Ohio Administrative Code
Title 4901:1 - Utilities
Chapter 4901:1-22 - Interconnection Services
Section 4901:1-22-09 - Scoping meeting and interconnection studies
Universal Citation: OH Admin Code 4901:1-22-09
Current through all regulations passed and filed through December 11, 2023
(A) Scoping meeting
(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 pre-application 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.
(B) Queuing
(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.
(C) Interconnection study requirements
(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:
(a) A target date for completion of
the study.
(b) A provision to share the results of the
study by the EDU with the applicant.
(c) A clear explanation of all estimated
charges.
(d) A good faith estimate
of the total number of hours needed to complete the study.
(e) An estimate of the total interconnection
study fee.
(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. The EDU must allow the applicant thirty business days to cure the
reasons for denial while the applicant's position in the queue is
maintained.
(D) The feasibility study
(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:
(a) An outline of the scope of the
study.
(b) A non-binding good faith
estimate of the cost to perform the study.
(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:
(a) Initial identification of any circuit
breaker short circuit capability limits exceeded as a result of the
interconnection.
(b) Initial
identification of any thermal overload or voltage limit violations resulting
from the interconnection.
(c)
Initial review of grounding requirements and system protection.
(d) A description and nonbinding estimated
cost of facilities required to interconnect the distributed generation facility
to the EDU's system in a safe and reliable manner.
(3) When an applicant requests that the
feasibility study evaluate multiple potential points of interconnection,
additional evaluations may be required.
(4) The actual cost of the EDU's additional
evaluations shall be paid by the applicant.
(E) The system impact study
(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 required.
(3) A system impact study shall evaluate the
impact of the proposed interconnection on the safety and reliability of the
EDU's system. The study shall:
(a) Identify
and detail the system impacts that result when a
DER is interconnected without project or system
modifications.
(b) Consider the
adverse system impacts identified in the feasibility study, or potential
impacts including those identified in the scoping meeting.
(c) Consider all
DERs that, on the date the system impact study is
commenced, are directly interconnected with the EDU's system.
(d) Consider the
impact of pending
higher-queued
interconnection applications to the system as
well as the position of
facilities having a signed
interconnection agreement that are not yet
online.
(4) A
system impact study performed by the EDU shall consider the following criteria:
(a) A load flow study.
(b) A short circuit analysis.
(c) A stability analysis.
(d) Voltage drop and flicker
studies.
(e) Protection and set
point coordination studies.
(f)
Grounding reviews.
(5)
The EDU shall state the underlying assumptions of the study and show the
results of the analyses to the applicant, including the following:
(a) Any potential impediments to providing
the requested interconnection service.
(b) Any required distribution system upgrades
and a nonbinding good faith
estimate of cost and time to construct the system upgrades.
(F) The facilities study
(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:
(a) An outline of the scope of the
study.
(b) A nonbinding good faith
estimate of the cost to perform the facilities
study to cover the cost of the equipment, engineering, procurement and
construction work, including overheads, needed to implement the conclusions of
the feasibility study and/or the system impact study to interconnect the
DER.
(4) The facilities study shall identify all
of the following:
(a) The electrical switching
configuration of the equipment, including transformer, switchgear, meters, and
other station equipment.
(b) The
nature and estimated cost of the EDU's interconnection facilities and
distribution upgrades necessary to accomplish the interconnection.
(c) An estimate of the time required to
complete the construction and installation of such facilities.
(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:
(a) The EDU may review the
facilities to be designed and constructed by a third party under provisions
included in the facilities study agreement for that purpose.
(b) The applicant and the third party
separately arranging for design and construction agree to comply with security
and confidentiality requirements.
(c) The EDU shall provide the applicant with
all relevant information and required specifications,
including make and/or model of equipment where necessary, available to
permit the applicant to obtain an independent design and cost estimate for the
facilities, which must be built in accordance with the
specifications.
Effective:
6/1/2022
Five Year Review (FYR) Dates:
2/24/2022 and
05/03/2027
Promulgated
Under:
111.15
Statutory Authority: R.C.
4928.06
Rule Amplifies: R.C.
4928.11
Prior Effective Dates: 10/22/2007,
07/10/2014
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