Tim Reynolds Reliability Vulnerability Staff Specialist

1. Tim ReynoldsReliability Vulnerability Staff Specialist 2013 Operational Practices Survey October 16, 2013 DEWG/EMSWG Joint Meeting

2. 2013 Operational Practices SurveyBackground • Part of WECC response to September 8, 2011 outage report • Voluntary and confidential survey • Objective • Identify operational processes, best practices and areas of concern • Compare across years

3. 2013 Operational Practices SurveyResponse • Issued to 280 registered entities • BAs, TOs, TOPs, GOs, GOPs, TPs, and PCs • Respondents represent • 88% WECC Load • 81% of the Total Transmission Miles • Response rates • 100% of PCs • > 80% of BAs, TOs, TOPs, and TPs • Approximately 60% of GOs and GOPs

4. 2013 Operational Practices Survey Focus • Six Sections • Next Day Studies • Seasonal Studies • Situational Awareness • Protection Systems • Angular Separation • Other (Additional Operational Issues Related to Reliability)

5. Questions 39 • Have you reviewed the “WECC Guideline for WECC Operations Network Node: Responsibilities and Procedures” that was approved by the Operations Committee in February 2013? • 41 Responses • 38 have reviewed it • 9 have not implemented it For those that said “No”: There was no comment Were still evaluating it to see what sort of cost it will be for the company.

6. Question 40 • Have you reviewed the “WECC Real-time Tools Guideline” approved by the OC in February 2013? • 41 Responses • 37 have reviewed it • 16 have not implemented it For those that responded “No”: There was no comment They don't have real-time tools Are in the process of implementing it, or should be finished between the years 2013-2015

7. Going Forward • Following up with remaining TOPs • Preparing 2014 Survey – Should we include the questions again? • Performance Reports

8. Performance Reports • Snapshot of entity responses • Confidential • Provide view of entity performance relative to other responding entities

9. Operational Practices Survey Entity Performance Report Performance by Category ABC Utility (ABCU) Survey Point of Contact: Jane Volt Registered Functions: BA, GO, GOP, TO, TOP, TP Overall performance based on survey responses • Strengths: • Sharing of next-day studies internally with power dispatchers, load office staff, transmission planning, substation operations supervisors, and relay technicians • Coordination with neighboring entities on next-day studies. • Opportunities for Improvement: • Evaluate RC Studies more frequently than on an undefined intermittent basis • Identify and implement a process on how sub- 100 kV elements will be monitored in contingency analyses This Progress Report is intended solely for the entity referenced and contains confidential information. Access to this Progress Report by anyone else, unless expressly approved by the intended entity, is unauthorized. If you are not an authorized agent of the intended recipient(s), or the employee or agent of WECC responsible for delivery of this Progress Report, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this Progress Report is strictly prohibited.

10. Next Day Studies • Strengths: • Use of stressed system conditions in next-day studies • Sharing of the Operations Planning Document with power dispatchers, load office staff, transmission planning, substation operations supervisors, relay technicians, and others • Opportunities for Improvement: • Develop an internal process to validate projected loads and generation to actual numbers • Evaluate RC Studies more frequently than on an undefined intermittent basis • Seasonal Studies: • Strengths: • Participation in ColumbiaGridprocess to create seasonal scenarios that represent the most stressed conditions for the Northwest region • Consideration of relay settings in seasonal studies • Opportunities for Improvement: • Identify and implement a process on how sub 100 kV elements will be monitored in the contingency analysis • Develop an internal process to validate projected loads and generation to actual numbers • Situational Awareness • Strengths: • Use of External Systems in real-time tools • Implementation of the “WECC Real-Time Tools Guideline” • Opportunities for Improvement: • Develop a process to regularly monitor external contingencies that potentially have an impact on PSE facilities • Protection Systems • Strengths: • Sharing of overload relay trip settings with the WECC RC and neighboring TOPs • Regular review of RAS and SPS every 1-5 years • Opportunities for Improvement: • Perform a study on the sensitivity of the acceleration control functions in turbine control functions • Angular Separation • Strengths: • Real-time determination of phase angles • Existing plans for reducing angles to within synchro-check relay settings • Opportunities for Improvement: • Develop plans to check Sync Check relays on transmission lines • Other: • Strengths: • Utilization of the RC tools and continuing effort to discover and use new features • Opportunities for Improvement: • Review the April 16, 2013 NERC Alert sabotage event • Develop plans to use Synchrophasordata

11. Tim Reynolds Reliability Vulnerabilities Specialist treynolds@wecc.biz Questions?