Meeting Summary – 10/28/24 TSP Winter Weather Preparedness Workshop

1 – Antitrust Admonition – Kasey Kelm, ERCOT

2 – Agenda – Raihan Khondker, ERCOT

• Introduction to the meeting agenda by Raihan Khondker.
• Presentation by the Director of Weatherization Inspection, David, with an update related to the season.
• Winter weather forecast presentation by Chris Coleman.
• Continuation with a market participant spotlight session.

3 – Director’s Corner – Weatherization – David Kezell, ERCOT

1235PM-Director’sCorner-Kezell.pdf

• David Kezell introduced ERCOT’s weatherization efforts and provided emergency safety instructions.
• ERCOT has had the Weather Emergency Preparedness Rule in place since 2021, with enhancements made in 2022 and 2023.
• Emphasized inspections: Generation resources are inspected every three years, and 10% of critical TSP facilities are inspected in the same period.
• Positive impact noted from the inspections, with incremental improvements in reducing forced outages during winter storms.
• Encouraged compliance with the weather preparedness rule; administrative penalties have been issued for non-compliance.
• Highlighted the importance of reliable communication, especially regarding Notice of Inspection emails.
• Declaration of Weather Preparedness Portal opens from November 1 to December 1 for submissions.
• Discontinue use of DocuSign; all processes have moved to the portal.
• Emphasized the importance of submitting accurate and honest declarations.
• Design basis cold temperatures and wind speed must be facility-specific for calculations.
• Encouraged having multiple trained personnel to handle the portal to avoid compliance issues.
• Stressed efficient resolution of compliance deficiencies to maintain reliability and avoid administrative penalties.
• Mentioned ERCOT’s expectation for sustained operation during severe weather and measures needed beyond the standard rule.

4 – ERCOT’s Winter Weather forecast – Chris Coleman, ERCOT

0100PM-TSPWinter_preparedness_workshop_winter_weather_outlook_2024-25-Coleman.pdf

• Chris Coleman, ERCOT’s lead meteorologist, is approaching his 12-year anniversary with the organization.
• ERCOT now has a team of three meteorologists, expanding from just one.
• Review of the 6th hottest summer on record in Texas, with notable extreme temperatures in 2023.
• Discussion on unusual weather patterns with a wet summer contributing to high humidity and warm overnight temperatures.
• October was expected to be one of the hottest on record in Texas.
• La Nina pattern discussed, with potential weak impact but leaning towards typical La Nina weather.
• Recap of the 12th warmest winter on record last year, despite extreme cold events.
• Emphasis on recent trends of warm winters mixed with sporadic extreme cold events.
• Statistics showing increased frequency of cold extremes in recent years.
• Forecast indicates a warm winter, but potential for cold extremes remains high.
• Winter is predicted to be mild overall but with risks of short periods of extreme cold similar to recent years.
• Dry conditions expected for the upcoming winter, with drought concerns persisting into the next spring.
• Chris presented historical analog years and discussed the expectations for mild and dry winter conditions.
• Contact information provided for follow-up on the final winter forecast, expected to be published mid-month.

5 – BREAK – All

6 – Market Participant Spotlight – Mike Brinkman, Pedernales Electric Coop, Inc

• Mike Brinkman is the guest speaker, a substation and transmission maintenance manager at Pedernales Electric Coop (PEC) with over 25 years of experience.

6.1 – PEC Winter Preparedness

0200PM-PECWinterPreparedness-Brinkman.pdf

• Focus on winter preparedness for PEC to meet TAC rule 16 §25.55 by confirming the operability of critical components by December 1st each year.
• Monthly inspections of substation components like sulfur hexafluoride gas, heaters, circuit switches, and oil levels to ensure proper function.
• Battery systems are inspected monthly for bank float voltage, DC grounds, cell voltage, electrolyte levels, and battery condition.
• Maintenance involves SCADA monitoring for 24/7 alerts on system performance, including SF6 gas levels, coolant systems, and relays.
• Winter preparedness training is mandatory for all operational personnel, ensuring readiness for harsh weather conditions.
• No major challenges anticipated with preparation as equipment is designed to withstand low temperatures.
• SF6 gas and nitrogen pressures remain stable within acceptable ranges even during cold weather.

7 – TSP Winter Inspection Checklist – Inspectors, ERCOT

0225PM-TSPWinterInspectionChecklist-WeatherizationTeam.pdf

• Presentation focused on TSP Winter Inspection Checklist.
• Checklist includes best practices shared by weatherization inspectors.
• Introduction of new team member, Dennis Horton.
• He will be assigned to the Far west weather region.

7.1 – Pete Godswill – Program Analyst II

• Introduction of Pete Godswill, Program Analyst at ERCOT since November of the previous year.
• Discussion on the winter 2024 inspection season and the developed Weather Emergency Preparedness Checklist.
• Clarification that ERCOT will not provide any legal interpretation of the checklist.
• Inspection schedule is confidential, shared only with the Commission and ERCOT.
• Inspection season runs from December 2, 2024, to February 28, 2025, excluding specific holidays.

7.2 – Kevin harris – Weatherization Inspector Lead

Kevin Harris introduced himself, detailing his role with ERCOT since November 2022, covering the coastal and, recently, part of the South Central region.

Cold Weather Critical Components

• Emphasized the importance of creating and reviewing the list of cold weather critical components annually.
• Highlighted this being the second winter requiring compliance, referencing standard 16 TAC § 25.55 for new transmission providers.
• Stressed the need for documentation showing the review and updates of the component list, with a completion date before December 1st.
• Suggested using winter preparation documents and checklists for ensuring annual review compliance.

Operability Confirmation

• Discussed the necessity of confirming the operability of systems with cold weather components before and during the winter season.
• Gave examples of systems like DC systems, HVAC, battery, backup power, cooling, and oil systems.
• Recommended periodic inspections varying from monthly to weekly, involving different personnel for diverse checks.

7.3 – Darryl Nitschke – Weatherization Inspector Lead

• Introduction of Darryl Nitschke as the North Central Weather Zone inspector.
• Experience in power generation with coal-fired and natural gas-fired facilities.
• Explanation of 16 TAC § 25.55 (f) (1) (A) (ii) focused on SF6 gas pressure, temperature, and breaker heater inspections.
• TSP need to maintain preseason and monthly inspection records for SF6 gas and heater operations.
• Best practice suggestion for SF6 pressure vs. temperature charts in breaker panels.
• Discussion of rule section (f) (1) (A) (iii) regarding transformer operability and heater functionality during winter weather emergencies.
• Requirement for TSP to have preseason and monthly inspection records confirming transformer control cabinet heater functionality.
• Inspections will verify breaker pressures and transformer control cabinet heaters.
• Confirmation that transformer main oil tank levels must be appropriately checked against oil temperature.

7.4 – Jake Jacobs – Weatherization Inspector, Sr

• Jake Jacobs highlighted the importance of understanding the context and purpose behind jobs, following a model learned from Decker Communications.
• Recounted a personal story from 1996 to emphasize that all individuals are part of ERCOT, regardless of their role or location.
• Discussed the importance of thorough inspection checklists to help market participants demonstrate compliance effectively.
• Explained the inspection criteria for bushing oil levels, emphasizing the need for clear and weatherproof indicators, good integrity of bushings, and oil level visibility.
• Highlighted best practices, such as trending bushing oil health, using IR scans, conducting power factor and capacitance testing, and marking hardware to detect movement.
• Outlined the upcoming topic on nitrogen pressure inspection, stressing the need for detailed and separate inspection points.
• Mentioned visual inspections and procedural checks, like vendor contracts for nitrogen, weatherproofing, and telemetry for remote monitoring.
• Identified best practices related to nitrogen pressure inspections, including 24-hour monitoring, spare nitrogen storage, and long-term data trending.

7.5 – Neil Quast – Weatherization Inspector, Sr

• Neil Quast is the Eastern region Weatherization Inspector for ERCOT and will also cover coastal and south central regions.
• Importance of verifying proper oil quality of transformers, ensuring moisture and dissolved gasses are within acceptable ranges.
• Emphasis on drawing oil samples and sending them to a lab for analysis rather than relying solely on inline monitors.
• Annual requirement for drawing samples before December 1st each year, with a best practice of conducting sampling closer to the winter season.
• Reviewed samples should be evaluated by engineering staff and any recommendations from lab engineers should be followed.
• Best practice of using a checklist for preparedness measures to ensure training and sampling are documented and signed off.
• Checklist aids in accountability and supports the signing of the Declaration of Weather Preparedness.

7.6 – Audie Proctor – Weatherization Inspector Lead

• Audie Proctor is responsible for inspections in the North Weather Zone.
• Emphasized the importance of addressing the wind chill factor in weather preparedness documentation.
• Larger companies are generally effective at preparing and submitting data for weather inspections.
• In instances where the wind chill factor does not meet applicable zone standards, additional measures need to be documented to address the gap.
• The importance of a clear and effective staffing plan for TSPs was highlighted.
• TSPs typically have mobile staffing plans that ensure staff can be relocated to areas with problems, rather than being stationed at substations permanently.
• It’s crucial to have annual reviews and necessary revisions included in the weatherization and staffing plans.
• Documentation should be clear and readily available for weather inspections.

7.7 – Greg Schwierking – Weatherization Inspector Lead

• Personnel related to winter weather preparations and operations need to be trained by December 1st.
• The training roster, content, and trainer’s signature should be provided to an inspector.
• Allowances are made for exceptions, such as staff on FMLA, who must be trained upon return.
• Entities are encouraged to define ‘relevant personnel’ by job roles to ensure consistent training.
• Compliance deficiencies can be addressed before inspection or identified during inspection.
• Correction of on-the-spot deficiencies is required within 72 hours.
• Long-term deficiencies need a documented correction plan with a report provided after completion.
• Fully qualified personnel should be present during inspections, along with compliance representatives.
• Effective communication via the W&I market participant portal is crucial for inspection processes.
• The portal allows scheduling, rejecting, or rescheduling inspection dates and uploading necessary documents.
• Inspection-related queries can be addressed via the portal, while other queries go to specific ERCOT teams.

 8 – Questions – All

• Question about the availability of presentations.
• Presentations will be uploaded on the Winter Ready website.
• Upload will occur within a few days after final corrections are made.

9 – Adjourn