In a series of orders last week, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) focused significant attention on the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), the FERC-approved Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) charged with overseeing the reliability of the Bulk Electric System in the United States. These orders signal FERC’s interest in achieving full compliance with laws, regulations and policies pertaining to reliability.

FERC Proposes to Adopt Uniform Definition for Bulk Electric System

In a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) (FERC Docket No. RM09-18), FERC proposed to direct NERC to include all electric transmission facilities with a rating of 100 kV or above in its definition of the term “Bulk Electric System.” Owners and operators of these facilities would be responsible for complying with NERC’s mandatory and enforceable Reliability Standards.