any source so as to maintain an effective life
				of existing inventories to 50 days. Report to the appropriate governmental
				agency having jurisdiction the magnitude of such purchases, cost, duration,
				effect on life of existing investories, etc.
8. Utility system shall advise customers of
				the nature of the mandatory program to be introduced in STEP III below, through
				direct contact and mass media, and establish an effective means of answering
				specific customer inquiries concerning the impact of the mandatory program on
				their electric availability.
STEP III
Prior to the anticipated date by which the system average
				  fuel supply reaches a level of 30 days (based on the utility having to rely
				  solely on its own resources) and a continued downward trend in fuel supplies is
				  anticipated, the utility shall:
Request authority from the appropriate governmental body
				  having jurisdiction to curtail all industrial and commercial customers (other
				  than residential) to levels approximately 90% of the customers' corresponding
				  month's usage in the previous year. Such usage will be adjusted for any
				  abnormalities reflected in the prior year's usage, i.e., strikes, maintenance
				  outages, etc.
Upon receipt of authorization the following shall be
				  required:
1. All industrial and
				commercial customers (other than residential) shall be required to curtail
				electric usage to levels approximately 90% of the customers' corresponding
				month's usage in the previous year, adjusted for abnormalities, i.e., strikes,
				maintenance outages, etc. Facilities whose function is to provide life support,
				and national, state or local security, and essential public services as
				outlined in Appendix A should strive to meet the curtailment level indicated,
				but shall not be required to do so.
2. Request curtailment of all outdoor flood
				and advertising lighting except for the minimum level necessary to protect life
				and property and a single illuminated sign identifying commercial facilities
				that are open after dark.
3. Direct
				reduction of general lighting levels in stores and offices as close to minimum
				functional levels as possible.
4.
				Direct elimination of show window and display lighting.
5. Direct reductions of temperature settings
				of no more than 68 degrees during operation of heating equipment and no less
				than 78% during operation of cooling equipment.
6. Direct minimization of work schedules, as
				for building cleaning and maintenance, restocking, etc. which would require
				office or industrial facilities to be illuminated, cooled, or heated beyond
				normal working hours.
7. Direct
				residential customers to reduce consumption by 10%.
With regard to mandatory curtailments identified in STEP III,
				  when authorized, and any others that follow below, the Company shall monitor
				  compliance after the fact. A customer exceeding their electric energy allotment
				  would be warned to curtail usage or face disconnection of electric service for
				  the duration of the energy emergency after 24 hours written notice.
STEP IV
Prior to the anticipated date by which the system average
				  fuel supply reaches a level of 25 days (based on utility having to rely solely
				  on its own resources) and a continued downward trend in fuel supplies is
				  anticipated, the utility system shall:
1. Request authority from the appropriate
				governmental body having jurisdiction to curtail all industrial and commercial
				customers (other than residential) to levels approximately 70% of the
				customers' corresponding months usage in the previous year or to levels not
				less than those required for the protection of human life and safety and
				protection of physical plant facilities, whichever is greater. Such usage will
				be adjusted for any abnormalities reflected in the prior years; usage, i.e.,
				strikes, maintenance outages, etc. Facilities whose function is to provide life
				support, and national, state, or local security, and essential public services
				as outlined in Appendix A should strive to meet the curtailment level
				indicated, but shall not be required to do so.
STEP V
Prior to the anticipated date by which the system average
				  fuel supply reaches a level of 15 days (based on the utility having to rely
				  solely on its own resources) and a continued downward trend in fuel supplies is
				  anticipated, the utility shall:
Request authority from the appropriate governmental body
				  having jurisdiction to curtail all industrial and commercial customers other
				  than residential to levels not less than those required for protection of human
				  life and safety or protection of physical plant facility.
APPENDIX A. ESSENTIAL CUSTOMERS
Essential health and safety customers given special
				  consideration in these procedures shall, insofar as the situation permits,
				  include the following types of customers (and such other customers as the
				  Commission may designate because of the immediate critical nature of the goods
				  or services they provide):
1. Uses
				essential for the operation of any facility known to be necessary for the
				support of life, such as hospitals, kidney machines, iron lungs and other life
				support systems.
2. Uses required
				for fire, police and prison services.
3. Refrigeration for the storage and
				preservation of food or medicine, when that is substantially all the customers'
				load.
4. Operation, guidance
				control and navigation services for public transportation and shipping,
				including rail, mass transit, licensed commercial air transportation, and other
				forms of transportation.
5.
				Communication services, including telephone and telegraph systems, television
				and radio stations, newspapers and traffic control and signal
				systems.
6. Water supply and
				sanitation services, including waterworks, pumping, and sewage disposal
				activities which cannot be reduced without seriously affecting public
				health.
7. Federal activities
				essential for national defense and state and local activities essential for
				providing emergency services.
8.
				Uses necessary for the manufacture, directly or as a by-product, the
				transmission or the distribution of natural or manufactured gas or
				fuel.
9. Uses necessary for the
				mining and transportation of coal.
10. Uses necessary for the production,
				refining, transmission or distribution of oil and gas for the fuel.
11. Essential construction, operation, and
				maintenance activities for energy production and supply.
12. Food and kindred products, except ice
				cream and frozen desserts; cookies and crackers; confectionary and related
				products, beverages, all of which are not exempt.
Although these types of customers will be given special
				  consideration from manual load shedding provisions, they are encouraged to
				  install emergency generation equipment if continuity of service is essential.
				  In case of customers supplied from two utility sources, only one source will be
				  given special consideration. Other customers who, in their opinion, have
				  critical equipment should install emergency battery or portable generating
				  equipment.
Statutory Authority
§§ 12.1-13, 56-234, 56-249.1, 56-250 and 56-265 of the Code
					 of Virginia.