WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) have released a joint staff report that stresses the need for generation owners and transmission operators to adequately prepare for winter weather conditions to ensure bulk electric system reliability.

On January 17, 2018, regional operators in the Midwest and South Central U.S. (MidContinent Independent System Operator and Southwest Power Pool) called for voluntary reductions in electricity use due to abnormally cold temperatures and higher than forecast demand. The system remained stable. However, continued reliable operation would have required shedding firm load if MISO had experienced its largest single generation contingency in MISO South.

Today's report finds that, despite prior guidance from FERC and NERC, cold-weather events continue to result in unplanned outages that imperil reliable system operations. It endorses the development of one or more mandatory Reliability Standards requiring generator owner/operators to prepare for the cold weather and provide information about those preparations to their Reliability Coordinators and Balancing Authorities.

The report makes a number of recommendations and identifies sound practices. Among them that generator owners and transmission operators should perform winterization activities to prepare for cold weather, and should ensure the accuracy of their units' ambient temperature design specifications.

Source: NERC