On May 15, 2023, NERC issued a third Cold Weather Preparation Alert. This Level 3 Alert: Essential Actions for Cold Weather Preparations for Extreme Weather Events has been issued by NERC to increase the RC, BA, TOP, and GO readiness and enhance plans for, and progress toward, mitigating risk for the upcoming winter and beyond. All registered entities belonging to the BA, TOP, and GO functional groups are required to acknowledge receipt of this alert and respond, as applicable.
This Level 3 Alert: Essential Actions to Industry requires the following:
- Requires Registered Entities to acknowledge receipt of these Essential Actions within the NERC Alert System. This acknowledgement is due by May 22, 2023.
- Requires Registered Entities to respond to a series of questions in the Alert. (These questions are based on the Essential Actions listed below). Additionally, GO entities must complete and submit the provided Data Submission Worksheet. This response is due by October 6, 2023.
- Urges Registered Entities to take the Essential Actions listed in the Alert. Below is a summarization of the Essential Actions; refer to the NERC Alert for the full text of each Essential Action.
Essential Actions
Essential Action #1: Each GO should calculate the ECWT for each plant location. This number should be included in the CWPP.
Essential Action #2: Each GO should identify in the CWPP the Generator Cold Weather Critical Component(s), and FPM implemented on those components prior to the 2023-2024 winter season.
Essential Action #3: Each GO should identify which units are capable of operating at the ECWT as currently built and which units require additional FPM to operate at that temperature.
Essential Action #4: Each GO should identify which units experienced a Generator Cold Weather Reliability Event in the 2022–2023 winter season.
Essential Action #5: Each TOP should update their Operating Plan(s) to include the items listed in the Essential Action.
Essential Action #6: Each BA should update their Operating Plan(s) prior to the next winter season, to include the items listed in the Essential Action.
Essential Action #7: Per Essential Actions #1 and #2, each GO should provide its RC, BA, and TOP its ECWT prior to the next winter season and whether Generator Cold Weather Critical Component FPM will not be implemented on components prior to the 2023–2024 winter season.
Essential Action #8: Per the Required Response Questions on net winter capacity MW, each GO should share their responses with their respective BAs and TOPs to allow for updates to any operating plans before the 2023–2024 winter season.
If you need assistance with preparing your responses to this NERC Alert or your EOP-011-2 Cold Weather Plan, please give Nancy Walters a call at (937)623-0896 or email her at nwalters@mccoypwr.com. . We offer a variety of services to assist clients with implementation of Cold Weather Standard Requirements and NERC Alert Monitoring that we can customize to your company needs.
