NERC & Reliability Regions

No longer functioning NERC Regional Reliability Councils:

 

Inter-Regional Studies

 

On 1/1/2006, many thing changed.  These pages will be changed to reflect the following:
(The earth moved.  Did you feel it?)

On 1/1/2006, some new NERC structures began operations and some other ceased operations.  Most noticeably, ReliabilityFirst began operations.  Comparing the Pre- and Post 1/1/2006 NERC maps (below), you will note the region marked RFC for ReliabilityFirst Corporation which replaces the former MAAC Region and most of the ECAR Region.  Various portions of the former MAIN Region have merged into SERC (MAIN-SMAIN), MRO which replaces MAPP (MAIN-ALTW and much of MAIN-WUMS).  SERC also absorbed a portion of Kentucky which was part of ECAR.  MAIN-NI was absorbed into ReliabilityFirst Region while Virginia Power (Dominion) remained within SERC-VACAR Subregion although it is now part of PJM

            ALTW= Alliant West
            SMAIN= Southern MAIN, primarily Ameren
                     We believe that the former SMAIN is now part of the new fifth SERC sub-region, SERC-Gateway

            WUMS= Wisconsin-Upper Michigan System,
                        referred to as ATC= American Transmission Company by MISO
            NI= Northern Illinois, primarily Commonwealth Edison (ComEd, Exelon subsidiary), now part of PJM.
            VACAR= Virginia-Carolinas
            MRO= Midwest Reliability Organization

NERC Pre-1/1/2006

 NERC Post-1/1/2006
http://www.reliabilityfirst.com/MiscForms/AboutUs/Territory.aspx
 

ERCOT, FRCC, NPCC, SPP, WECC NERC Regions remain relatively unchanged.  So now there are eight NERC Regions (down from ten).
NERC seems to agree with the ReliabilityFirst view of North America as can be seen in the map below (from the NERC website).


http://www.nerc.com/regional/

 

An early concept map of the new MRO change

http://www.midwestreliability.org/documents/MROWhitePaper.pdf

has been modified by a more current version shown below where certain portions of the former MAIN-WUMS area have reliability for load (belonging to ReliabilityFirst) treated separately from reliability for transmission (belonging to MRO).

The primary entity involved in this particular case is Wisconsin Electric Power Co, which is another name for Wisconsin Energy.
WE Energies
            Edison Sault Electric Co
            Wisconsin Electric Power Co, WEP

http://www.midwestreliability.org/about.html


All of these changes may still be prospective because not all of the participants in the former NERC Regions have yet to realign (sign-up) into the new NERC structure and there are likely to be some defections of early signers as the market sorts itself out relative to reliability and transmission operations develop in relation to the market operators PJM and MISO.

 For comparison purposes, a map of MISO and PJM market areas is shown here.

http://www.miso-pjm.com

http://www.serc1.org/Pages/CurrentMemberListing.aspx
New members of SERC include:
         Aces Power Marketing
         Ameren
         Big Rivers Electric Cooperative [Kentucky G&T]
         Columbia (MO) Water & Light
         East Kentucky Electric Cooperative Inc [Kentucky G&T]
         Electric Energy Inc [majority owned by Ameren]
         Illinois Municipal Electric Agency [conflicting reports, both SERC and RFC]
         Midwest ISO
         Southern Illinois Power Cooperative

http://www.midwestreliability.org/Members.html  -  MISO membership

Client comment indicates that MISO membership does NOT necessarily mean that the member transmission and resources are controlled by MISO


http://www.midwestmarket.org/page/Transmission+Facilities  -  MISO Transmission Facilities

http://www.reliabilityfirst.org/members/downloads/RFC_Members_by_Sector_20060224.pdf
RFC absorbed OVEC

These Kentucky IOU went to SPPrto for dispatch and control but to TVA for NERC Reliability Coordination
             E.ON
                    LG&E Energy
                            Louisiana Gas & Electric
                            Kentucky Utilities

These Kentucky IOU went to RFC:
             AEP
                    Kentucky Power
             Duke Energy
                    Cinergy
                            Cincinnati Gas & Electric, CG&E
                                    Union Light Heat & Power
                            PSI Energy
Berea College Utilities (unconfirmed, either way) (listed here only to list all KY IOU.)
 

ECAR South was composed of EKPC, BREC, OVEC.
Dayton P&L was a separate AURORA dispatch-Area, now with RFC.
 A small re-alignment is required.
EKPC and BREC went to SERC-TVA while OVEC went with RFC.

 

01/18/2007 - Louisiana Regulators OK Energy unit split
Prospectively, this enables Entergy Gulf States to operate Entergy-Texas in ERCOT while Entergy-Louisiana would continue to operate in SERC

10/3/2007 - Texas rejects Entergy plant to join ERCOT
Rejecting Entergy's plan to align with ERCOT, TX Utility Commission requested additional information about integration of Entergy-TX with SPPrto, keeping the transition-to-competition docket open.

09/01/2006 - Louisville Gas & Electric and Kentucky Utilities Co withdrew load, generation and transmission from MISO dispatch and control.  These entities are owned by E.ON U.S. and are now considered Non-Transmission Owning Members of MISO. The Kentucky Public Service Commission approved the TVA to be the Reliability Coordinator and the Southwest Power Pool to be the independent transmission organization. LG&E and KU engage in market transactions in MISO as any other Non-Transmission Owning Member.  MISO no longer produces Locational Marginal Prices for any LG&E KU points.  (http://www.ferc.gov/market-oversight/mkt-electric/midwest.asp)

03/20/2005 - FERC conditionally approves Kentucky utilities withdrawal from Midwest ISO
03/17/2006 - FERC allows Kentucky utilities to leave ISO
03/17/2006 - FERC Press Release: Commission conditionally approves the withdrawal from Midwest ISO of LG&E, Kentucky Utilities
        Louisville Gas and Electric Co and Kentucky Utilities are both units of E.ON AG.
        Companies may employ SPP or TVA to perform duties.

03/16/2006 - Midwest ISO Board of Directors Approves Membership of Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency

 

http://www.nerc.com/regional/
A new NERC map discovered 4/5/2006 shows some defections from SPP into SERC.

 

ftp://www.nerc.com/pub/sys/all_updl/oc/rs/ctrl_nerc.jpg

 

RFC Summer Assessment 2006
            "OVEC is not affiliated with either RTO, but OVEC reliability coordinator services are performed by PJM."

            "Effective this summer, TVA will become the reliability coordinator for E.ON.US, which will be included in the Tennesee Valley Authority (TVA) reliability plan.  TVA is now included in the former ECAR regional reliability plan."

 

ISO/RTO Council, IRC
http://www.aeso.ca/files/IRCMotClar.pdf
The IRC was formed by the nine functioning Independent System Operators (“ISOs”) and Regional Transmission Organizations (“RTOs”) in North America in April 2003. It is comprised of the Independent System Operator operating as the Alberta Electric System Operator (“AESO”), California Independent System Operator, Inc. (“CAISO”), Electric Reliability Council of Texas (“ERCOT”), the Independent Electricity System Operator of Ontario (“IESO”), ISO New England, Inc. (“ISO-NE”), Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc. (“MISO”), New York Independent System Operator, Inc. (“NYISO”), PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. (“PJM”), and Southwest Power Pool (“SPP”). The IRC’s mission is to work collaboratively to develop effective processes, tools and standard methods for improving competitive electricity markets across North America. In fulfilling this mission, it is the IRC’s goal to provide a perspective that balances reliability standards with market practices so that each complements the other, thereby resulting in efficient, robust markets that provide competitive and reliable service to customers. The AESO and IESO are not subject to this Commission’s jurisdiction. While the AESO and IESO concur with this Motion for Clarification, this concurrence should not be construed as agreement or acknowledgement that their organizations are subject to this Commission’s jurisdiction. ERCOT has elected not to be a signatory to this filing.

 

9/5/2006: NERC announces merger:
The North American Electric Reliability Council will be merging with and subsumed by the newly-formed North American Electric Reliability Corporation.

One of the steps in implementing mandatory standards is the merger of the North American Electric Reliability Council (owned by the eight members of NERC) with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (an independent not-for-profit organization). This merger is to be accomplished through an agreement to be ratified in conjunction with the NERC Board of Trustees Meeting October 31-November 1.

http://www.wecc.biz/documents/2006/Delegation/Merger_Agreement.DOC

 

A new geographic representation, found 5/30/2007
http://www.midwestreliability.org/documents/Region Maps/RegionBoundaryMap_Nov10.pdf
http://www.midwestreliability.org/documents/Region%20Maps/36x60_600dpi.pdf

1/21/2008: FERC conditionally approves Duquesne's exit from PJM