Department of Energy June 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Desert Southwest Region (DSW) of the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) proposes new formula rates for firm and nonfirm point-to-point (P2P) and network integration (Network) transmission service. DSW also proposes to revise the existing formula rates for Parker-Davis Project (PDP) firm electric service (FES) and firm transmission service of Salt Lake City Area/Integrated Projects (SLCA/ IP) power. The proposed new formula rates and revisions to existing formula rates would combine the transmission service rates of the Central Arizona Project (CAP), the southern portion of the Pacific Northwest-Pacific Southwest Intertie Project (Intertie), and PDP; and the facilities use charge for the Electrical District No. 5 to Palo Verde Hub Project (ED5-PVH). DSW's proposed formula rates will be effective January 1, 2024, through September 30, 2028. Publication of this Federal Register notice begins the formal process for the proposed formula rates.

This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Savannah River Site. The Federal Advisory Committee Act requires that public notice of this meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has submitted an information collection request to the OMB for extension under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The information collection requests a three-year extension of its Financial Assistance Information Collection, OMB Control Number 1910-0400. This information collection request covers information necessary to administer and manage DOE's financial assistance programs.

Elektron Power LLC (the Applicant or Elektron) has applied for authorization to transmit electric energy from the United States to Mexico pursuant to the Federal Power Act.

Direct Energy Business Marketing, LLC (the Applicant or DEBM) has applied for authorization to transmit electric energy from the United States to Mexico pursuant to the Federal Power Act.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) is adopting a reporting requirement to direct transmission providers to file one-time informational reports describing their current or planned policies and processes for conducting extreme weather vulnerability assessments. The Commission defines an extreme weather vulnerability assessment as any analysis that identifies where and under what conditions jurisdictional transmission assets and operations are at risk from the impacts of extreme weather events, how those risks will manifest themselves, and what the consequences will be for system operations. Specifically, the Commission requires transmission providers to file a one-time informational report on whether, and if so how, they establish a scope, develop inputs, identify vulnerabilities and exposure to extreme weather hazards, and estimate the costs of impacts in their extreme weather vulnerability assessments, as well as how they use the results of those assessments to develop risk mitigation measures.

On May 15, 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE or the Department) announced the availability of a Notice of Intent and Request for Information for the Designation of National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors (NIETC) Program pursuant to the Federal Power Act (FPA). The Notice of Intent and Request for Information provided a comment period deadline for submitting written comments and information by June 29, 2023. The Department received a request from the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) seeking a 30-day extension of the public comment period. DOE has reviewed this request and is granting an extension of the public comment period for 32 days to allow public comments to be submitted on or before July 31, 2023.

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.

Pursuant to section 206 of the Federal Power Act, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission amends its regulations to require that regional transmission organizations and independent system operators have tariff provisions that permit credit-related information sharing in organized wholesale electric markets to ensure that credit practices in those markets result in jurisdictional rates that are just and reasonable.