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RRC files further reliability standards
Proposed standards would apply to the operational security of the Railbelt electricity generation and transmission system
Alan Bailey for Petroleum News
The Railbelt Reliability Council has filed with the Regulatory Commission of Alaska the next tranche of proposed reliability standards for the Alaska Railbelt high voltage electrical system. The RRC is seeking RCA approval of the standards.
The high voltage system essentially consists of the power generation and transmission assets that deliver power for distribution to electricity consumers by electricity utilities. High voltage assets may be owned and operated by the utilities, by the State of Alaska or by independent power producers. This new tranche of standards deals with the operational security of the cyber system, consisting of the network of interconnected computer systems used to control and coordinate the operation of the generation and transmission technology.
RCA approval In July the RCA approved the first set of reliability standards filed by the RRC, standards designed to ensure that interconnections on the high voltage electrical system have the necessary controls to cause power supplies to remain within required voltage levels and be able to support the necessary reactive flows of electrical power.
The proposed cyber security standards cover issues such as the physical security of the cyber system, the security of communications between different control centers, information protection, incident reporting and the planning of a response to a security incident. The filing also includes a proposed implementation schedule, taking into account the time that may be required for an operator of components of the electrical system to bring its technology and operations into compliance with the relevant standards.
The RRC's role Approved by the RCA in 2022 as the electric reliability organization for the Alaska Railbelt generation and transmission system, the RRC has the role of maintaining and mandating reliability standards for the Railbelt's high voltage electrical system; administering rules for open access to the transmission grid; and conducting Railbelt-wide integrated resource planning. The idea is to achieve more unified management of the system, thus minimizing electricity costs while also maintaining an acceptable level of supply reliability.
In July the RRC board authorized the RRC chief executive officer to initiate the integrated resource plan development.
In addition, the Railbelt Transmission Organization, an organization mandated by the Alaska Legislature within the Alaska Energy Authority, has been developing a new transmission system tariff, designed to minimize and standardize the cost of transmitting power across the system.
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