The electricity surveys collect data from entities involved in the production, transmission, delivery, and sale of electricity, and in maintaining the reliable operation of the power system. The data collected are the primary source of information on the nationâs electric power industry.
EIA requests a three-year extension, with changes, to the forms of the Electric Power and Renewable Electricity Program surveys. EIAâs Electric Power and Renewable Electricity Program collects data using annual, monthly, and daily/hourly surveys. Each survey has a different set (or subset) of respondents in order to measure activity in specific sectors of the electric power industry. EIA-860, EIA-861, and EIA-923 have a monthly form while EIA-861 has a short form (EIA-861S).
Most of the change in total time burden is driven by an increase in survey respondents for Form EIA-923M, A, and S due to the rapid expansion in the number of operating utility-scale power plants. Although industry capacity grew by a modest 4.8% between 2019 and June 2022, a number of large base-load, high-capacity electric power plants that use coal as their fuel source have ceased operations and have been replaced by a large number of smaller-capacity solar- and wind-powered plants. Specifically, this results in a net increase of 1,137 respondents eligible to complete the Annual Form EIA-923, 627 respondents eligible to complete the Annual Form EIA-923 Supplemental, and 665 respondents eligible to complete the Monthly Form EIA-923.
Form EIA-930âs frame decreased by one respondent as two balancing authorities merged. The decrease in respondents for Form EIA-63B from 45 to 26 on the annual form is due to changes in the solar Photovoltaic manufacturing industry, with smaller companies either being acquired by larger companies or ceasing operations.
Form EIA-930A is a proposed new annual form that would collect an inventory of electric generating units from all 63 Balancing Authorities (BAs) in the contiguous United States on an annual basis. This data collection will allow for better reconciliation of data collected by forms EIA-930 Balancing Authority Operations Report and EIA-923 Power Plant Operations Report. This improved reconciliation will in turn allow EIA to more accurately estimate carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per MWh of generation for individual balancing authorities in the U.S. This new form is estimated to increase respondent burden by a total of 2,184 hours (an average of 35 burden hours per respondent).
Form EIA-861 Annual has a burden of 13.39 hours and the short Form EIA-861S has a burden per response of 0.75.
The frame files for Forms EIA-860 and EIA-860M are determined by the generating capacity values of existing and planned facilities. Changes in these frames are the direct result of a shifting industry generation portfolio. Due to several economic and environmental factors, there is growth in the number of solar, wind, battery storage, natural gas-fired combined cycle, and natural gas-fired combustion turbine facilities and there is a loss in the number of coal and natural gas-fired thermoelectric facilities. This resulted in 96 fewer respondents being eligible to report on Form EIA-860 with environmental questions, but 1,055 more respondents being eligible to report on Form EIA-860 without environmental questions.
There will be an increase of 100 new respondents per year for respondent pretesting interviews. This will result in an annual burden of 150 hours. This increase is due to the program wanting to continually improve its data collection and survey initiatives. EIA will conduct up to 100 pretesting interviews each year. These pretesting interviews will test or evaluate new terminology, unclear questions in surveys, unclear instructions, or questions that may be added to the Electric Power & Renewable Electricity surveys. This will help improve ongoing surveys and reduce errors due to respondent confusion.
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.
Respondent Pre‐testing