EOP-001-2.1b: Emergency Operations Planning
Purpose
Each Transmission Operator and Balancing Authority needs to develop, maintain, and implement a set of plans to mitigate operating emergencies. These plans need to be coordinated with other Transmission Operators and Balancing Authorities, and the Reliability Coordinator.
Applicability
- Balancing Authorities.
- Transmission Operators.
Proposed Effective Date
Twenty-four months after the first day of the first calendar quarter following applicable regulatory approval. In those jurisdictions where no regulatory approval is required, all requirements go into effect twenty-four months after Board of Trustees adoption.
Requirements
R1. Balancing Authorities shall have operating agreements with adjacent Balancing Authorities that shall, at a minimum, contain provisions for emergency assistance, including provisions to obtain emergency assistance from remote Balancing Authorities.
R2. Each Transmission Operator and Balancing Authority shall:
R2.1. Develop, maintain, and implement a set of plans to mitigate operating emergencies for insufficient generating capacity.
R2.2. Develop, maintain, and implement a set of plans to mitigate operating emergencies on the transmission system.
R2.3. Develop, maintain, and implement a set of plans for load shedding.
R3. Each Transmission Operator and Balancing Authority shall have emergency plans that will enable it to mitigate operating emergencies. At a minimum, Transmission Operator and Balancing Authority emergency plans shall include:
R3.1. Communications protocols to be used during emergencies.
R3.2. A list of controlling actions to resolve the emergency. Load reduction, in sufficient quantity to resolve the emergency within NERC-established timelines, shall be one of the controlling actions.
R3.3. The tasks to be coordinated with and among adjacent Transmission Operators and Balancing Authorities.
R3.4. Staffing levels for the emergency.
R4. Each Transmission Operator and Balancing Authority shall include the applicable elements in Attachment 1-EOP-001 when developing an emergency plan.
R5. The Transmission Operator and Balancing Authority shall annually review and update each emergency plan. The Transmission Operator and Balancing Authority shall provide a copy of its updated emergency plans to its Reliability Coordinator and to neighboring Transmission Operators and Balancing Authorities.
R6. The Transmission Operator and Balancing Authority shall coordinate its emergency plans with other Transmission Operators and Balancing Authorities as appropriate. This coordination includes the following steps, as applicable:
R6.1. The Transmission Operator and Balancing Authority shall establish and maintain reliable communications between interconnected systems.
R6.2. The Transmission Operator and Balancing Authority shall arrange new interchange agreements to provide for emergency capacity or energy transfers if existing agreements cannot be used.
R6.3. The Transmission Operator and Balancing Authority shall coordinate transmission and generator maintenance schedules to maximize capacity or conserve the fuel in short supply. (This includes water for hydro generators.)
R6.4. The Transmission Operator and Balancing Authority shall arrange deliveries of electrical energy or fuel from remote systems through normal operating channels.
Measures
M1. The Transmission Operator and Balancing Authority shall have its emergency plans available for review by the Regional Reliability Organization at all times.
M2. The Transmission Operator and Balancing Authority shall have its two most recent annual selfassessments available for review by the Regional Reliability Organization at all times.
Attachment 1 – EOP-001
Elements for Consideration in Development of Emergency Plans
- Fuel supply and inventory — An adequate fuel supply and inventory plan that recognizes reasonable delays or problems in the delivery or production of fuel.
- Fuel switching — Fuel switching plans for units for which fuel supply shortages may occur, e.g., gas and light oil.
- Environmental constraints — Plans to seek removal of environmental constraints for generating units and plants.
- System energy use — The reduction of the system’s own energy use to a minimum.
- Public appeals — Appeals to the public through all media for voluntary load reductions and energy conservation including educational messages on how to accomplish such load reduction and conservation.
- Load management — Implementation of load management and voltage reductions, if appropriate.
- Optimize fuel supply — The operation of all generating sources to optimize the availability.
- Appeals to customers to use alternate fuels — In a fuel emergency, appeals to large industrial and commercial customers to reduce non-essential energy use and maximize the use of customer-owned generation that rely on fuels other than the one in short supply.
- Interruptible and curtailable loads — Use of interruptible and curtailable customer load to reduce capacity requirements or to conserve the fuel in short supply.
- Maximizing generator output and availability — The operation of all generating sources to maximize output and availability. This should include plans to winterize units and plants during extreme cold weather.
- Notifying IPPs — Notification of cogeneration and independent power producers to maximize output and availability.
- Requests of government — Requests to appropriate government agencies to implement programs to achieve necessary energy reductions.
- Load curtailment — A mandatory load curtailment plan to use as a last resort. This plan should address the needs of critical loads essential to the health, safety, and welfare of the community. Address firm load curtailment.
- Notification of government agencies — Notification of appropriate government agencies as the various steps of the emergency plan are implemented.
- Notifications to operating entities — Notifications to other operating entities as steps in emergency plan are implemented.
