1. WECC Schedulers Conference
NEVP and SPPC Balancing Area Integration
WECC Schedulers Conference
May 15, 2014
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2. Corporate Structure:
NV Energy, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy Holdings Company
Acquisition completed in late December 2013
NV Energy’s chief operating subsidiaries are each d/b/a NV Energy:
Nevada Power Company (“NEVP”) ~ 6600 MW Peak BA Load
Sierra Pacific Power Company (“SPPC”) ~ 2200 MW Peak BA Load
NV Energy’s subsidiary utilities together serve approximately 1.2 million electric customers.
Operating Revenue:$11.5 billion
Total Assets:$52 billion
Customers (total electric and natural gas):7.1 million
Electric:6.4 million Natural Gas:0.7 million
Total Generation Capacity: More than 23,500 megawatts (owned and contracted)
Total Electricity Distributed:117 billion kilowatt-hours
Total Natural Gas Supplied:1.96 billion decatherms
Electricity Transmission and Distribution Lines:178,000 miles
Natural Gas Transmission and Distribution Pipelines:39,000 miles
Natural Gas Transmission Pipeline Design Capacity: Approximately 7.7 billion cubic feet per day in-service
Total Employees:16,000
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4. Transmission System Statistics Voltage Level Number of Lines
Total Mileage
500 kV 10
403 miles
345 kV 16
991 miles
230 kV 44
1206 miles
120/138 kV
189
1843 miles
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5. Control Centers
Each Entity maintains a Primary and Backup Control Center for the performance of TOP and Distribution Operations functions.
NEVP T&D Control Center Operations moved to a new primary Control Center (Beltway Complex) in late The Backup Control Center moved from the main corporate office to the Ryan Center in North Las Vegas.
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6. Control Center Functions
BA Functions
The NEVP and SPPC Balancing Authority Area Operations have been performed in the Reno Primary Control Center since 2005 and include the following services:
Load/Generation Balancing
Power Flow Control (Directs TOP to Operate Flow Control Devices)
Frequency Response
Time Error Correction
Automatic Generation Control
Inadvertent Interchange Management
Demand Side Load Management
No additional personnel were required for the recent BA integration.
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7. Control Center Functions (continued):
TOP Functions
NEVP and SPPC Transmission Operation functions are performed in the respective Control Centers and include:
Real-time Monitoring of Transmission System, Load Trends.
Management of Reactive Power and Voltage Schedules
Real-time Monitoring of System Operating Limits
Monitor Protective Relays Systems and Under Frequency Load Shedding
Outage Coordination (dedicated staff position)
Transmission & Sub-Transmission Switching
No Changes due to NEVP BA integration.
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8. Control Center Functions (continued):
Interchange Functions – conducted in Reno control center for NEVP:
Transmission Reservations
Transmission Scheduling
OASIS Management
ATC
Standards of Conduct
Outage Notification/Posting
Real-time Transaction Scheduling
No Functional Changes due to NEVP BA integration
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9. Balancing Services Provided
Effective 1/1/2014 NEVP, as a Balancing Authority, regulates for:
Lincoln County Power District
Overton Power District
Valley Electric Association (NNSS Only)
Colorado River Commission
Truckee Donner Public Utility District
City of Fallon
Mt Wheeler Power
Barrick Goldstrike Mines
Wells Rural Electric Association
Harney Electric
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10. Transmission Interconnection
500kV Interconnecting transmission line completed construction in late November with commissioning of all substation equipment completed in December 2013.
“One Nevada Line” - ON Line stretches from the new Robinson Summit station in eastern Nevada to the existing southern Nevada Harry Allen station – referred to operationally as the “HA-RBS 500kV Line”
12 Month delay in commissioning due to tower design issues.
Connection allows consolidated BA operation for the two entities
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11. The BA's mission is to maintain the balance between loads and resources in real time within its BA Area by keeping its actual interchange equal to its scheduled interchange and meeting its frequency bias obligation.
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12. Consolidation Activities
Cross Functional team representing BA, EMS, Interchange Scheduling, Outage Coordination and Network Engineering began work in early 2013 according to a managed work plan. (See following slides)
Coordination meetings with impacted neighboring BA’s and RC including Bi-weekly and weekly meetings to ensure readiness.
Reliability Coordination provided by Loveland Peak RC
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14. NEVP Control Center utilizes an OSI Energy Management System (EMS) to perform Balancing Authority functions and tasks, including:
monitoring actual and scheduled interchange,
calculating ACE;
calculating CPS1 and CPS2;
determining Balancing Area Ace Limit (BAAL)
NEVP is a participant in the long-standing field trial
calculating DCS;
Cooperation with Northwest Power Pool
monitoring frequency; and
monitoring and requesting contingency reserves.
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15. The BA operates within the metered boundaries that establish the BA Area. Every generator, transmission facility, and end-use customer is in the defined Balancing Authority Area.
Metered boundaries of the consolidated BA are identical to those that existed prior to consolidation.
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16. NV Energy Interconnection Neighbors
LADWP: Crystal 500 kV (part of EOR P-49)
LADWP: McCullough 230 kV
LADWP: Gonder 230kV
SCE (CAISO BA): Mohave 500 kV
SCE (CAISO BA): Eldorado 230 kV
SCE (CAISO BA): Silver Peak 55kV
PG&E (CAISO BA): Donner Summit 60/120kV
PACE: Red Butte 345 kV
PACE: Gonder 230kV
IPC: Midpoint 345kV
BPA: Hilltop 230kV
WALC: Mead 500, 230 and 69 kV
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17. EMS Consolidation
Energy Management System implemented in November, 2010 consolidated transmission control, monitoring, and modeling into a single, redundant EMS
Prior to November 2013, operated two instances of AGC.
NEVP (South)
SPPC (North)
Beginning in November 2013, third instance of AGC implemented on online EMS.
Third instance of AGC named “NV Energy”
Allows for zonal control during HA – RBS 500kV line outage
Operators trained utilizing online tool during actual operations for nearly two months previous to cutover.
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18. The load-resource balance is measured by the BA's Area Control Error (ACE). NV Energy calculates area control error within the reliability area maintains its ACE within acceptable limits.
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24. NEVP(effective January 1, 2014)
Reserve Sharing:
NEVP(effective January 1, 2014)
Retired as member of the Southwest Reserve Sharing Group.
Became a member of the Northwest Power Pool Reserve Sharing Group.
Automated Reserves are delivered and received at either of the Midpoint, Gonder, or Harry Allen 345kV interfaces.
Manual NWPP Reserves can be delivered at the Hilltop interface
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26. NEVP maintains common restoration plan
NEVP and SPPC provided and received approval for separate restoration and testing plans to the WECC RC previous to the July 2013 Standard implementation.
Provided a combined plan and received approval from the WECC RC by November 2013.
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27. NEVP maintains Loss of Control Center Functionality Plan.
NEVP maintains a redundant EMS at diverse locations.
Operators are trained in the implementation of the plan.
The plan is tested annually
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28. HA-RBS 500kV line and BA Integration
Operator Training: The following training was identified as required, designed, developed, and delivered:
Restoration (Blackstart) Changes due to Consolidation of Balancing Authorities
HA-RBS 500kV line and BA Integration
HA-RBS 500kV Outage DTS Simulation Exercise
Loss of Control Center Functionality Updates
ON-Line Project updates (follow up)
Path 32 Rating Changes
Procedures Classification Updates
Real Power Balancing and Disturbance Control Performance Monitoring (AGC, Must Run, Reserve Sharing)
SEOP for consolidated BA (including manual load shed calculation updates)
Series Compensation and Effects Training and Follow-up Training
WECC COI Remedial Action Scheme and Open Loop
WebAccounting
Operational Changes for Southern Transmission Operators
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29. The CRT noted the following positive aspects that will enhance NEVP’s performance as a BA:
1. Improved Voltage Control in the NEVP Balancing Authority
2. Certified Operator control of one Balancing Authority as opposed to two Certified Operators operating separate Balancing Authorities
3. Coordination that was performed with each adjacent BA
4. Request for suggestions from an entity that previously went through a Review prior to starting the project
5. Commitment that NEVP has to its operators and the tools they have to perform their job function
6. Gantt project chart that holds each project manager responsible for completion of their assigned tasks
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30. Certification Team Determinations Items that Required Completion At the conclusion of the site visit, it was determined that there were no items that required completion prior to the certification review approval of NEVP as a BA. Findings No findings which would prevent NEVP to continue as a NERC-certified BA were identified by the CRT as of the issuance of this Summary Report.
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31. Lessons Learned (not “Mistakes”)
Be aware of USLF programs and implications on schedule curtailments.
Accumulated inadvertent interchange MAY be an issue.
“Zonal” Calculations can be complicated
Be NICE to your neighbors. This change may have as big an effect on them as yourself.
CPS1 and CPS2 reporting calculations.
We may as well change our energy accounting program at the same time!!!
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32. Lessons Learned (not “Mistakes”)
BA integration occurred on January 1, 2014.
NEVP and SPPC audit periods ended in EARLY January. It is “Fun” to include in your RSAW narrative these significant changes to your BAA. We received our 90 day notice on January 7th and 17th.
We had our WECC BA Certification review in late January.
It is possible to shove 10 gallons of “stuff” in a 5 gallon bucket!!!
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