IEEE Atlanta Section Events

Reliability Standards Development Process

6:30 Thursday, May 17th 2012 at the Georgia Power Building, 960 Key Street, Macon GA 31204

Scott Barfield-McGinnis, a Standards Development Advisor for the North American Electric Reliability Corporation will be providing a presentation on the reliability standards development process. The material will show how standards are developed in an open and transparent manner and achieve industry stakeholder consensus through commenting and balloting on to becoming mandatory and enforceable regulations under the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Since 1968, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) has been committed to ensuring the reliability of the bulk power system in North America. To achieve that, NERC develops and enforces reliability standards; assesses adequacy annually via a 10-year forecast and winter and summer forecasts; monitors the bulk power system; and educates, trains, and certifies industry personnel. NERC is a self-regulatory organization, subject to oversight by the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and governmental authorities in Canada.

As of June 18, 2007, the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) granted NERC the legal authority to enforce reliability standards with all users, owners, and operators of the bulk power system in the United States, and made compliance with those standards mandatory and enforceable. Reliability standards are also mandatory and enforceable in Ontario and New Brunswick, and NERC is seeking to achieve comparable results in the other Canadian provinces. NERC will seek recognition in Mexico once the necessary legislation is adopted.

NERC is a non-government organization which has statutory responsibility to regulate bulk power system users, owners, and operators through the adoption and enforcement of standards for fair, ethical and efficient practices.

CONTACT
N. Curtis Lee
960 Key Street
Macon, GA 31204
Office (478) 784-5871
Cell: (478) 718-7164
nclee@southernco.com