OMB files this comment in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.11(c) of the Paperwork Reduction Act and is withholding approval of this collection at this time. This OMB action is not an approval to conduct or sponsor an information collection under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The agency shall examine public comment in response to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and will include in the supporting statement of the next ICR, to be submitted to OMB at the final rule stage, a description of how the agency has responded to any public comments on the ICR. This action has no effect on any current approvals.
table that charts list comparision
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
09/30/2014
36 Months From Approved
09/30/2014
238
0
238
1,238
0
1,238
0
0
0
Under sections 205 and 206 of the Federal Power Act (FPA) the Commission is charged with ensuring just and reasonable electric transmission rates and charges as well as ensuring that jurisdictional providers do not subject any person to any undue prejudice or disadvantage.
The lack of consistent and readily accessible terms and conditions for connecting resources to the grid led to a large number of disputes between jurisdictional transmission providers and small generators in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In response, the Commission directed transmission providers to include Commission-approved, standard, pro-forma interconnection procedures (small generator interconnection procedures or SGIP) and a single uniformly applicable interconnection agreement (small generator interconnection agreement or SGIA) in their open-access transmission tariffs (OATTs). The requirement to create and file these documents was instituted August 12, 2005, by Commission Order 2006 and is codified in 18 CFR 35.28(f). This collection is necessary because it sets and maintains a standard in OATTs for consistent consideration and processing of interconnection requests by transmission providers.
Since the issuance of Order No. 2006, many aspects of the energy industry have changed, including the growth of small generator interconnection requests and the growth in solar photovoltaic (PV) installations, driven in part by state renewable energy goals and policies. For example, when Order No. 2006 was issued in 2005, only 79 MW of grid-connected PV were installed. By 2011, grid-connected PV had reached approximately 4,000 MW. The Commission believes these market changes necessitate a reevaluation of the SGIP and SGIA to ensure that they continue to facilitate Commission-jurisdictional interconnections in a just and reasonable and not unduly discriminatory or preferential manner.
The additional estimated public reporting burden for the proposed reporting requirements of the Proposed Rule are associated with amending the pro forma SGIP and SGIA to: (1) incorporate provisions that would provide an Interconnection Customer with the option of requesting from the Transmission Provider a pre-application report providing existing information about system conditions at a possible Point of Interconnection; (2) revise the supplemental review following failure of the Fast Track screens so that the supplemental review is performed at the discretion of the Interconnection Customer and includes minimum load and other screens to determine if a Small Generating Facility may be interconnected safely and reliably; and (3) revise the pro forma SGIP Facilities Study Agreement to allow the Interconnection Customer the opportunity to provide written comments to the Transmission Provider on the upgrades required for interconnection.
The burden is increasing due to the addition of the pre-application report, the revision to the supplemental review, and the addition of the review of required upgrades in the SGIP. The proposed pre-application report would require the transmission provider to provide existing information about system conditions at a possible point of interconnection to the interconnection customer. The proposed supplemental review includes minimum load and other screens to be performed by the transmission provider at the discretion of the interconnection customer to determine if a small generator may be interconnected safely and reliably after failing the screens in section 2.2.1 of the SGIP. The proposed revisions to the SGIA would allow the interconnection customer the opportunity to provide written comments to the transmission provider on the upgrades required for interconnection.
FERC is also adjusting the number of responses for the existing burden for the FERC-516A from 238 to 278. FERC staff found in the most recent renewal cycle of this collection that the number of respondents had been input incorrectly. There was no error to the total existing burden hours.
$220,927
No
No
No
No
No
Uncollected
Leslie Kerr 202 502-8540
Reginfo record details
No
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
RM13-2 NOPR Supporting Statement.doc
FERC News Release on RM13-2 NOPR.pdf
Standardization of Small Generator Interconnection Agreements and Procedures