FERC-725J, Definition of the Bulk Electric System

The Commission uses the information filed for local distribution determinations to decide whether facilities are used for local distribution as set forth in the Federal Power Act. On December 20, 2012, the Commission issued Order No. 773, a Final Rule approving NERC’s modifications to the definition of “bulk electric system” (i.e. BES) and the Rules of Procedure exception process to be effective July 1, 2013. On April 18, 2013, in Order No. 773-A, the Commission largely affirmed its findings in Order No. 773. In Order Nos. 773 and 773-A, the Commission directed NERC to modify the definition of bulk electric system in two respects: (1) modify the local network exclusion (exclusion E3) to remove the 100 kV minimum operating voltage to allow systems that include one or more looped configurations connected below 100 kV to be eligible for the local network exclusion; and (2) modify the exclusions to ensure that generator interconnection facilities at or above 100 kV connected to bulk electric system generators identified in inclusion I2 are not excluded from the bulk electric system. Both orders recognized that the first two years of implementation would include a higher burden associated with the work all the Registered Entities would need to accomplish. Those orders also illustrated that a reduction would occur by the third year since at that point the ongoing burden would be an amount dependent on exception requests and implementation of newly identified bulk electric system elements. These reductions also included the harmonization of all the register entities following the same definition for BES .

The latest form for FERC-725J, Definition of the Bulk Electric System expires 2023-03-31 and can be found here.

Generator Owners, Distribution Providers, and Transmission Owners (Exception Requests)

Federal Enterprise Architecture: Energy - Energy Supply