Reliability Standards for Frequency and Voltage Protection Settings and Ride-Through for Inverter-Based Resources

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY <SUBAGY>Federal Energy Regulatory Commission</SUBAGY> <CFR>18 CFR Part 40</CFR> <DEPDOC>[Docket No. RM25-3-000]</DEPDOC> <SUBJECT>Reliability Standards for Frequency and Voltage Protection Settings and Ride-Through for Inverter-Based Resources</SUBJECT> <HD SOURCE="HED">AGENCY:</HD> Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. <HD SOURCE="HED">ACTION:</HD> Notice of proposed rulemaking. <SUM> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUMMARY:</HD> The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) proposes to approve proposed Reliability Standards PRC-024-4 (Frequency and Voltage Protection Settings for Synchronous Generators, Type 1 and Type 2 Wind Resources, and Synchronous Condensers) and PRC-029-1 (Frequency and Voltage Ride-through Requirements for Inverter-Based Resources), which the North American Electric Reliability Corporation submitted in response to Commission directives. The Commission seeks comments on all aspects of the proposed approval. </SUM> <EFFDATE> <HD SOURCE="HED">DATES:</HD> Comments are due March 24, 2025. </EFFDATE> <HD SOURCE="HED">ADDRESSES:</HD> Comments, identified by docket number, may be filed in the following ways. Electronic filing through <E T="03">http://www.ferc.gov,</E> is preferred. • <E T="03">Electronic Filing:</E> Documents must be filed in acceptable native applications and print-to-PDF, but not in scanned or picture format. • For those unable to file electronically, comments may be filed by USPS mail or by hand (including courier) delivery. ○ <E T="03">Mail via U.S. Postal Service Only:</E> Addressed to: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20426. ○ <E T="03">Hand (including courier) delivery:</E> Deliver to: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852. <FURINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:</HD> <FP SOURCE="FP-1"> Syed Ahmad (Technical Information), Office of Electric Reliability, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502 8718, <E T="03">Syed.Ahmad@ferc.gov</E> </FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1"> Boris Voynik (Technical Information), Office of Electric Reliability, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502 8902, <E T="03">Boris.Voynik@ferc.gov</E> </FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1"> Felicia West (Legal Information), Office of General Counsel, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502 8948, <E T="03">Felicia.West@ferc.gov</E> </FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1"> Hampden T. Macbeth (Legal Information), Office of General Counsel, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502 8957, <E T="03">Hampden.Macbeth@ferc.gov</E> </FP> </FURINF> <SUPLINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:</HD> 1. Pursuant to section 215(d)(2) of the Federal Power Act (FPA), <SU>1</SU> <FTREF/> the Commission proposes to approve the addition of the newly defined term “Ride-through” to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Glossary of Terms and to approve the proposed Protection and Control (PRC) Reliability Standards PRC-024-4 (Frequency and Voltage Protection Settings for Synchronous Generators, Type 1 and Type 2 Wind Resources, and Synchronous Condensers)  <SU>2</SU> <FTREF/> and PRC-029-1 (Frequency and Voltage Ride-through Requirements for Inverter-Based Resources (IBR)). We also propose to approve the associated violation risk factors, violation severity levels, implementation plans, and effective dates for proposed Reliability Standards PRC-024-4 and PRC-029-1, as well as to approve the retirement of currently effective Reliability Standard PRC-024-3. <FTNT> <SU>1</SU>  16 U.S.C. 824o(d)(2). </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>2</SU>  Type 1 and type 2 wind resources are not inverter-based wind turbine generators. Rather, type 1 and type 2 wind resources rely on passive induction generators with limited ability to control active power, reactive power, or voltage. NERC, <E T="03">Reliability Guideline: Power Plant Model Verification for Inverter-Based Resources,</E> vii, ix (Sept. 2018), <E T="03">https://www.nerc.com/comm/RSTC_Reliability_Guidelines/PPMV_for_Inverter-Based_Resources.pdf.</E> </FTNT> 2. In Order No. 901, the Commission directed NERC to develop new or modified Reliability Standards addressing, among other things, reliability gaps associated with IBRs tripping or entering momentary cessation in aggregate. <SU>3</SU> <FTREF/> Specifically, Order No. 901 directed NERC to submit by November 4, 2024 new or modified Reliability Standards that establish IBR performance requirements, including requirements addressing frequency and voltage ride through, post disturbance ramp rates, phase lock loop synchronization, and other known causes of IBR tripping or momentary cessation. <SU>4</SU> <FTREF/> <FTNT> <SU>3</SU>   <E T="03">Reliability Standards to Address Inverter-Based Resources,</E> Order No. 901, 88 FR 74250 (Oct. 30, 2023), 185 FERC ¶ 61,042 (2023). </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>4</SU>   <E T="03">Id.</E> PP 7, 56, 190, 229. </FTNT> 3. NERC submitted the proposed Reliability Standards in response to Commission directives in Order No. 901. <SU>5</SU> <FTREF/> The purpose of proposed Reliability Standard PRC-024-4 “is to ensure that protection of synchronous generators, type 1 and type 2 wind resources, and synchronous condensers do not cause tripping during defined frequency and voltage excursions in support” of the Bulk-Power System.”  <SU>6</SU> <FTREF/> The purpose of proposed Reliability Standard PRC-029-1 is to “ensure that IBRs Ride-through disturbances to support the Bulk-Power System . . . during and after defined frequency and voltage excursions.”  <SU>7</SU> <FTREF/> We seek comments on all aspects of the proposed approvals. <FTNT> <SU>5</SU>   <E T="03">See generally supra</E> n.3. </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>6</SU>  NERC Petition at 51. </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>7</SU>   <E T="03">Id.</E> at 24. The Bulk-Power System is defined in the FPA as facilities and control systems necessary for operating an interconnected electric energy transmission network (or any portion thereof); and electric energy from generating facilities needed to maintain transmission system reliability. The term does not include facilities used in the local distribution of electric energy. 16 U.S.C. 824o(a)(1). </FTNT> 4. We propose to find that proposed Reliability Standards PRC-024-4 and PRC-029-1 are consistent with and responsive to applicable directives in Order No. 901 in requiring generator owners of IBRs to ride through frequency and voltage excursions, such as a fault on the transmission or sub-transmission system. 5. In addition, we propose to direct NERC to develop and submit two informational filings 12 months and 24 months after the conclusion of NERC's proposed 12-month exemption request period for existing IBRs. Proposed Reliability Standard PRC-029-1 includes a provision that allows existing IBRs that are already in operation when proposed Reliability Standard PRC-029-1 goes into effect (legacy IBRs) to obtain an exemption to the voltage and frequency Ride-through requirements if hardware replacements would be necessary to comply. The Commission seeks to understand the volume of exemptions, the circumstances in which entities have invoked the exemption provision, and ultimately to understand what if any effect the exemption provision has on the efficacy of Reliability Standard PRC-029-1. Therefore, we propose to direct that NERC submit two informational filings that provide details on requested exemptions from generator owners of legacy IBRs for frequency and/or voltage Ride-through requirements. <HD SOURCE="HD1">I. Background</HD> <HD SOURCE="HD2">A. Section 215 and Mandatory Reliability Standards</HD> 6. Section 215 of the FPA provides that the Commission may certify an Electric Reliability Organization (ERO), the purpose of which is to develop mandatory and enforceable Reliability Standards, subject to Commission review and approval. <SU>8</SU> <FTREF/> Reliability Standards may be enforced by the ERO, subject to Commission oversight, or by the Commission independently. <SU>9</SU> <FTREF/> Pursuant to section 215 of the FPA, the Commission established a process to select and certify an ERO, <SU>10</SU> <FTREF/> and subsequently certified NERC. <SU>11</SU> <FTREF/> <FTNT> <SU>8</SU>  16 U.S.C. 824o(c). </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>9</SU>   <E T="03">Id.</E> 824o(e). </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>10</SU>   <E T="03">Rules Concerning Certification of the Elec. Reliability Org.; & Procs. for the Establishment, Approval, & Enforcement of Elec. Reliability Standards,</E> Order No. 672, 114 FERC ¶ 61,104, <E T="03">order on reh'g,</E> Order No. 672-A, 114 FERC ¶ 61,328 (2006); <E T="03">see also</E> 18 CFR 39.4(b) (2024). </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>11</SU>   <E T="03">N. Am. Elec. Reliability Corp.,</E> 116 FERC ¶ 61,062, <E T="03">order on reh'g & compliance,</E> 117 FERC ¶ 61,126 (2006), <E T="03">aff'd sub nom. Alcoa, Inc.</E> v. <E T="03">FERC,</E> 564 F.3d 1342 (D.C. Cir. 2009). </FTNT> <HD SOURCE="HD2">B. Order No. 901</HD> 7. In Order No. 901, the Commission explained, among other things, that the majority of installed IBRs use grid-following inverters, which can track grid state parameters ( <E T="03">e.g.,</E> voltage angle) in milliseconds and react nearly instantaneously to changing grid conditions. <SU>12</SU> <FTREF/> The Commission then explained that, as found by multiple NERC reports, <SU>13</SU> <FTREF/> some IBRs “are not configured or programmed to support grid voltage and frequency in the event of a system disturbance, and, as a result, will reduce power ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Preview showing 10k of 57k characters. Full document text is stored and available for version comparison. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━