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EOP-011-4 – Emergency Operations

EOP-011-4 – Emergency Operations

Purpose
To address the effects of operating Emergencies by ensuring each Transmission Operator and Balancing Authority has developed plan(s) to mitigate operating Emergencies and that those plans are implemented and coordinated within the Reliability Coordinator Area as specified within the requirements.

Applicability

4.1. Functional Entities:

4.1.1 Balancing Authority

4.1.2 Reliability Coordinator

4.1.3 Transmission Operator

4.1.4 Distribution Provider identified in the Transmission Operator’s Operating Plan(s) to mitigate operating Emergencies in its Transmission Operator Area

4.1.5 UFLS-Only Distribution Provider identified in the Transmission Operator’s Operating Plan(s) to mitigate operating Emergencies in its Transmission Operator Area

4.1.6 Transmission Owner identified in the Transmission Operator’s Operating Plan(s) to mitigate operating Emergencies in its Transmission Operator Area

Effective Date
See Implementation Plan for Project 2021-07. As provided therein, each Distribution Provider, UFLS-Only Distribution Provider, and Transmission Owner that receives notification from the Transmission Operator that it is required to assist in the mitigation of operating Emergencies in the Transmission Operator Area under Requirement R7 shall become compliant with Requirement R8 within 30 calendar months of the notification.

Requirements and Measures

R1. Each Transmission Operator shall develop, maintain, and implement one or more Reliability Coordinator-reviewed Operating Plan(s) to mitigate operating Emergencies in its Transmission Operator Area. The Operating Plan(s) shall include the following, as applicable: [Violation Risk Factor: High] [Time Horizon: Real-Time Operations, Operations Planning, Long-term Planning]

1.1. Roles and responsibilities for activating the Operating Plan(s);

1.2. Processes to prepare for and mitigate Emergenciesincluding:

1.2.1. Notification to its Reliability Coordinator, to include current and projected conditions, when experiencing an operating Emergency; 1.2.2. Cancellation or recall of Transmission and generation outages;

1.2.3. Transmission system reconfiguration;

1.2.4. Redispatch of generation request;

1.2.5. Operator-controlled manual Load shed, undervoltage load shed (UVLS), or underfrequency load shed (UFLS) during an Emergency that accounts for each of the following:

1.2.5.1. Provisions for manual Load shedding capable of being implemented in a timeframe adequate for mitigating the Emergency;

1.2.5.2. Provisions to minimize the overlap of circuits that are designated for manual Load shed, UVLS, or UFLS and circuits that serve designated critical loads which are essential to the reliability of the BES;

1.2.5.3. Provisions to minimize the overlap of circuits that are designated for manual Load shed and circuits that are utilized for UFLS or UVLS;

1.2.5.4. Provisions for limiting the utilization of UFLS or UVLS circuits for manual Load shed to situations where warranted by system conditions;

1.2.5.5. Provisions for the identification and prioritization of designated critical natural gas infrastructure loads which are essential to the reliability of the BES as defined by the Applicable Entity; and

1.2.6. Provisions to determine reliability impacts of:

1.2.6.1. Cold weather conditions; and

1.2.6.2. Extreme weather conditions.

M1. Each Transmission Operator will have a dated Operating Plan(s) developed in accordance with Requirement R1 and reviewed by its Reliability Coordinator; evidence such as a review or revision history to indicate that the Operating Plan(s) has been maintained; and will have as evidence, such as operator logs or other operating documentation, voice recordings or other communication documentation to show that its Operating Plan(s) was implemented for times when an Emergency has occurred, in accordance with Requirement R1.

R2. Each Balancing Authority shall develop, maintain, and implement one or more Reliability Coordinator-reviewed Operating Plan(s) to mitigate Capacity Emergencies and Energy Emergencies within its Balancing Authority Area. The Operating Plan(s) shall include the following, as applicable: [Violation Risk Factor: High] [Time Horizon: Real-Time Operations, Operations Planning, Long-term Planning]

2.1. Roles and responsibilities for activating the Operating Plan(s);

2.2. Processes to prepare for and mitigate Emergencies including:

2.2.1. Notification to its Reliability Coordinator to include current and projected conditions when experiencing a Capacity Emergency or Energy Emergency;

2.2.2. Requesting an Energy Emergency Alert, per Attachment 1;

2.2.3. Managing generating resources in its Balancing Authority Area to address:

2.2.3.1. Capability and availability;

2.2.3.2. Fuel supply and inventory concerns;

2.2.3.3. Fuel switching capabilities; and

2.2.3.4. Environmental constraints.

2.2.4. Public appeals for voluntary Load reductions;

2.2.5. Requests to government agencies to implement their programs to achieve necessary energy reductions;

2.2.6. Reduction of internal utility energy use;

2.2.7. Use of Interruptible Load, curtailable Load, and demand response;

2.2.8. Provisions for excluding critical natural gas infrastructure loads which are essential to the reliability of the BES, as defined by the Applicable Entity, as Interruptible Load, curtailable Load, and demand response during extreme cold weather periods within each Balancing Authority Area;

2.2.9. Provisions for Transmission Operators to implement operator-controlled manual Load shedding, undervoltage Load shedding, or underfrequency Load shedding in accordance with Requirement R1 Part 1.2.5; and

2.2.10. Provisions to determine reliability impacts of:

2.2.10.1. Cold weather conditions; and

2.2.10.2. Extreme weather conditions.

M2. Each Balancing Authority will have a dated Operating Plan(s) developed in accordance with Requirement R2 and reviewed by its Reliability Coordinator; evidence such as a review or revision history to indicate that the Operating Plan(s) has been maintained; and will have as evidence, such as operator logs or other operating documentation, voice recordings, or other communication documentation to show that its Operating Plan(s) was implemented for times when an Emergency has occurred, in accordance with Requirement R2.

R3. The Reliability Coordinator shall review the Operating Plan(s) to mitigate operating Emergencies submitted by a Transmission Operator or a Balancing Authority regarding any reliability risks that are identified between Operating Plans. [Violation Risk Factor: High] [Time Horizon: Operations Planning]

3.1. Within 30 calendar days of receipt, the Reliability Coordinator shall:

3.1.1. Review each submitted Operating Plan(s) on the basis of compatibility and inter-dependency with other Balancing Authorities’ and Transmission Operators’ Operating Plans;

3.1.2. Review each submitted Operating Plan(s) for coordination to avoid risk to Wide Area reliability; and

3.1.3. Notify each Balancing Authority and Transmission Operator of the results of its review, specifying any time frame for resubmittal of its Operating Plan(s) if revisions are identified.

M3. The Reliability Coordinator will have documentation, such as dated emails or other correspondences that it reviewed, Transmission Operator and Balancing Authority Operating Plans, within 30 calendar days of submittal in accordance with Requirement R3.

R4. Each Transmission Operator and Balancing Authority shall address any reliability risks identified by its Reliability Coordinator pursuant to Requirement R3 and resubmit its Operating Plan(s) to its Reliability Coordinator within a time period specified by its Reliability Coordinator. [Violation Risk Factor: High] [Time Horizon: Operation Planning]

M4. The Transmission Operator and Balancing Authority will have documentation, such as dated emails or other correspondence, with an Operating Plan(s) version history showing that it responded and updated the Operating Plan(s) within the timeframe identified by its Reliability Coordinator in accordance with Requirement R4.

R5. Each Reliability Coordinator that receives an Emergency notification from a Transmission Operator or Balancing Authority within its Reliability Coordinator Area shall notify, within 30 minutes from the time of receiving notification, other Balancing Authorities and Transmission Operators in its Reliability Coordinator Area, and neighboring Reliability Coordinators. [Violation Risk Factor: High] [Time Horizon: RealTime Operations]

M5. Each Reliability Coordinator that receives an Emergency notification from a Balancing Authority or Transmission Operator within its Reliability Coordinator Area will have, and provide upon request, evidence that could include, but is not limited to, operator logs, voice recordings or transcripts of voice recordings, electronic communications, or equivalent evidence that will be used to determine if the Reliability Coordinator communicated, in accordance with Requirement R5, with other Balancing Authorities and Transmission Operators in its Reliability Coordinator Area, and neighboring Reliability Coordinators.

R6. Each Reliability Coordinator that has a Balancing Authority experiencing a potential or actual Energy Emergency within its Reliability Coordinator Area shall declare an Energy Emergency Alert, as detailed in Attachment 1. [Violation Risk Factor: High] [Time Horizon: Real-Time Operations]

M6. Each Reliability Coordinator, with a Balancing Authority experiencing a potential or actual Energy Emergency within its Reliability Coordinator Area, will have, and provide upon request, evidence that could include, but is not limited to, operator logs, voice recordings or transcripts of voice recordings, electronic communications, or equivalent evidence that it declared an Energy Emergency Alert, as detailed in Attachment 1, in accordance with Requirement R6.

R7. Each Transmission Operator shall annually identify and notify Distribution Providers, UFLS-Only Distribution Providers and Transmission Owners that are required to assist with the mitigation of operating Emergencies in its Transmission Operator Area through operator-controlled manual Load shedding, undervoltage Load shedding, or underfrequency Load shedding. [Violation Risk Factor: Lower] [Time Horizon: Operations Planning, Long-term Planning]

M7. Each Transmission Operator will have documentation, such as dated emails or other correspondences that it identified and notified Distribution Providers, UFLS-Only Distribution Providers and Transmission Owners annually in accordance with Requirement R7.

R8. Each Distribution Provider, UFLS-Only Distribution Provider, and Transmission Owner notified by a Transmission Operator per R7 to assist with the mitigation of operating Emergencies in its Transmission Operator Area shall develop, maintain, and implement a Load shedding plan. The Load shedding plan shall include the following, as applicable: [Violation Risk Factor: High] [Time Horizon: Real-Time Operations, Operations Planning, Long-term Planning]

8.1. Operator-controlled manual Load shedding, undervoltage Load shedding, or underfrequency Load shedding during an Emergency that accounts for each of the following:

8.1.1. Provisions for manual Load shedding capable of being implemented in a timeframe adequate for mitigating the Emergency;

8.1.2. Provisions to minimize the overlap of circuits that are designated for manual, undervoltage, or underfrequency Load shed and circuits that serve designated critical loads which are essential to the reliability of the BES;

8.1.3. Provisions to minimize the overlap of circuits that are designated for manual Load shed and circuits that are utilized for UFLS or UVLS;

8.1.4. Provisions for limiting the utilization of UFLS or UVLS circuits for manual Load shed to situations where warranted by system conditions; and

8.1.5. Provisions for the identification and prioritization of designated critical natural gas infrastructure loads which are essential to the reliability of the BES as defined by the Applicable Entity.

8.2. Provisions to provide the Load shedding plan to the Transmission Operator for review

M8. Each Distribution Provider, UFLS-Only Distribution Provider, and Transmission Owner notified by a Transmission Operator per R7 to assist with the mitigation of operating Emergencies in its Transmission Operator Area will have a dated Load shedding plan(s) developed in accordance with Requirement R8 and evidence that the Load shedding plan(s) was provided to its Transmission Operator; evidence such as a review or revision history to indicate that the Load shedding plan(s) has been maintained; and will have as evidence, such as operator logs or other operating documentation, voice recordings or other communication documentation to show that its Load shedding plan(s) was implemented for times when an Emergency has occurred, in accordance with Requirement R8.

Compliance

1. Compliance Monitoring Process

1.1. Compliance Enforcement Authority:
“Compliance Enforcement Authority” (CEA) means NERC or the Regional Entity, or any entity as otherwise designated by an Applicable Governmental Authority, in their respective roles of monitoring and/or enforcing compliance with the mandatory and enforceable Reliability Standards in their respective jurisdictions.

1.2. Evidence Retention:
The following evidence retention period(s) identify the period of time an entity is required to retain specific evidence to demonstrate compliance. For instances where the evidence retention period specified below is shorter than the time since the last audit, the CEA may ask an entity to provide other evidence to show that it was compliant for the full-time period since the last audit.

The applicable entity shall keep data or evidence to show compliance as identified below unless directed by its CEA to retain specific evidence for a longer period of time as part of an investigation.

• The Transmission Operator shall retain the current Operating Plan(s), evidence of review or revision history plus each version issued since the last audit and evidence of compliance since the last audit for Requirements R1 and R4.
• The Balancing Authority shall retain the current Operating Plan(s), evidence of review or revision history plus each version issued since the last audit and evidence of compliance since the last audit for Requirements R2 and R4.
• The Reliability Coordinator shall maintain evidence of compliance since the last audit for Requirements R3, R5, and R6.
• The Transmission Operator shall maintain evidence of compliance since the last audit for Requirement R7.
• The Distribution Provider, UFLS-Only Distribution Provider, and Transmission Owner shall retain the current Load shedding plan, evidence of review or revision history plus each version issued since the last audit and evidence of compliance since the last audit for Requirements R8.

1.3. Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Program:
As defined in the NERC Rules of Procedure, “Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement Program” refers to the identification of the processes that will be used to evaluate data or information for the purpose of assessing performance or outcomes with the associated Reliability Standard.

Attachment 1

Attachment 1-EOP-011-4
Energy Emergency Alerts

Introduction
This Attachment provides the process and descriptions of the levels used by the Reliability Coordinator in which it communicates the condition of a Balancing Authority which is experiencing an Energy Emergency.

A. General Responsibilities

  1. Initiation by Reliability Coordinator. An Energy Emergency Alert (EEA) may be initiated only by a Reliability Coordinator at 1) the Reliability Coordinator’s own request, or 2) upon the request of an energy deficient Balancing Authority.
  2. Notification. A Reliability Coordinator who declares an EEA shall notify all Balancing Authorities and Transmission Operators in its Reliability Coordinator Area. The Reliability Coordinator shall also notify all neighboring Reliability Coordinators.

B. EEA Levels

Introduction

To ensure that all Reliability Coordinators clearly understand potential and actual Energy Emergencies in the Interconnection, NERC has established three levels of EEAs. The Reliability Coordinators will use these terms when communicating Energy Emergencies to each other. An EEA is an Emergency procedure, not a daily operating practice, and is not intended as an alternative to compliance with NERC Reliability Standards.

The Reliability Coordinator may declare whatever alert level is necessary, and need not proceed through the alerts sequentially.

1. EEA 1 — All available generation resources in use. Circumstances:

  • The Balancing Authority is experiencing conditions where all available generation resources are committed to meet firm Load, firm transactions, and reserve commitments, and is concerned about sustaining its required ContingencyReserves.
  • Non-firm wholesale energy sales (other than those that are recallable to meet reserve requirements) have been curtailed.

2. EEA 2 — Load management procedures in effect. Circumstances:

During EEA 2, Reliability Coordinators and energy deficient Balancing Authorities have the following responsibilities:

2.1 Notifying other Balancing Authorities and market participants. The energy deficient Balancing Authority shall communicate its needs to other Balancing Authorities and market participants. Upon request from the energy deficient Balancing Authority, the respective Reliability Coordinator shall post the declaration of the alert level, along with the name of the energy deficient Balancing Authority on the RCIS website.

2.2 Declaration period. The energy deficient Balancing Authority shall update its Reliability Coordinator of the situation at a minimum of every hour until the EEA 2 is terminated. The Reliability Coordinator shall update the energy deficiency information posted on the RCIS website as changes occur and pass this information on to the neighboring Reliability Coordinators, Balancing Authorities and Transmission Operators.

2.3 Sharing information on resource availability. Other Reliability Coordinators of Balancing Authorities with available resources shall coordinate, as appropriate, with the Reliability Coordinator that has an energy deficient Balancing Authority.

2.4 Evaluating and mitigating Transmission limitations. The Reliability Coordinator shall review Transmission outages and work with the Transmission Operator(s) to see if it’s possible to return to service any Transmission Elements that may relieve the loading on System Operating Limits (SOLs) or Interconnection Reliability Operating Limits(IROLs).

2.5 Requesting Balancing Authority actions. Before requesting an EEA 3, the energy deficient Balancing Authority must make use of all available resources; this includes, but is not limited to:

2.5.1 All available generation units are on line. All generation capable of being on line in the time frame of the Emergency is on line.

2.5.2 Demand-Side Management. Activate Demand-Side Management within provisions of any applicable agreements.

3. EEA 3 —Firm Load interruption is imminent or in progress. Circumstances:

During EEA 3, Reliability Coordinators and Balancing Authorities have the following responsibilities:

3.1 Continue actions from EEA 2. The Reliability Coordinators and the energy deficient Balancing Authority shall continue to take all actions initiated during EEA 2.

3.2 Declaration Period. The energy deficient Balancing Authority shall update its Reliability Coordinator of the situation at a minimum of every hour until the EEA 3 is terminated. The Reliability Coordinator shall update the energy deficiency information posted on the RCIS website as changes occur and pass this information on to the neighboring Reliability Coordinators, Balancing Authorities, and Transmission Operators.

3.3 Reevaluating and revising SOLs and IROLs. The Reliability Coordinator shall evaluate the risks of revising SOLs and IROLs for the possibility of delivery of energy to the energy deficient Balancing Authority. Reevaluation of SOLs and IROLs shall be coordinated with other Reliability Coordinators and only with the agreement of the Transmission Operator whose Transmission Owner (TO) equipment would be affected. SOLs and IROLs shall only be revised as long as an EEA 3 condition exists, or as allowed by the Transmission Owner whose equipment is at risk. The following are minimum requirements that must be met before SOLs or IROLs are revised:

3.3.1 Energy deficient Balancing Authority obligations. The energy deficient Balancing Authority, upon notification from its Reliability Coordinator of the situation, will immediately take whatever actions are necessary to mitigate any undue risk to the Interconnection. These actions may include Load shedding.

3.4 Returning to pre-Emergency conditions. Whenever energy is made available to an energy deficient Balancing Authority such that the Systems can be returned to its pre- Emergency SOLs or IROLs condition, the energy deficient Balancing Authority shall request the Reliability Coordinator to downgrade the alert level.

3.4.1 Notification of other parties. Upon notification from the energy deficient Balancing Authority that an alert has been downgraded, the Reliability Coordinator shall notify the neighboring Reliability Coordinators (via the RCIS), Balancing Authorities, and Transmission Operators that its Systems can be returned to its normal limits. Alert 0 – Termination. When the energy deficient Balancing Authority is able to meet its Load and Operating Reserve requirements, it shall request its Reliability Coordinator to terminate the EEA.

3.4.2 Notification. The Reliability Coordinator shall notify all other Reliability Coordinators via the RCIS of the termination. The Reliability Coordinator shall also notify the neighboring Balancing Authorities and Transmission Operators.

 

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