Oregon Administrative Rules
Chapter 860 - PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION
Division 84 - SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC PROGRAMS
Section 860-084-0330 - Level 3 System Interconnection Review

(1) The electric company must apply the Level 3 review procedure for an application to interconnect an eligible system that meets the following criteria:

(2) Following receipt of a Level 3 application and within three business days of a request from the applicant, the electric company must provide pertinent information to the applicant, such as the available fault current at the proposed interconnection location, the existing peak loading on the lines in the general vicinity of the eligible system, and the configuration of the distribution lines at the proposed point of common coupling.

(3) Within seven business days after receiving a complete application for Level 3 interconnection review, the electric company must conduct an impact study which will include a non-binding, good faith cost estimate. The impact study must be conducted in accordance with good utility practice and must:

(4) The electric company must complete the impact study and must notify the applicant within 30 calendar days of one of the following results:

(5) If the proposed interconnection may affect electric transmission or delivery systems other than those controlled by the electric company, operators of those other systems may require additional studies to determine the potential impact of the interconnection on those systems. If such additional studies are required, the electric company must coordinate the studies but is not responsible for their timing.

(6) If an applicant requests a facilities study under subsection (4)(b), the electric company must provide an interconnection facilities study agreement. The interconnection facilities study agreement must describe the work to be undertaken in the interconnection facilities study and must include a non-binding, good faith estimate of the cost to the applicant for completion of the study. Upon the execution by the applicant of the interconnection facilities study agreement, the electric company will conduct an interconnection facilities study to identify the facilities necessary to safely interconnect the eligible system with the electric company's electric distribution system, and to propose a non-binding, good faith estimate of the cost of those facilities and the time required to build and install those facilities.

(7) Upon completion of an interconnection facilities study, the electric company must provide the applicant with the results of the study and an executable interconnection agreement. The agreement must list the conditions and facilities necessary for the eligible system to safely interconnect with the electric company's electric distribution system, and must include a non-binding, good faith estimate of the cost of those facilities and the estimated time required to build and install those facilities.

(8) If the applicant wishes to interconnect, it must execute the interconnection agreement and return it to the electric company at least 10 business days prior to starting operation of the eligible system (unless the electric company does not so require), pay a deposit of not more than 50 percent of the estimated cost of the facilities identified in the interconnection facilities study, complete installation of the eligible system, and agree to pay the public utility the actual installed cost of the facilities needed to interconnect as identified in the interconnection facilities study.

(9) Within 15 business days after notice from the applicant that the eligible system has been installed, the electric company must inspect the eligible system and must arrange to witness any commissioning tests required under IEEE standards. The electric company and the applicant must select a date by mutual agreement for the electric company to witness commissioning tests.

(10) If the eligible system satisfactorily passes required commissioning tests, if any, the electric company must notify the applicant in writing, within three business days after the tests, of one of the following:

(11) If the commissioning tests are not satisfactory, the applicant must repair or replace the unsatisfactory equipment to reschedule a commissioning test.