FAC-501-WECC-2: Transmission Maintenance

Purpose
To ensure the Transmission Owner of a transmission path identified in Attachment B, Major WECC Transfer Paths in the Bulk Electric System, including associated facilities has a Transmission Maintenance and Inspection Plan (TMIP); and performs and documents maintenance and inspection activities in accordance with the TMIP.

Applicability

  • Transmission Owners that maintain the transmission paths in Attachment B

Effective Date
7/1/2018

Requirements and Measures

R1.       Each Transmission Owner shall have a TMIP that includes, at a minimum, each of the items listed in Attachment A, Transmission Maintenance and Inspection Plan Content. [Violation Risk Factor: Medium]  [Time  Horizon: Long-term Planning]

M1.     Each Transmission Owner will have evidence that it has a TMIP detailing each of the items listed in Attachment A, as required in Requirement R1.

R2.       Each Transmission Owner shall annually update its TMIP to reflect all changes to its TMIP. [Violation Risk Factor: Medium] [Time Horizon: Long-term Planning]

M2.     Each Transmission Owner will have evidence that it annually updated its TMIP, as required in Requirement R2.  When an annual update shows that no changes are required to the TMIP, evidence may include but is not limited to, attestation that the update was performed but showed that no changes were required.

R3.       Each Transmission Owner shall adhere to its TMIP. [Violation Risk Factor: Medium] [Time Horizon: Operations Assessment]

M3.     Each Transmission Owner will have evidence that it adhered to its TMIP, as required in Requirement R3.  Evidence may include, but is not limited to:

1.1     The date(s) the patrol, inspection or maintenance was performed;

1.2     The transmission Facility or Element on which the maintenance was performed;

1.3     A description of the inspection results or maintenance performed.


Compliance

Compliance Monitoring Process

1.1.   Compliance Enforcement Authority: “Compliance Enforcement Authority” 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 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 Compliance Enforcement Authority 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 Compliance Enforcement Authority to retain specific evidence for a longer period of time as part of an investigation.

  •  The Transmission Owners listed in section 4.1 shall keep data or evidence of Requirements 1-3 for three calendar years, or since the last audit, whichever is longer.

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 A

Transmission Maintenance and Inspection Plan Content

The TMIP shall include, at a minimum, each of the following details:

1. Facilities

A list of Facilities (e.g., transmission lines, transformers, etc.) and Elements (e.g. circuit breaker, bus section, etc.) that comprise each transmission path(s) identified in Attachment B, Major WECC Transfer Paths in the Bulk Electric System.

2. Maintenance Methodology

A description of the maintenance methodology used for the Facility, transmission line, or station included in the TMIP.

The TMIP maintenance methodology may be any one of the following or any combination thereof, but must include at least one of the following:

  • Performance-based
  • Time-based
  • Condition based

3. Periodicity

A specification of the periodicity that the described maintenance will occur, or under what circumstances it occurs.

4. Transmission Line Maintenance

A description of each of the following for the transmission line(s) included in the TMIP:

  1. Inspection requirements
  2.  Patrol requirements
  3. Tower and wood pole structure management

5. Station Maintenance

A description of each of the following for each station included in the TMIP:

  1. Inspection requirements
  2. Equipment maintenance for each of the following:
    1. Circuit breakers
    2. Power transformers (including, but not limited to, phase-shifting transformers)
    3.  Reactive devices (including, but not limited to, shunt capacitors, series capacitors, synchronous condensers, shunt reactors, and tertiary reactors)

Attachment B

Major WECC Transfer Paths in the Bulk Electric System

PATH NAME* Path Number
1. Alberta – British Columbia 1
2. Northwest – British Columbia 3
3. West of Cascades – North 4
4. West of Cascades – South 5
5. West of Hatwai 6
6. Montana to Northwest 8
7. Idaho to Northwest 14
8. South of Los Banos or Midway- Los Banos 15
9. Idaho – Sierra 16
10. Borah West 17
11. Idaho – Montana 18
12. Bridger West 19
13. Path C 20
14. Southwest of Four Corners 22
15. PG&E – SPP 24
16. Northern – Southern California 26
17. Intmntn. Power Project DC Line 27
18. TOT 1A 30
19. TOT 2A 31
20. Pavant – Gonder 230 kV Intermountain – Gonder 230 kV 32
21. TOT 2B 34
22. TOT 2C 35
23. TOT 3 36
24. TOT 5 39
25. SDGE – CFE 45
26. West of Colorado River (WOR) 46
27. Southern New Mexico (NM1) 47
28. Northern New Mexico (NM2) 48
29. East of the Colorado River (EOR) 49
30. Cholla – Pinnacle Peak 50
31. Southern Navajo 51
32. Brownlee East 55
33. Lugo – Victorville 500 kV 61
34. Pacific DC Intertie 65
35. COI 66
36. North of John Day cutplane 73
37. Alturas 76
38. Montana Southeast 80
39. SCIT**
40. COI/PDCI – North of John Day cutplane**

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