Ohio Administrative Code
Title 4901:1 - Utilities
Chapter 4901:1-22 - Interconnection Services
Section 4901:1-22-09 - Scoping meeting and interconnection studies

(1) A scoping meeting will be held within ten business days after the interconnection application is deemed complete, or as otherwise mutually agreed to by the parties. The EDU and the applicant may bring to the meeting personnel, including system engineers and other resources as may be reasonably required to accomplish the purpose of the meeting.

(2) The purpose of the scoping meeting is to discuss alternative interconnection options, to determine potential points of common coupling, to examine the applicant's proposed generator connection, or to review an applicant's preapplication report or existing studies relevant to the interconnection application. The parties shall further discuss the appropriate interconnection studies required to evaluate the interconnection of the proposed DER to the EDU's system.

(3) The scoping meeting may be waived by mutual agreement if the parties decide to proceed directly to the interconnection studies.

(1) When an interconnection request is complete, the EDU shall assign the application a queue position to establish the order in which the interconnection request will be reviewed in relation to other interconnection requests on the same or nearby sections of the EDU's system.

(2) The queue position of an interconnection request shall be used to determine the cost responsibility necessary for the construction of any facilities to accommodate the interconnection in relation to other interconnection requests on the same or nearby sections of the EDU's system.

(3) The EDU shall notify the applicant at the scoping meeting about other higher-queued applicants.

(1) One or more interconnection studies may be required by the EDU prior to interconnection of a level 3 DER including a feasibility study, a system impact study, and a facilities study.

(2) Each type of study required will include an EDU interconnection tariff fee schedule approved by the commission as set forth in rule 4901:1-22-08 of the Administrative Code.

(3) Each type of study will be the subject of a written study agreement between the applicant and the EDU that includes the following:

(4) A written study agreement may include an alternative provision that allows the required studies related to the interconnection of the DER to be conducted by a qualified third party with the consent of the EDU.

(5) By mutual agreement of the parties, a feasibility study, a system impact study, or a facilities study under level 3 procedures may be waived by the EDU.

(6) When the EDU determines, as a result of the studies conducted under a level 3 review, that it is appropriate to interconnect the DER, the EDU shall provide the applicant with a standard interconnection agreement.

(7) If the interconnection request is denied, the EDU shall provide a written explanation within five business days from the denial. An applicant has thirty business days to cure the reasons for denial while the applicant's position in the queue is maintained.

(1) No later than five business days after the scoping meeting, the EDU shall provide the applicant with a feasibility study agreement in accordance with the EDU's tariff to determine the feasibility of interconnecting the applicant's proposed DER at a particular point on the EDU's system. The feasibility study agreement shall include the following:

(2) A feasibility study shall include the following analyses for the purpose of identifying a potential adverse system impact to the EDU's system that would result from the interconnection:

(3) When an applicant requests that the feasibility study evaluate multiple potential points of interconnection, additional evaluations may be required.

(4) The applicant is responsible for the actual cost of the EDU's additional evaluations .

(1) No later than five business days after the completion of or a waiver of the feasibility study, the EDU shall provide a distribution system impact study agreement to the applicant, using a form of system impact study agreement in accordance with the EDU's tariff that includes an outline of the scope of the study and a nonbinding good faith estimate of the cost to perform the study.

(2) If the feasibility study concludes there is no adverse system impact, or the study identifies an adverse system impact but the EDU is able to identify a remedy, no system impact study is necessary.

(3) A system impact study evaluates the impact of the proposed interconnection on the safety and reliability of the EDU's system. The purpose of the system impact study is to:

(4) A system impact study performed by the EDU shall consider the following criteria:

(5) The EDU shall state the underlying assumptions of the study and show the results of the analyses to the applicant, including the following:

(1) Within five business days of completion of the system impact study, a report will be transmitted by the EDU to the applicant with a facilities study agreement in accordance with the EDU's interconnection tariff.

(2) If the parties agree at the scoping meeting that no system impact study is required, the EDU shall provide to the applicant, no later than five business days after the scoping meeting, a facilities study agreement in accordance with the EDU's interconnection tariff that enables the EDU to determine the interconnection facilities needed to interconnect the applicant's proposed DER at a particular point on the EDU's system.

(3) The facilities study agreement shall include both of the following:

(4) The facilities study shall identify all of the following:

(5) The parties may agree to permit an applicant to separately arrange for a third party to design and construct the required interconnection facilities under the following conditions: