RELIABILITY POLICY ISSUES COMMITTEE REPORT

JANANNE SHARPLESSNON-AFFILIATED DIRECTOR

APRIL 28, 2009CORONADO, CALIFORNIA

RPIC ACTIVITIES

● RPIC met twice since the last Board Meeting;-FEBRUARY 19, 2009 – SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH-APRIL 28, 2009 – CORONADO, CA

● RPIC continues to undertake assignments as requested by the WECC Chair and the Board of Directors

● RPIC has two items for approval, a final report on the WIRAB PROPOSALS, and a status report on three other items.

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RPIC MEMBERSHIP

● RPIC Charter includes a term limit provision and specifies a process for nominating new members

● First Time New Process has been used since Charter Revisions

● Recommended Slate attempts to balance the classes

● Greater number in Class 1 felt appropriate.

Below is the proposed membership of the RPIC as recommended by the RPIC.

BOARD APPROVAL OF RPIC MEMBERS REAPPOINTMENT

● Two action items for approval, both items met the 21 day posting requirement.

Approve the reappointment of :

1. DARREL GERRARD, Class 1, Term Expiring 2012

2. BRIAN THEAKER, Class 3, Term Expiring 2012

3. SCOTT GUTTING, Class 4, Term Expiring 2012

4. DIANA POMMEN, Class 6, Term Expiring 2012

BOARD APPROVAL OF RPIC NEW MEMBERS

● APPROVE NEW MEMBERS:

1. Gary Tarplee, Class 3 (Prev. Class 1) Term Expiring 2011

2. Vicken Kasarjian, Class 2, Term Expiring 2012

3. Robert Schwermann, Class 7, Term Expiring 2010

BOARD APPROVAL OF RPICVICE CHAIR

1. RPIC is recommending DIANA POMMEN, Class 6, For Vice Chair

Item 2.Response to the Western Interconnection Regional Advisory Board (WIRAB) Proposals

● WIRAB PROPOSALS presented at the Board’s October 2008 Meeting by Doug Larson, Executive Director of WIEB

● Presentation raised questions regarding integrating variable generation and meeting low carbon goals

● BOD assigned RPIC to prepare a response by April 2009. A status report was given at the December 2008 meeting.

RPIC DELIBERATIONS

● 4 Factors considered in preparation of response:

1. Is the activity within the scope of WECC By Laws and Strategic Goals

2. Impact on current activities and workload

3. Who within WECC will be Lead/Responsible

4. Fiscal Implications

RPIC DELIBERATIONS

● Presentations were given on current and planned WECC activities

● Staff drafted a white paper in November 2008 to assist the RPIC effort

● A board technical session concerning Renewable Energy Integration Issues was held on December 10, 2008

WIRAB PROPOSALS

● A final draft was prepared and attached to the RPIC Report and provided in the BOD Packet of material prior to this meeting

● This presentation will highlight the response to each of the six proposals:

Proposal 1

● Identify analyses needed to inform policy debates

● Coordinate WECC-wide info/analysis and coordinate with other analyses (e.g., WestConnect/NREL solar and wind integration study)

● Example analyses: Major growth in renewable generation National RPS and/or robust Western RECs trading system Technology breakthroughs (PVs, CCS) Electrification of the transportation sector Climate change impacts on load and hydro generation Other

● Who: Variable Generation Subcommittee

● Recent Activity: Technical Session at December Board Kickoff Meeting January 15 Draft work plan

Proposal 2

● Assessment of transmission needs: Continue to build analysis capacity (historical

schedules/flows, modeling of capital and operating costs for transmission solutions)

Evaluate robustness of transmission solutions beyond 10 years (scenario analysis beyond 10 years)

● Who: TEPPC

● Recent Activity: 2009 Study Plan in progress. Likely to include capital

costs and time horizon longer than 10 years Task Force to respond to Stimulus Bill

Proposal 3

● Forum for LSE and PUC resource planners Establish in conjunction with others (CREPC, WGA, CEOs) a

forum to promote information sharing among LSE resource planners and PUCs/energy agencies

Forum would share information on topics such as methods for evaluating carbon risk in resource decisions, low carbon technology assumptions

Forum would respond to requests (e.g., LSE long-term renewable generation plans)

● Who: WGA

● Recent Activities: Planning Forum held February 24-25

Proposal 4

● Evaluate the long-term adequate sizing of new transmission to location-constrained low carbon resources

● Who: TEPPC

● Recent Activities Long-term transmission planning forum February 2-3 WGA request for “transmission superhighway overlay”

for 2009 study plan being considered

Proposal 5

● Undertake timely analysis of the reliability implications of innovations to reduce cost of integrating renewables, such as: ACE Diversity Initiative Regulation sharing Virtual control area consolidation

● Who: Variable Generation Subcommittee● Recent Activity:

Technical Session at December Board Kickoff Meeting January 15 Draft work plan

Proposal 6

● Consider additional tests for approving new Balancing Authorities such as: Will the creation of a new BA lower the cost of

integrating more renewables? Will a new BA improve reliability?

● Who: WECC Staff (complete)

● Recent Activities Staff presented whitepaper during December

Board

Item 3WECC BULK ELECTRIC SYSTEM (BES) DEFINITION

● December 2008 BOD voted to send a Clarifying Letter to NERC with the following points:

1. The nine characteristics included with the WECC Definition were not being used by WECC in either its registration or compliance processes

2. They had not gone through a formal approval process and they should not be considered part of WECC’s BES Definition

BES DEFINITION BACKGROUND

● Additionally, the BOD directed staff to continue to apply the NERC Definition and Statement of Compliance Criteria

● RPIC informed the Board that issues of ambiguity remained even with the NERC Definition

● BOD directed RPIC’S Ad Hoc Task Force, chaired by Brian Theaker, to continue to pursue options that would provide greater clarity

BES DEFINITION STATUS

● The Policy Phase ended January 2009

● Bulk Electric System Task Force (BESTF) determined the next level required prior technical analysis

● Recommended to the JGC and RPIC that formation of a task force with broader technical expertise

BES DEFINITION STATUS

● At it’s February meeting RPIC agreed with the recommendations made by the BESDTF:

1. Additional Technical Expertise be solicited from other WECC Membership

2. The effort follow the standards development process

3. And that a schedule be followed that will bring a recommendation for clarifying language to BOD’s December 2009 Meeting

BES DEFINITION STATUS

● On March 27 the Standards Request Routing Committee assigned the issue to the Operating Committee

● The BESDTF first met in Salt Lake City at a noticed meeting April 7-8, 2009

● 1st posting review: ~ May 8/June 22

● 2nd posting review: ~ July 10/August 10

● Posting 9/1 for 10/1 OC

● Posting 11/9 for 12/9 RPIC, 12/10 Board● BESDTF wishes to thank Ms. Mizumori and Mr.

Rueckert and Standards Request Routing Committee for their fine work in helping the Task Force through its transition period.

ITEM 4WECC GLOSSARY UPDATE PROJECT

● This project was brought to RPIC at its February Meeting

● The goal is to overhaul the current WECC Glossary which is posted on the existing WECC website.

● As it is, the Glossary is cumbersome, confusing and in some cases outdated.

WECC Glossary

● Contains WECC and NERC definitions even when the definitions are the same or very similar

● Issues Stakeholders must use the NERC definition when creating or complying

with standards so having both definitions in one document causes confusion

WECC is not notified when NERC definitions change, so NERC definitions in the WECC glossary can be outdated

WECC glossary has never been through a formal review by a WECC committee or the WECC Board of Directors

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WECC Glossary -Current Status

● Glossary is under review as part of WECC Web site redesign

● Definitions of NERC-defined terms have been removed. Link to the NERC glossary provided

● Definitions that remain are unique to WECC and are the subject of current internal review. Most are already defined in WECC standards, criteria, and business practices and have gone through due process

● Those terms not defined in these documents need to go through due process

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WECC Glossary – Proposed Process Going Forward

● RPIC will discuss an approval process for terms that have not been through due process – April meeting

● Approval of all glossary terms should be completed by the end of 2009

● RPIC will ask the Joint Guidance Committee to take ownership of the glossary after all current glossary terms are approved.  

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Proposed Process Going Forward

● Glossary reviewed annually

● New terms defined through the NERC standard development process will be added and the definition provided via a link to the NERC glossary

● New terms defined through the WECC standard and regional criteria development process will be added to the WECC glossary

● Any other new terms will be subject to internal review and approval by JGC

● JGC will present to WECC Board for approval and sign off

 

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ITEM 5DOCUMENT CATEGORIZATION UPDATE

● BOD approved the Documentation Categorization Project in 2007.

● Purpose is to bring order to the large number of WECC Documents clarifying their regulatory or other functional purpose

● The standing Committees had 24 months from the board approval to complete categorization (First phase)

● RPIC is to monitor the implementation and progress of the project and address any policy issues.

ITEM 5DOCUMENT CATEGORIZATION PROJECT STATUS

● All the Committees, Subcommittees and Work groups continue to work.

● Operating Committee directed work to be completed by March 31, 2010

● WECC Operations Staff are assisting Subcommittees in this effort

ITEM 5DOCUMENT CATEGORIZATION PROJECT STATUS

● Currently, Subcommittees are performing a content review of the documents to determine:

1. Whether the document should be retired or rescinded – If so what process

2. Whether the document should be retained without substantive change – if so it needs to be tagged and formatted in the proper template

3. Whether the document requires substantive change – this group demands the greatest workload

ITEM 5DOCUMENT CATEGORIZATION PROJECT STATUS

● Documents reaching template stage would be reviewed by technical writing teams before being posted on the WECC web site for final notice to the membership

● A new website is being developed to file and organize documents by Committee, Subcommittee and Working Groups

● This effort is intended to streamline WECC’s Operations and make the documents that govern its activities more accessible and understandable to the WECC Membership

Questions