[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 1, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-2186]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: February 1, 1994]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. EL94-23-000]
Inquiry Concerning Conditions in Portions of the Eastern
Interconnection; Order Directing Filing of Information
Issued January 26, 1994.
During the week of January 16, 1994, vast portions of the Eastern
Interconnection\1\ experienced record low temperatures. While voltage
reductions were implemented in many areas within the Eastern
Interconnection, rolling blackouts were required only in the
Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland Pool (PJM) and in Virginia Electric
and Power Company's (VEPCO) service territory. During this period,
sales of power, into PJM in particular, were at or near record levels.
Both PJM and VEPCO set new peak demand records in this period. While
the interconnected system in these areas did not fail, it appears that
the system was stretched to its physical limits.
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\1\The Eastern Interconnection includes all of the continental
United States except for those areas contained in the Western
Systems Coordinating Council, in the Electric Reliability Council of
Texas, and in Alaska.
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As part of its public interest responsibilities, including
improving the ability of public utilities to avoid, if possible,
similar situations in the future, the Commission is interested in
learning about what took place during the week of January 16.
Specifically, the Commission needs information concerning the sales,
purchases, and transmission transactions that took place during this
period in these areas that, in conjunction with unprecedented
conservation efforts including a declared emergency in Washington, DC
and the shutdown of Federal and state government offices in the
Washington Metropolitan region, apparently prevented the physical
collapse of the network in PJM and VEPCO. Accordingly, pursuant to
sections 202(g), 301, 304, 307, 309 and 311 of the Federal Power
Act,\2\ the Commission is directing all public utilities\3\ that are
interconnected with PJM and/or VEPCO and that engaged in the sale of
electric energy at wholesale in interstate commerce and/or the
transmission of electric energy in interstate commerce with utilities
located in PJM or with VEPCO\4\ to provide the information specified on
the Attachment to this order no later than February 4, 1994. The
Commission also directs the public utility members of PJM\5\ and VEPCO
to provide information concerning any purchases during the period and
any transactions among themselves, including any purchase, sale or
transmission between PJM and VEPCO, or vice versa. The information is
limited to jurisdictional service scheduled in whole or in part during
the period beginning January 16, 1994, at 12:01 am. and ending January
22, 1994, at midnight.
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\2\16 U.S.C. 824a(g), 825, 825c, 824f, 825h, and 825j (1988).
\3\16 U.S.C. 824(e) (1988).
\4\Public utilities interconnected with PJM and/or VEPCO include
Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company, the public utility
subsidiaries of the Allegheny Power System, the public utility
subsidiaries of American Electric Power Company, the public utility
members of the New York Power Pool and Carolina Power & Light
Company.
\5\The public utility members of PJM include Atlantic City
Electric Company, Baltimore Gas and Electric Company, Delmarva Power
& Light Company, Jersey Central Power & Light Company, Metropolitan
Edison Company, Pennsylvania Electric Company, Pennsylvania Power &
Light Company, Philadelphia Electric Company, Potomac Electric Power
Company, and Public Service Electric and Gas Company.
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Finally, the Commission is also interested in learning whether
there was adequate transmission capacity available to wheel power to
those utilities unable to meet their load during the critical time
period and, if not, where transmission constraints were located.
Accordingly, the public utility members of PJM and VEPCO should advise
the Commission no later than February 4, 1994, of any instance during
the week of January 16 in which they were able to arrange for a
purchase of power but were unable to complete the transaction due to
the inability to arrange transmission. They should identify the
entity(ies) that failed to provide transmission and describe the
reasons given. In addition, any entity, whether or not interconnected
with PJM and/or VEPCO that had capacity available to sell power to PJM
and VEPCO but was unable to obtain transmission should advise the
Commission of such facts no later than February 4, 1994.
The Director, Office of Electric Power Regulation, or his designee,
is hereby authorized to obtain any additional information which is
necessary to accomplish the purposes of this inquiry.
Information Collection Statement
The Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) regulations require
that OMB approve certain information collection requirements.\6\ The
Commission has obtained approval of the information collection
requirements in this order pursuant to the expedited review provisions
in Sec. 1320.18 of OMB's regulations.\7\
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\6\18 CFR part 1320.
\7\Id. at 1320.18(a).
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By the Commission.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
Attachment
1. Who must report: Public utilities that are interconnected with
PJM and/or VEPCO and that scheduled sales of electric energy at
wholesale in interstate commerce and/or the transmission of electric
energy in interstate commerce with utilities located in PJM and/or
VEPCO in whole or in part, during the period beginning January 16,
1994, at 12:01 a.m. and ending January 22, 1994, at midnight and the
public utility members of PJM and VEPCO must provide the information.
2. Information to report for each hour during the covered period
(individually for all transactions entered into by the public utility
in that hour):
A. Name, address and contact person for the recipient or provider
of the service under OTHER PARTY.
B. The name of the service as found in the FERC Rate Schedule and
FERC Rate Schedule No.
C. The rates on file for the service provided (i.e., an energy
charge of 110% of seller's incremental cost and a demand charge of up
to 7 mills/kWh) and the rates actually charged for the service (i.g.,
an energy charge of 44 mills/kWh and a demand charge of 6 mills/kWh).
If the rate on file is a split the savings rate, give the seller's
incremental cost and the buyer's decremental cost in addition to the
rate actually charged.
D. The MW of the transaction if billed in MW and the MWh sold in
each hour for all transactions.
E. Your system load in each hour.
F. Any explanatory information including information regarding
transactions which could not be scheduled.
G. The original and two copies of the information requested.
Hourly Transaction Report of________ (Utilities Name)
[Date__________]
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Name of Rates for service on file Actual rates charged
Other party service as FERC rate ------------------------------------------------------------ Your
Hour beginning provider--P listed in schedule MW MWH system
recipient--R rate No. Demand Energy Other Demand Energy Other load in
schedule the hour
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Notes: List all transactions occurring in each hour, if a transaction encompasses more than one hour report all data for each hour. If you sold power or
provided transmission service to the OTHER PARTY place a (P) before the OTHER PARTY name, if you purchased power or received transmission service from
the OTHER PARTY place an (R) before the OTHER PARTY name. With respect to the ``OTHER'' column under RATES FOR SERVICE ON FILE and ACTUAL RATES
CHARGED, describe the charges, if any, in a footnote. RATES FOR SERVICE ON FILE are the rates or rate ceilings in the rate schedule on file, ACTUAL
RATES CHARGED are the actual rates in $/kWh, $/kW/day, $/kW/week, $/kW/month as shown on the bills.
[FR Doc. 94-2186 Filed 1-31-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M
