Standard Announcements: Revised definition of ‘protection system’ in NERC PRC-005-1 soon to be approved

TULSA, Oklahoma-November 2010--On November 19th, 2010, the new 'protection system' definition (PRC-005-1) drafted and voted on by industry will be presented to the NERC Board of Trustees for approval. Once endorsed, the definition is placed in a ‘pending’ status for filing with FERC. The major change will be the inclusion of battery chargers within the ‘protection system’ definition.

This clarified definition has been posted on the NERC website for balloting over the past months. As of 11/11/2010, the approval rating is 89.41%.

The new definition reads as following:
Protection System –

• Protective relays which respond to electrical quantities,
  
• Communications systems necessary for correct operation of protective functions,
  
• Voltage and current sensing devices providing inputs to protective relays,
  
• Station dc supply associated with protective functions (including station batteries, battery chargers, and non-battery-based dc supply), and
  
• Control circuitry associated with protective functions through the trip coil(s) of the circuit breakers or other interrupting devices.

What do Utilities needs to prepare for? Distribution Providers, Transmission Owners, and Generator Owners will be required to modify their protection system maintenance and testing programs.* This will include re-working descriptions within testing & maintenance basis documents required for PRC 005-1. The alterations must occur by the first day of the calendar quarter twelve months after FERC has filed the new definition. Utilities will be required to show compliance with the changes made by the first complete maintenance and testing cycle. Also, after the definition change, testing events for battery chargers must be well documented if they aren’t already.

Review the implementation document for the new Definition on the NERC site here:
Project_2007-17_Implementation_Plan_for_Revised_Definition_clean_20101028.pdf

What’s next? It may not be much longer before the standard for PRC 005-2 takes the place of PRC 005-01. This standard will roll PRC 005-1, PRC 008, PRC 011, and PRC 017 all into one standard. To help the industry achieve reliability, this standard will incorporate maximum test intervals, and minimum activities required for maintenance and testing procedures. This draft has been evolving into shape since 2007 pending FERC order 693 mandating the changes to require maximum test intervals and minimum activities. The standard draft for PRC 005-2 is now on the NERC website for balloting from the industry. While FERC/ NERC regulations change, ENOSERV will continue to bring you news and evolve our products to fit the needs for Compliance.

* Implementation Plan for Definition as stated on the NERC website

Learn More About ENOSERV Software Products...