In recent months a large number of international reliability standards have been distributed for review by stakeholders in Ontario. Each one is subject to individual consideration in Ontario. However, not all standards apply to generators in Ontario. Applicability is dependent on each individual standard. Stakeholders who would like to raise questions prior to the standards becoming adopted in Ontario have a limited period of time to bring forward their concerns. Details of each, and the related deadlines for review in Ontario, are presented below.
Geomagnetic disturbance event performance
The following North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Reliability Standard is available for review: TPL-007-1 Transmission System Planned Performance for Geomagnetic Disturbance Event.
This standard requires applicable entities to conduct initial and on-going vulnerability assessments of the potential impact of benchmark geomagnetic disturbance (“GMD”) events on the bulk electric system equipment and the bulk electric system as a whole. This applies to the planning coordinator, transmission planners, transmission owners and some generator owners.
The deadline is May 28, 2015 to apply to the Ontario Energy Board for a review of this standard.
The standards have been posted on the OEB Review of a New or Amended Reliability Standard section at http://www.ieso.ca/Pages/Participate/Reliability-Requirements/Reliability-Standards-Compliance.aspx#OEB.
Under-Voltage load shedding and misoperation protection, including generator operation standard
The following North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Reliability Standards are available for review:
• PRC-010-1 Under-Voltage Load Shedding Protection System
• PRC-004-2.1(a) Analysis and Mitigation of Transmission and Generation Protection System Misoperations
• PRC-004-4 Protection System Misoperation Identification and Correction
• PRC-005-2(i) Protection System Maintenance
• PRC-005-3(i) Protection System and Automatic Reclosing Maintenance
• VAR-002-4 Generator Operation for Maintaining Network Voltage Schedules
The purpose of the first standard above is to ensure that an integrated and coordinated approach is applied to the design, evaluation and operation of Under-Voltage Shedding (UVLS) Programs. This applies to the planning coordinator, transmission planners, transmission owners and distribution providers that own, operate or control UVLS equipment.
The purpose of standards PRC-004 and PRC-005 is to ensure that all transmission and generation protection systems are maintained and tested, and misoperations are analyzed and mitigated. This applies to generator owners and generator operators identified under inclusion 14 of NERC’s Bulk Electric System (BES) Definition.
The purpose of the generator operation standard is to ensure that voltage and reactive power limits are maintained. This applies to generator owners and generator operators identified under inclusion 14 of NERC’s Bulk Electric System (BES) Definition.
The deadline to apply to the Ontario Energy Board for a review of the six above standards is June 14, 2015.
For details concerning the above proposed standards and revisions, please refer to IESO’s OEB Review Process web page: http://www.ieso.ca/Pages/Participate/Reliability-Requirements/Reliability-Standards-Compliance.aspx#OEB.
Cyber Security and Remedial Action Scheme definition
The following eight North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Reliability Standards are available for review:
• CIP-003-6 – Cyber Security – Security Management Controls
• CIP-004-6 – Cyber Security – Personnel and Training
• CIP-006-6 – Cyber Security – Physical Security of BES Cyber Systems
• CIP-007-6 – Cyber Security – Security Management
• CIP-009-6 – Cyber Security – Recovery Plans for BES Cyber Systems
• CIP-010-2 – Cyber Security – Configuration Change Management and Vulnerability Assessments
• CIP-011-2 –Cyber Security – Information Protection
• “Remedial Action Scheme” Definition
The Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Reliability Standards are to mitigate the cybersecurity risks to the Bulk Electric System (BES) facilities, systems, and equipment, which, if destroyed, degraded, or otherwise rendered unavailable as a result of a cyber-attack, would affect the reliable operation of the BES.
The deadline is June 26, 2015 to apply to the Ontario Energy Board for a review of these standards.
A revised NERC definition of the term “Remedial Action Scheme” (RAS) is also available for review. The proposed definition of RAS recasts the existing definition of Special Protection System to more precisely describe the objectives of the schemes. This definition applies to all functional entities.
The deadline is June 10, 2015 to apply to the Ontario Energy Board for a review of the revised definition.
The standards have been posted in the OEB Review of a New or Amended Reliability Standard section at http://www.ieso.ca/Pages/Participate/Reliability-Requirements/Reliability-Standards-Compliance.aspx#OEB.
Transmission and Interconnection Operation standards
The following twelve North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Reliability Standards are available for review:
• TOP-001-3 (Transmission Operations)
• TOP-002-4 (Operations Planning)
• TOP-003-3 (Operational Reliability Data)
• IRO-001-4 (Reliability Coordination – Responsibilities)
• IRO-002-4 (Reliability Coordination – onitoring and Analysis)
• IRO-008-2 (Reliability Coordinator Operational Analyses and Real-time Assessments)
• IRO-010-2 (Reliability Coordinator Data Specification and Collection)
• IRO-014-3 (Coordination Among Reliability Coordinators)
• IRO-017-1 (Outage Coordination)
The Transmission Operations (TOP) and Interconnection Reliability Operations and Coordination (IRO) Reliability Standards address matters that are fundamental to grid reliability as they pertain to the coordinated efforts to plan and operate the Bulk Electric System in a reliable manner under both normal and abnormal conditions. These standards apply to the IESO, transmitters, generators and distributors. The deadline to apply to the OEB for a review for these standards was April 1.
· PRC-001-1.1(ii) – System Protection Coordination
· PRC-019-2 – Coordination of Generating Unit or Plant Capabilities, Voltage Regulating Controls, and Protection
These standards ensure that new or changes to existing protective systems are coordinated and verified among the generator operators and their transmission operators.
Generator protective relay standards
• PRC-024-2 – Generator Frequency and Voltage Protective Relay Settings
This standard ensures that generator protective relays are set such that the generating units remain connected during frequency and voltage excursions. The deadline to apply to the OEB for a review of the above three standards is July 16.
The standards have been posted on the OEB Review of a New or Amended Reliability Standard section at http://www.ieso.ca/Pages/Participate/Reliability-Requirements/Reliability-Standards-Compliance.aspx#OEB.