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IRO-018-1(i): Reliability Coordinator Real-time Reliability Monitoring and Analysis Capabilities

Purpose:     Establish requirements for Real-time monitoring and analysis capabilities to support reliable System operations.

Functional Entities

4.1.1.  Reliability Coordinators

Effective Date: 4/1/2018

Requirements and Measures

R1.    Each Reliability Coordinator shall implement an Operating Process or Operating Procedure to address the quality of the Real-time data necessary to perform its Real- time monitoring and Real-time Assessments. The Operating Process or Operating Procedure shall include: [Violation Risk Factor: High ] [Time Horizon: Real-time Operations]

1.1.  Criteria for evaluating the quality of Real-time data;

1.2.  Provisions to indicate the quality of Real-time data to the System Operator; and

1.3.  Actions to address Real-time data quality issues with the entity(ies) responsible for providing the data when data quality affects Real-time Assessments.

M1.   Each Reliability Coordinator shall have evidence it implemented its Operating Process or Operating Procedure to address the quality of the Real-time data necessary to perform its Real-time monitoring and Real-time Assessments. This evidence could include, but is not limited to: 1) an Operating Process or Operating Procedure in electronic or hard copy format meeting all provisions of Requirement R1; and 2) evidence the Reliability Coordinator implemented the Operating Process or Operating Procedure as called for in the Operating Process or Operating Procedure, such as dated operator or supporting logs, dated checklists, voice recordings, voice transcripts, or other evidence.

R2.    Each Reliability Coordinator shall implement an Operating Process or Operating Procedure to address the quality of analysis used in its Real-time Assessments. The Operating Process or Operating Procedure shall include: [Violation Risk Factor: Medium] [Time Horizon: Real-time Operations]

2.1.  Criteria for evaluating the quality of analysis used in its Real-time Assessments;

2.2.  Provisions to indicate the quality of analysis used in its Real-time Assessments;

and

2.3.  Actions to address analysis quality issues affecting its Real-time Assessments.

M2.   Each Reliability Coordinator shall have evidence it implemented its Operating Process or Operating Procedure to address the quality of analysis used in its Real-time Assessments as specified in Requirement R2. This evidence could include, but is not limited to: 1) an Operating Process or Operating Procedure in electronic or hard copy format meeting all provisions of Requirement R2; and 2) evidence the Reliability Coordinator implemented the Operating Process or Operating Procedure as called for in the Operating Process or Operating Procedure, such as dated operator logs, dated checklists, voice recordings, voice transcripts, or other evidence.

R3.    Each Reliability Coordinator shall have an alarm process monitor that provides notification(s) to its System Operators when a failure of its Real-time monitoring alarm processor has occurred. [Violation Risk Factor: Medium] [Time Horizon: Real- time Operations]

M3.   Each Reliability Coordinator shall have evidence of an alarm process monitor that provides notification(s) to its System Operators when a failure of its Real-time monitoring alarm processor has occurred. This evidence could include, but is not limited to, operator logs, computer printouts, system specifications, or other evidence.

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 it was compliant for the full-time period since the last audit.

The Reliability Coordinator 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 Reliability Coordinator shall retain evidence of compliance for Requirements R1 and R3 and Measures M1 and M3 for the current calendar year and one previous calendar year, with the exception of operator logs and voice recordings which shall be retained for a minimum of 90 calendar days, unless directed by its Compliance Enforcement Authority to retain specific evidence for a longer period of time as part of an investigation.

The Reliability Coordinator shall retain evidence of compliance for Requirement R2 and Measure M2 for a rolling 30-day period, unless directed by its Compliance Enforcement Authority to retain specific evidence for a longer period of time as part of an investigation.

If a Reliability Coordinator is found non-compliant it shall keep information related to the non-compliance until mitigation is complete and approved or for the time specified above, whichever is longer.

The Compliance Enforcement Authority shall keep the last audit records and all requested and submitted subsequent audit records.

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 used to evaluate data or information for the purpose of assessing performance or outcomes with the associated Reliability Standard.

Guidelines and Technical Basis

Real-time monitoring, or monitoring the Bulk Electric System (BES) in Real-time, is a primary function of Reliability Coordinators (RCs), Transmission Operators (TOPs), and Balancing Authorities (BAs) as required by TOP and IRO Reliability Standards. As used in TOP and IRO Reliability Standards, monitoring involves observing operating status and operating values in Real-time for awareness of system conditions. Real-time monitoring may include the following activities performed in Real-time:

  • Acquisition of operating data;
  • Display of operating data as needed for visualization of system conditions;
  • Audible or visual alerting when warranted by system conditions; and
  • Audible or visual alerting when monitoring and analysis capabilities degrade or become unavailable.

Requirement R1
The RC uses a set of Real-time data identified in IRO-010-1a Requirement R1 and IRO-010-2 Requirement R1 to perform its Real-time monitoring and Real-time Assessments. Requirements to perform monitoring and Real-time Assessments appear in other Reliability Standards.

The RC’s Operating Process or Operating Procedure must contain criteria for evaluating the quality of Real-time data as specified in proposed IRO-018-1 Requirement R1 Part 1.1. The criteria support identification of applicable data quality issues, which may include:

  • Data outside of a prescribed data range;
  • Analog data not updated within a predetermined time period;
  • Data entered manually to override telemetered information; or
  • Data otherwise identified as invalid or suspect.

The Operating Process or Operating Procedure must include provisions for indicating the quality of Real-time data to operating personnel. Descriptions of quality indicators such as display color codes, data quality flags, or other such indicators as found in Real-time monitoring specifications could be used.

Requirement R1 Part 1.3 specifies the RC shall include actions to address Real-time data quality issues with the entity(ies) responsible for providing the data when data quality affects Real- time Assessments. Requirement R1 Part 1.3 is focused on addressing data point quality issues affecting Real-time Assessments. Other data quality issues of a lower priority are addressed according to an entity’s operating practices and are not covered under Requirement R1 Part 1.3.

The RC’s actions to address data quality issues are steps within existing authorities and capabilities that provide awareness and enable the RC to meet its obligations for performing the Real-time Assessment. Examples of actions to address data quality issues include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Notifying entities that provide Real-time data to the RC;
  • Following processes established for resolving data conflicts as specified in IRO-010-1a, IRO-010-2, or other applicable Reliability Standards;
  • Taking corrective actions on the RC’s own data;
  • Changing data sources or other inputs so that the data quality issue no longer affects the RC’s Real-time Assessment; and
  • Inputting data manually and updating as necessary.

The Operating Process or Operating Procedure must clearly identify to operating personnel how to determine the data that affects the quality of the Real-time Assessment so that effective actions can be taken to address data quality issues in an appropriate timeframe.

Requirement R2
Requirement R2 ensures RCs have procedures to address issues related to the quality of the analysis results used for Real-time Assessments. Requirements to perform Real-time Assessments appear in other Reliability Standards. Examples of the types of analysis used in Real-time Assessments include, as applicable, state estimation, Real-time Contingency analysis, Stability analysis or other studies used for Real-time Assessments.

Examples of the types of criteria used to evaluate the quality of analysis used in Real-time Assessments may include solution tolerances, mismatches with Real-time data, convergences, etc.

The Operating Process or Operating Procedure must describe how the quality of analysis results used in Real-time Assessment will be shown to operating personnel.

Requirement R3
Requirement R3 addresses recommendation S7 of the Real-time Best Practices Task Force report concerning operator awareness of alarm availability.

An alarm process monitor could be an application within a Real-time monitoring system or it could be a separate system. ‘Heartbeat’ or ‘watchdog’ monitors are examples of an alarm process monitor. An alarm process monitor should be designed and implemented such that a stall of the Real-time monitoring alarm processor does not cause a failure of the alarm process monitor.

Rationale

Rationale for Requirement R1: The Reliability Coordinator (RC) uses a set of Real-time data identified in IRO-010-1a Requirement R1 and IRO-010-2 Requirement R1 to perform its Real- time monitoring and Real-time Assessments. Requirements to perform Real-time monitoring and Real-time Assessments appear in other Reliability Standards.

The Operating Process or Operating Procedure must include provisions for indicating the quality of Real-time data to operating personnel. Descriptions of quality indicators such as display color codes, data quality flags, or other such indicators as found in Real-time monitoring specifications could be used.

Requirement R1 Part 1.3 of this standard specifies the RC shall include actions to address Real- time data quality issues affecting its Real-time Assessments in its Operating Process or Operating Procedure. Examples of actions to address Real-time data quality issues are provided in the Guidelines and Technical Basis section. These actions could be the same as the process used to resolve data conflicts required by IRO-010-2 Requirement R3 Part 3.2 provided that this process addresses Real-time data quality issues.

The revision in Part 1.3 to address Real-time data quality issues when data quality affects Real- time Assessments clarifies the scope of data points that must be covered by the Operating Process or Operating Procedure.

Rationale for Requirement R2: Requirement R2 ensures RCs have procedures to address issues related to the quality of the analysis results used for Real-time Assessments. Requirements to perform Real-time Assessments appear in other Reliability Standards. Examples of the types of analysis used in Real-time Assessments include, as applicable, state estimation, Real-time Contingency analysis, Stability analysis or other studies used for Real-time Assessments.

The Operating Process or Operating Procedure must include provisions for how the quality of analysis results used in Real-time Assessment will be shown to operating personnel. Operating personnel includes System Operators and staff responsible for supporting Real-time operations.

Rationale for Requirement R3: The requirement addresses recommendation S7 of the Real- time Best Practices Task Force report concerning operator awareness of alarm availability.

The requirement in Draft Two of the proposed standard has been revised for clarity by removing the term independent. The alarm process monitor must be able to provide notification of failure of the Real-time monitoring alarm processor. This capability could be provided by an application within a Real-time monitoring system or by a separate component used by the System Operator. The alarm process monitor must not fail with a simultaneous failure of the Real-time monitoring alarm processor.

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