Reliability Standards

A reliability standard defines certain requirements of entities that own, operate, plan and use the bulk power systems of North America.

North American Electric Reliability Corporation Reliability Standards

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) has been certified by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) as the Electric Reliability Organization (ERO). NERC works with all stakeholder segments of the electric industry to develop standards for the reliable planning and operation of the bulk power systems.

Below is information on FERC-approved mandatory NERC reliability standards. For more information, visit the NERC website to see standards approved by the NERC Board of Trustees and regulatory authorities  and NERC standards under development . To locate NERC messages on standards, visit NERC Standards News .

Documentation FERC Ruling and Approval of Reliability Standards FERC Order 693 on mandatory reliability standards for bulk power system (01/22/08, .pdf, 1.6 MB) FERC-Approved Mandatory NERC Standards by Function with Violation Risk Factors Approved 2007 NERC standards applicable to various NERC registered functions (02/28/08, .xls, 652.5 KB) (Revised) Implementation Plan for CIP-002 through CIP-009 The intent of the proposed Cyber Security Standards is to ensure that all entities responsible for the (05/07/08, .pdf, 102.1 KB) 2007 Standards - Mandatory and NERC Board of Trustees (BOT) Approved Detailed table containing both NERC BOT- and FERC-approved standards including violation risk factors and approval status (02/28/08, .xls, 1.3 MB) FERC Order on FAC FERC Order No. 705: Facilities Design, Connections and Maintenance Reliability Standards (05/07/08, .pdf, 848.1 KB) Mandatory Reliability Standards for Critical Infrastructure Protection FERC Order 706 on CIP reliability standards (January 18, 2008) (01/22/08, .pdf, 761 KB)

Regional Reliability Standards

Texas Regional Entity (RE) may develop, through its own FERC-approved processes, separate reliability standards that go beyond, add detail to or implement NERC reliability standards, or that cover matters not addressed in NERC reliability standards.

Any entity (organization, company, government agency, individual, etc.) that is directly and materially affected by the reliability of the ERCOT bulk power systems may request an ERCOT-specific regional reliability standard to be developed, modified or withdrawn. To initiate such a request, send the Standard Authorization Request Form (found below) to the Reliability Standards Manager.

The Reliability Standards Committee reviews and recommends action on ERCOT-specific reliability standards and regional variances to NERC standards. View the active SARs and track the development of Texas RE reliability standards on the Reliability Standards Tracking site .

Planning and Procedures Texas Regional Entity Standards Development Process Process for development, revision, reaffirmation and withdrawal of a regional reliability standard, November 29, 2006 (01/08/08, .pdf, 207.7 KB) Reliability Standards Committee Procedures Document defining the roles and responsibilities of the Reliability Standards Committee (RSC), which reviews regional Standards Authorization Requests (SARs) and subsequent recommendations for revisions, deletions or development of ERCOT-specific standards (01/08/08, .pdf, 84.5 KB) Standard Drafting Team Procedures Document explaining the responsibilities and tasks for standard drafting teams (SDTs), which are appointed by the Reliability and Operations Subcommittee to develop the technical details of new or revised regional standards as defined in the Texas RE Reliability Standardard Development Process (01/08/08, .pdf, 46.9 KB) Registered Ballot Body Procedures Procedures for establishing the registered ballot body (RBB) and the subsequent registered ballot pool (RBP) for the purpose of voting by ERCOT membership on proposed regional reliability standards (01/08/08, .pdf, 39.4 KB) Standards Submittal Procedure Process for submitting a regional standard, a regional variance or a change to the standards development process to NERC for approval and subsequent filing in FERC (01/04/08, .pdf, 67.2 KB) Numbering Convention for NERC Regional Reliability Standards Approved numbering convention (08/22/07, .doc, 45 KB) RSC Tentative meeting schedule 2008 Tentative 2008 Meeting Dates for the Reliability Standards Committee (11/28/07, .xls, 37.5 KB)

Documentation Reliability Standards Committee for 2008 Reliability Standards Committee standing members for 2008 (07/02/08, .pdf, 47.1 KB) Texas RE Registered Ballot Body List Registered Ballot Body as of June 1, 2008 (06/05/08, .pdf, 47.4 KB)

Forms Texas RE Reliability Standards Committee Nomination Form Form to submit nominees for the Reliability Standards Committee (RSC); RSC members are elected by the market segment that they represent (09/06/07, .doc, 50 KB) Registration Form: Texas RE Registered Ballot Body Form used by ERCOT-region market participants to register for the ballot body that votes on ERCOT regional standards (04/17/08, .doc, 153 KB) Standard Authorization Request Form Form to initiate a request to change standards (06/25/08, .doc, 187 KB)

Related Correspondence Announcement of Commencement of Registered Ballot Body Nominations Letter to all market stakeholders to participate in the RBB (09/11/07, .doc, 29.5 KB) Announcement of Commencement of Reliability Standards Committee Nominations Letter to all market stakeholders to nominate segment representatives for RSC (09/17/07, .doc, 29.5 KB) NERC Letter to ERCOT: Readiness Audit of ERCOT Local Control Letter on NERC's comparison of ERCOT's audit process relative to NERC's readiness audit process, December 21, 2005 (02/23/07, .pdf, 52.5 KB) NERC Staff Memo to ERCOT: Regional Standards Development Procedure Memo recommending that NERC Board of Trustees approve the Texas Regional Entity Standards Development Process, October 30, 2006 (02/23/07, .pdf, 72.5 KB) Nomination Period Opens for Standard Drafting Team for SAR-001 Letter to stakeholders to solicit for standard drafting team members for developing the work product as stated in the scope of SAR-001 (02/15/08, .doc, 38.5 KB)