Unidentified Registered Entity, FERC Docket No. NP12-3 (November 30, 2011)
Reliability Standard: PRC-STD-001-1
Requirement: WR1
Violation Risk Factor: N/A
Violation Severity Level: N/A
Region: WECC
Issue: URE self-reported that it had not responded to its TOP requests that it, as an owner of a portion of the WECC critical transmission paths, provide a Protective Relay Application and Setting Certification in 2007, 2008 and 2009. URE argued that it never received the TOP’s requests.
Finding: WECC found that the PRC-STD-001-1 violation constituted a moderate risk to BPS reliability since URE’s transmission line on the critical transmission path terminates at substations associated with other lines (thereby magnifying the potential impact of a misoperation). Otherwise, URE’s transmission line only accounted for less than 2% of the normal path rating and less than 5% of the path’s southern allocation. In approving the settlement agreement, the NERC BOTCC evaluated the following mitigating factors: URE’s PRC violations were self-reported; URE had a compliance program in place; URE was cooperative during the enforcement process and did not conceal the violations; and the violations did not constitute a serious or substantial risk to BPS reliability. But, NERC BOTCC considered URE’s violation history as an aggravating factor.
Penalty: $125,000 (aggregate for 5 violations)
FERC Order: Issued December 30, 2011 (no further review)
