FERC-725F, Mandatory Reliability Standard for Nuclear Plant Interface Coordination

Reliability Standard NUC-001-3 requires nuclear plant generator operators and entities that provide generation, transmission and distribution services relating to off-site power (entities defined as "transmission entities") to enter into interface agreements with nuclear plant generator operators that will govern certain communication, training, operational and planning elements for use in addressing generation and transmission system limits and nuclear licensing requirements. The Commission understands that most entities subject to this Reliability Standard already have such agreements in place. The responsible entities are also required to retain evidence that they executed such an agreement and incorporated its terms into systems planning and operations. Further, each nuclear plant generator operator and transmission entity must self-certify its compliance to the compliance monitor once every three years. The NUC-001 Reliability Standard requires the Nuclear Plant Generator Operators and Transmission Entities to which they interconnect to execute and implement interface agreements for coordinating operations to meet nuclear licensing requirements. These agreements must include NPIRs that incorporate NPIRs into their operating analyses of the BES and operate the Transmission system to comply with the NPIRs. The lack of these agreements or compliance to these agreements can bring about lack of coordination of operations between a nuclear plant and its transmission entities. This lack of communication between entities can lead to an unanticipated separation from the Bulk Power System (BPS) placing the BPS at risk and defeating the goal of the Commission as mandated by Title XII, Subtitle A, of EPACT 2005. Reliability Standard NUC-001 does not require responsible entities to file information with the Commission. Nor, with the exception of a three year self-certification of compliance, does the Reliability Standard require responsible entities to file information with the ERO or Regional Entities. However, the Reliability Standard does require responsible entities to develop and maintain certain information for a specified period of time, subject to inspection by the ERO or Regional Entities.

The latest form for FERC-725F, Mandatory Reliability Standard for Nuclear Plant Interface Coordination expires 2021-05-31 and can be found here.