Transmission System Planning Performance Requirements for Extreme Weather

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission directs the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, the Commission-certified Electric Reliability Organization, to develop a new or modified Reliability Standard no later than 18 months of the date of publication of this final rule in the Federal Register to address reliability concerns pertaining to transmission system planning for extreme heat and cold weather events that impact the Reliable Operation of the Bulk- Power System. Specifically, we direct the North American Electric Reliability Corporation to develop a new or modified Reliability Standard that requires the following: development of benchmark planning cases based on prior extreme heat and cold weather events and/or future meteorological projections; planning for extreme heat and cold events using steady state and transient stability analyses that cover a range of extreme weather scenarios, including the expected resource mix's availability during extreme weather conditions and the broad area impacts of extreme weather; and corrective action plans that include mitigation activities for specified instances where performance requirements during extreme heat and cold events are not met.