Nevada Administrative Code
Chapter 704 - Regulation of Public Utilities Generally
Section 704.Sec. 7 - NEW
Universal Citation: NV Admin Code 704.Sec. 7
Current through December 12, 2024
1. An electric utility shall, on or before March 1, 2020, and on or before March 1 of every third year thereafter, submit a natural disaster protection plan to the Commission. Two or more electric utilities that are affiliated through common ownership and that have an interconnected system for the transmission of electricity may submit a joint natural disaster protection plan. A natural disaster protection plan may be an amended version of a previous plan.
2. An electric utility shall include in its natural disaster protection plan all of the following information:
(a) A description and analysis of a
risk-based approach used by the electric utility to identify areas within the
service territory of the electric utility that are prone to different types of
natural disasters and an identification of potential threats in the foreseeable
future, including, without limitation, an identification of areas within the
service territory of the electric utility that are subject to a heightened
threat of a fire or other natural disaster.
(b) A description and analysis of the
preventive strategies and programs, including, without limitation, operational
practices, inspections and corrections, and system hardening that the electric
utility will adopt to minimize the risk of its electric lines and equipment
causing catastrophic wildfires. In determining which preventive strategies and
programs to include in the description required by this paragraph, the electric
utility shall consider dynamic climate change and other natural disaster
risks.
(c) A description of the
metrics that the electric utility plans to use to evaluate the performance of
the natural disaster protection plan and the assumptions underlying the use of
those metrics.
(d) The threshold
criteria for the de-energization of portions of the distribution and
transmission system of the electric utility due to a natural disaster that
considers the associated impacts on public safety and costs to
ratepayers.
(e) The protocols that
the electric utility plans to use:
(1) For
disabling reclosers and de-energizing portions of the distribution and
transmission system of the electric utility that considers the associated
impacts on public safety; and
(2)
To mitigate the public safety impacts of the protocols described in
subparagraph (1), including, without limitation, impacts on critical first
responders and on health and communication infrastructure.
(f) A description of the procedures the
electric utility intends to use to restore its distribution and transmission
systems in the event of the de-energization of those systems or a portion of
those systems.
(g) A communication
plan related to public safety outage management, which includes, without
limitation, communication plans specific to customers, stakeholders and
communication infrastructure providers. Before filing a natural disaster
protection plan, each electric utility shall meet with communication
infrastructure providers in an effort to develop a mutually agreeable plan for
public safety outage management notification timelines, protocols and
format.
(h) A description of the
standard for vegetation management to be used by the electric utility and, if
that standard exceeds any other standard for vegetation management required by
any applicable statute or regulation, a description of how and why the standard
exceeds those requirements.
(i) A
description of the standard for patrols and detailed inspections of electric
utility infrastructure and, if that standard exceeds any other standard for
such patrols and inspections required by any applicable statute or regulation,
a description of how and why the standard exceeds those requirements.
(j) A description of the actions that the
electric utility will take to ensure that its system will achieve a reasonable
level of safety, reliability and resiliency and to ensure that its system is
prepared for a natural disaster, including, without limitation, vegetation
management, patrols, inspections, testing, and hardening and modernizing its
infrastructure with improved engineering, system design, standards, equipment
and facilities, such as undergrounding, insulation of distribution wires, pole
replacement and other measures. An electric utility shall use prudent practices
commonly used in the electric utility industry for utility design, operating
practices and telecommunications to prevent its infrastructure from causing a
fire and to maintain resiliency during a natural disaster.
(k) An explanation that the electric utility
has an adequately sized and trained workforce to execute the natural disaster
protection plan and promptly restore service after a major event, taking into
account employees of other utilities available to the electric utility pursuant
to mutual aid agreements and employees of entities with which the electric
utility has entered into contracts.
(l) A description of how the natural disaster
protection plan is consistent with the emergency response plan submitted by the
electric utility pursuant to
NRS
239C.270.
(m) A description of the processes and
procedures that the electric utility will use to monitor and audit the
implementation of the natural disaster protection plan and to take actions, as
soon as practicable, to correct any deficiency that is identified.
(n) A description of the participation of the
electric utility, including, without limitation, any commitments made, in any
community wildfire protection plans, as defined in
16 U.S.C. §
6511, established in this State.
(o) An identification of any element of the
natural disaster protection plan that is incremental to the normal course of
business of the electric utility.
3. For each element that an electric utility is required by subsection 2 to include in its natural disaster protection plan, the electric utility shall include in its natural disaster protection plan:
(a) An identification of how the element is
expected to reduce:
(1) Ignition events in
high fire risk areas and extreme fire risk areas during critical fire weather
conditions; and
(2) Equipment
damage and loss of power caused by a natural disaster;
(b) A cost-benefit analysis for the element
that measures the reduction in the risk of natural disaster resulting from the
implementation of the element; and
(c) The input relating to the element that
has been provided by:
(1) Each fire protection
district in the service territory of the electric utility that is covered by
the plan;
(2) The office of
emergency management for each county covered by the plan;
(3) The Division of Forestry, Division of
State Lands and Division of State Parks of the State Department of Conservation
and Natural Resources; and
(4) The
Division of Emergency Management of the Office of the Military.
4. In addition to the information that an electric utility is required by subsections 2 and 3 to include in its natural disaster protection plan, the electric utility shall include in its natural disaster protection plan:
(a) A summary of the projected 3-year budget
for the natural disaster protection plan, an identification of the projected
cost elements of the plan and the projected cost for each element that the
electric utility is required by subsection 2 to include in the plan;
(b) The projected costs, including, without
limitation, supporting documentation and analysis, of any element of the
natural disaster protection plan that is incremental to the normal course of
business of the electric utility;
(c) The projected impact of the elements of
the plan on rates;
(d) If two or
more electric utilities submit a joint natural disaster protection plan, the
proposed allocation of the costs identified in paragraph (b) between the
service territories of the electric utilities, consistent with the requirements
for the allocation of such costs pursuant to subsection 3 or 5, as applicable,
of section 12 of LCB File No. R085-19; and
(e) Annual data tracking trends associated
with:
(1) Ignition events, separated for
ignition events:
(I) During critical fire
weather conditions and during all other days in high and extreme risk fire
areas; and
(II) The involvement of
transmission or distribution infrastructure; and
(2) Equipment damage and loss of power caused
by natural disasters.
Added to NAC by Bd. of Exam'rs for Marriage & Fam. Therapists by R085-19A, eff. 2/20/2020; A by R181-24A, eff. 11/15/2024
NRS 703.025, 704.210, 704.7983
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