Insight on PRC-029 and PRC-030

Understanding Disturbances and the Need for PRC-030-1

PRC-028 and PRC-030 were approved by the FERC board and PRC-029 has been approved by NERC and is awaiting the final approval by FERC. With these recent updates and the increasing focus on Generator Category 2 registrations, it is worth the time to understand why these standards came about and what they seek to address.

A disturbance in the Bulk Electric System (BES) occurs when there is an unplanned event that produces an abnormal system condition. A common example of a disturbance is a fault which would cause Operation of a BES breakers within the zone of protection per PRC-004. Multiple NERC disturbance reports, including the Odessa disturbance report, highlight undesirable performance from Inverter Based Resources (IBR) in areas far outside the zone of protection and demonstrates a systemic and significant reliability risk.

The fault event occurred in Odessa, Texas, within the ERCOT footprint. Solar PV and wind facilities that were identified as abnormally responding to the event were located up to 200 miles away from the fault location. Figure I.4 shows the geographic location of the fault (red) as well as the affected solar PV facilities (blue) and wind facilities (orange).

PRC-029 gives the desired Ride-Through (defined as the plant/facility remains connected and continues to operate through voltage or frequency system disturbances) performance criteria for IBR during these disturbances and PRC-030 establishes a process for identifying further undesired performance. These standards aim to work together in the same way as the standards PRC-024 and PRC-004 do for conventional generation.

What’s in it for me?

If you are a Generator Owner (GO) with Inverter-Based Resources (IBR) or a GO Category 2, you will need to evaluate your protection and control settings to ensure compliance with PRC-029 and prepare for PRC-030 implementation.

• PRC-029 establishes the required ride-through performance criteria for IBR, ensuring that these resources remain connected and operational through system disturbances. You will need to assess your settings to confirm they align with the new requirements.
• PRC-030 mandates a process to identify and analyze disturbances where IBRs exhibit undesired performance. This includes investigating unexpected tripping or other adverse responses and implementing corrective actions.
• The implementation plans for PRC-029 and PRC-030 are linked, and both standards will become effective 12 calendar months after PRC-029 is approved.

Understanding these requirements and proactively planning for compliance will help ensure we meet the requirements with minimal stress. Utility Services is creating program documents for these standards and we will be happy to have a call to talk through the specific details.