Spotlight Articles

Today's LiveWire Spotlight examines NERC's efforts to transition the “Guidelines and Technical Basis” sections of ten Reliability Standards to stand-alone Technical Rationale documents.  Experts in operations & data exchange, modeling…

Today's LiveWire Spotlight examines a U.S. citizen's complaint to FERC that NERC Standard CIP-014-2 does not properly assure the physical security of the Bulk Electric System.  In his submission, Michael Mabee…

Today's LiveWire Spotlight looks at the updated version of a Planning Committee-sponsored Reliability Guideline intended to help system planners model and assess fuel assurance and pipeline disruption risk.  The latest posting…

Today's LiveWire Spotlight examines Public Citizen’s Request to participate as a household consumer representative on SERC’s reorganized Board of Directors once the Region’s bylaws are approved by FERC.  They see the restructuring as…

Today's LiveWire Spotlight looks at NERC’s 2020 Work Plan Priorities.  In it, the ERO Enterprise identifies the focus areas that they will direct capital and resources to over the next twelve…

Today's LiveWire Spotlight evaluates FERC’s Notice of Inquiry (NOI) seeking comments on the potential benefits and risks associated with the use of virtualization and cloud computing services in BES operations.  In it,…

Today's LiveWire Spotlight looks at the second draft Standards Authorization Request (SAR) addressing the findings from the January 2018 extreme weather event in the south-central U.S.  The new version incorporates…

Today's LiveWire Spotlight evaluates NERC’s petition requesting approval of TPL-007-4 - the latest version of the geomagnetic disturbance (GMD) planning standard.  The document addresses two directives issued by the Commission in…

Today's LiveWire Spotlight looks at the scope expansions in CIP-005-7, CIP-010-4, and CIP-013-2 (the supply chain standards), which will incorporate Electronic Access Control and Monitoring Systems and Physicals Access Control Systems. …

Today's LiveWire Spotlight examines a newly released NERC document that delivers extensive guidance to Protection System owners required to enter operation and Misoperation details into the MIDAS database.  The instructions focus on the type…

Today's LiveWire Spotlight looks at FERC's public acceptance of NERC’s most recent five-year self-analysis of their performance as the Electric Reliability Organization (ERO).  The Commission agrees that NERC continues to satisfy…

Today's LiveWire Spotlight examines the FERC’s approval of CIP-012-1, the NERC standard addressing the confidentiality and integrity of BES data exchanged between Control Centers.  CIP-012-1 consists of a single requirement…

Today's LiveWire Spotlight looks at FERC’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) to approve the retirement of 74 NERC requirements identified by the industry as redundant, administrative in nature, or provide…

Today's LiveWire Spotlight assesses the Commission’s recent approval of TPL-001-5, the updated Transmission Planning Performance Standard addressing Protection System single points of failure.  Going forward, planners must treat simultaneous single-phase…

Today's LiveWire Spotlight describes our analysis of NERC’s Notices of Penalty in 4Q2019.  During the quarter, the ERO posted five filings using the unabridged Notice of Penalty (NOP) Process –…

Today's LiveWire Spotlight looks at two new proposed Implementation Guidance documents developed by the North American Transmission Forum (NATF) addressing CIP-005-6 and CIP-010-2.  Once endorsed by the ERO Enterprise, auditors…

Today's LiveWire Spotlight examines NERC’s latest Long-Term Reliability Assessment of the Bulk Power System's reliability, adequacy, and security over the 10-year planning horizon.  After analyzing demand forecasts, resource capacity growth, and…

Today's LiveWire Spotlight evaluates NERC's detailed recap and analysis of the eighteen-minute oscillation event which set off alarms or alerts at nearly every Control Center in the Eastern Interconnection on January…

Today's LiveWire Spotlight looks at NERC's findings in response to FERC's concerns related to the exceptions to the restoration timing requirements allowed in BAL-002-2.  Their analysis relies on DCS data voluntarily…

Today's LiveWire Spotlight evaluates a proposed Reliability Guideline that offers Bulk Power System regulatory perspectives for state utility commissions and Registered Entities looking to adopt IEEE 1547-2018.   It was authored by…