TOP-002-2.1b: Normal Operations Planning

Purpose
Current operations plans and procedures are essential to being prepared for reliable operations, including response for unplanned events.

Applicability

• Balancing Authority.
• Transmission Operator.
• Generator Operator.
• Load Serving Entity.
• Transmission Service Provider.

Effective Date
Immediately after approval of applicable regulatory authorities.

Requirements  
R1. Each Balancing Authority and Transmission Operator shall maintain a set of current plans that are designed to evaluate options and set procedures for reliable operation through a reasonable future time period.  In addition, each Balancing Authority and Transmission Operator shall be responsible for using available personnel and system equipment to implement these plans to ensure that interconnected system reliability will be maintained.

R2. Each Balancing Authority and Transmission Operator shall ensure its operating personnel participate in the system planning and design study processes, so that these studies contain the operating personnel perspective and system operating personnel are aware of the planning purpose.

R3. Each Load Serving Entity and Generator Operator shall coordinate (where confidentiality agreements allow) its current-day, next-day, and seasonal operations with its Host Balancing Authority and Transmission Service Provider.  Each Balancing Authority and Transmission Service Provider shall coordinate its current-day, next-day, and seasonal operations with its Transmission Operator.

R4. Each Balancing Authority and Transmission Operator shall coordinate (where confidentiality agreements allow) its current-day, next-day, and seasonal planning and operations with  neighboring Balancing Authorities and Transmission Operators and with its Reliability Coordinator, so that normal Interconnection operation will proceed in an orderly and consistent manner.

R5. Each Balancing Authority and Transmission Operator shall plan to meet scheduled system configuration, generation dispatch, interchange scheduling and demand patterns.

R6. Each Balancing Authority and Transmission Operator shall plan to meet unscheduled changes in system configuration and generation dispatch (at a minimum N-1 Contingency planning) in accordance with NERC, Regional Reliability Organization, subregional, and local reliability  requirements.

R7. Each Balancing Authority shall plan to meet capacity and energy reserve requirements,  including the deliverability/capability for any single Contingency.

R8. Each Balancing Authority shall plan to meet voltage and/or reactive limits, including the deliverability/capability for any single contingency.

R9. Each Balancing Authority shall plan to meet Interchange Schedules and ramps.

R10. Each Balancing Authority and Transmission Operator shall plan to meet all System Operating  Limits (SOLs) and Interconnection Reliability Operating Limits (IROLs).

R11. The Transmission Operator shall perform seasonal, next-day, and current-day Bulk Electric  System studies to determine SOLs.  Neighboring Transmission Operators shall utilize identical SOLs for common facilities.  The Transmission Operator shall update these Bulk Electric System studies as necessary to reflect current system conditions; and shall make the results of Bulk Electric System studies available to the Transmission Operators, Balancing Authorities (subject to confidentiality requirements), and to its Reliability Coordinator.

R12. The Transmission Service Provider shall include known SOLs or IROLs within its area and neighboring areas in the determination of transfer capabilities, in accordance with filed tariffs and/or regional Total Transfer Capability and Available Transfer Capability calculation processes.

R13. At the request of the Balancing Authority or Transmission Operator, a Generator Operator shall perform generating real and reactive capability verification that shall include, among other variables, weather, ambient air and water conditions, and fuel quality and quantity, and provide the results to the Balancing Authority or Transmission Operator operating personnel as requested.

R14. Generator Operators shall, without any intentional time delay, notify their Balancing Authority and Transmission Operator of changes in capabilities and characteristics including but not limited to:

R14.1. Changes in real output capabilities.

R15. Generation Operators shall, at the request of the Balancing Authority or Transmission  Operator, provide a forecast of expected real power output to assist in operations planning (e.g., a seven-day forecast of real output).

R16. Subject to standards of conduct and confidentiality agreements, Transmission Operators shall, without any intentional time delay, notify their Reliability Coordinator and Balancing Authority of changes in capabilities and characteristics including but not limited to:

R16.1. Changes in transmission facility status.

R16.2. Changes in transmission facility rating.

R17. Balancing Authorities and Transmission Operators shall, without any intentional time delay, communicate the information described in the requirements R1 to R16 above to their Reliability Coordinator.

R18. Neighboring Balancing Authorities, Transmission Operators, Generator Operators, Transmission Service Providers and Load Serving Entities shall use uniform line identifiers when referring to transmission facilities of an interconnected network.

R19. Each Balancing Authority and Transmission Operator shall maintain accurate computer models utilized for analyzing and planning system operations.

Measures
M1. Each Balancing Authority and Transmission Operator shall have and provide upon request  evidence that could include, but is not limited to, documented planning procedures, copies of current day plans, copies of seasonal operations plans, or other equivalent evidence that will be used to confirm that it maintained a set of current plans. (Requirement 1 Part 1).

M2. Each Balancing Authority and Transmission Operator shall have and provide upon request evidence that could include, but is not limited to, copies of current day plans or other equivalent evidence that will be used to confirm that its plans address Requirements 5, 6, and 10.

M3. Each Balancing Authority shall have and provide upon request evidence that could include, but is not limited to, copies of current day plans or other equivalent evidence that will be used to confirm that its plans address Requirements 7, 8, and 9.

M4. Each Transmission Operator shall have and provide upon request evidence that could include, but is not limited to, its next-day, and current-day Bulk Electric System studies used to determine SOLs or other equivalent evidence that will be used to confirm that its studies reflect current system conditions. (Requirement 11 Part 1)

M5. Each Transmission Operator shall have and provide upon request evidence that could include, but is not limited to, voice recordings or transcripts of voice recordings, electronic  communications, or other equivalent evidence that will be used to confirm that the results of Bulk Electric System studies were made available to the Transmission Operators, Balancing Authorities (subject to confidentiality requirements), and to its Reliability Coordinator. (Requirement 11 Part 2)

M6. Each Generator Operator shall have and provide upon request evidence that, when requested by either a Transmission Operator or Balancing Authority, it performed a generating real and reactive capability verification and provided the results to the requesting entity in accordance with Requirement 13.

M7. Each Generator Operator shall have and provide upon request evidence that could include, but is not limited to, voice recordings or transcripts of voice recordings, electronic communications, or other equivalent evidence that will be used to confirm that without any intentional time delay, it notified its Balancing Authority and Transmission Operator of changes in real capabilities. (Requirement 14)

M8. Each Generator Operator shall have and provide upon request evidence that could include, but is not limited to, voice recordings or transcripts of voice recordings, electronic communications, or other equivalent evidence that will be used to confirm that, on request, it  provided a forecast of expected real power output to assist in operations planning. (Requirement 15)

M9. Each Transmission Operators shall have and provide upon request evidence that could include, but is not limited to, voice recordings or transcripts of voice recordings, electronic communications, or other equivalent evidence that will be used to confirm that, without any intentional time delay, it notified its Balancing Authority and Reliability Coordinator of changes in capabilities and characteristics. (Requirement16)

M10. Each Balancing Authority, Transmission Operator, Generator Operator, Transmission Service Provider and Load Serving Entity shall have and provide upon request evidence that could include, but is not limited to, a list of interconnected transmission facilities and their line identifiers at each end or other equivalent evidence that will be used to confirm that it used  uniform line identifiers when referring to transmission facilities of an interconnected network.  (Requirement 18)

Appendix 1

Interpretation of Requirement R11

Requirement Number and Text of Requirement

Requirement R11: The Transmission Operator shall perform seasonal, next-day, and current-day Bulk  Electric System studies to determine SOLs.  Neighboring Transmission Operators shall utilize identical SOLs for common facilities.  The Transmission Operator shall update these Bulk Electric System studies as necessary to reflect current system conditions; and shall make the results of Bulk Electric System studies available to the Transmission Operators, Balancing Authorities (subject to confidentiality requirements), and to its Reliability Coordinator.

Question #1

Is the Transmission Operator required to conduct a “unique” study for each operating day, even when the actual or expected system conditions are identical to other days already studied?   In other words, can a study be used for more than one day?

Response to Question #1

Requirement R11 mandates that each Transmission Operator review (i.e., study) the state of its  Transmission Operator area both in advance of each day and during each day. Each day must have “a” study that can be applied to it, but it is not necessary to generate a “unique” study for each day. Therefore, it is acceptable for a Transmission Operator to use a particular study for more than one day.

Question #2

Are there specific actions required to implement a “study”? In other words, what constitutes a study?

Response to Question #2

The requirement does not mandate a particular type of review or study. The review or study may be based on complex computer studies or a manual reasonability review of previously existing study results. The requirement is designed to ensure the Transmission Operator maintains sensitivity to what is happening or what is about to happen.

Question #3

Does the term, “to determine SOLs” as used in the first sentence of Requirement R11 mean the “determination of system operating limits” or does it mean the “identification of potential SOL violations?”

Response to Question #3

TOP-002-2 covers real-time and near-real-time studies. Requirement R11 is meant to include both  determining new limits and identifying potential “exceedances” of pre-defined SOLs. If system conditions indicate to the Transmission Operator that prior studies and SOLs may be outdated, TOP-0022 mandates the Transmission Operator to conduct a study to identify SOLs for the new conditions. If the  Transmission Operator determines that system conditions do not warrant a new study, the primary  purpose of the review is to check that the previously defined (i.e., defined from the current SOLs in use,  or the set defined by the planners) SOLs are not expected to be exceeded.  As written, the standard  provides the Transmission Operator discretion regarding when to look for new SOLs and when to rely on its current set of SOLs.

Appendix 2

Requirement Number and Text of Requirement:

R10.  Each Balancing Authority and Transmission Operator shall plan to meet all System  Operating Limits (SOLs) and Interconnection Reliability Operating Limits (IROLs).

Clarification needed:

Requirement 10 is proposed to be eliminated in Project 2007-03 because it is redundant  with TOP-004-0 R1, which only applies to TOP not to BA.  However, that will not be effective for more than two years.  In the meantime, in Requirement 10 is the requirement of the BA to plan to maintain load-interchange-generation balance under the direction of the TOPs meeting all SOLs and IROLs?

Project 2009-27: Response to Request for an Interpretation of TOP-002-2a, Requirement R10, for Florida Municipal Power Pool
The following interpretation of TOP-002-2a — Normal Operations Planning, Requirement R10, was developed by the Real-time Operations Standard Drafting Team.
Requirement Number and Text of Requirement
R10. Each Balancing Authority and Transmission Operator shall plan to meet all System Operating Limits (SOLs) and Interconnection Reliability Operating Limits (IROLs).
Question
In Requirement 10, is the requirement of the BA to plan to maintain load-interchangegeneration balance under the direction of the TOPs meeting all SOLs and IROLs?
Response
Yes. As stated in the NERC Glossary of Terms used in Reliability Standards, the Balancing Authority is responsible for integrating resource plans ahead of time, maintaining loadinterchange-generation balance within a Balancing Authority Area, and supporting Interconnection frequency in real time. The Balancing Authority does not possess the Bulk Electric System information necessary to manage transmission flows (MW, MVAR or Ampere) or voltage. Therefore, the Balancing Authority must follow the directions of the Transmission Operator to meet all SOLs and IROLs.