Notice of Electric Reliability Organization Application
The REGULATORY COMMISSION OF ALASKA (Commission) gives notice that on March 25, 2022, the Railbelt Reliability Council (RRC) applied for certification as the Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) for the Alaska Railbelt Interconnected Electric Energy Transmission Network (encompassing the service territories of Golden Valley Electric Association, Matanuska Electric Association, Chugach Electric Association, Homer Electric Association, and the City of Seward). Docket No. E-22-001 was opened to address this matter.
An ERO is an entity that enforces mandatory electric reliability rules on all users, owners, and operators of a given Interconnected Electric Energy Transmission Network. Alaskan EROs can be governed by an independent board, balanced board, or combination independent/balanced board as required by AS 42.05.762(4)(B) and further defined at 3 AAC 46.060 – 3 AAC 46.080. With its application, the RRC proposes to be governed by a combination independent/balanced board under AS 42.05.762(4)(B)(iii) which the RRC asserts satisfies the balanced board safe harbor under 3 AAC 46.080(a). The 15-person board would be comprised of representatives from five provider categories and three consumer categories, one independent director, and two ex-officio non-voting directors representing the Commission and the Alaska Attorney General’s Office.
The RRC filed a proposed tariff with its application, proposed rules, articles of incorporation, bylaws, processes for vetting members of the technical advisory council and for authorizing standards, a whistleblower policy, and a public meeting policy. The application also included a proposed initial surcharge and initial budget to cover the operating costs of the ERO.
In conjunction with its application, the RRC included a petition for its initial tariff and surcharge to become effective upon the ERO’s certification. With this petition, the RRC has requested that to the extent the tariff or surcharge does not satisfy a requirement of the applicable ERO regulations for an initial tariff and surcharge, a waiver of such requirements be granted or, in the alternative, the RRC be given an opportunity to conform the tariff or surcharge to comply with any such requirements prior to certification.
The Commission will hold a hearing in Docket E-22-001 beginning not later than July 25, 2022. Any interested person proposing to participate as a party in Docket E-22-001 subject to the obligations of a party under 3 AAC 48.155, must file a petition to intervene with the Commission under 3 AAC 48.110 by 5 p.m., April 22, 2022.
Commission regulations allow competing applications to be filed. A person who proposes to apply for certification as the ERO for the Alaska Railbelt Interconnected Electric Energy Transmission Network must file a notice of intent to file a competing application by 5 p.m. April 22, 2022 and must then file the competing application by May 2, 2022.
You may obtain more information about this filing by contacting Elena Romerdahl, Counsel for the RRC, at 1029 West 3rd Avenue, Suite 300, Anchorage, AK 99501-1981; phone: (907) 263-6914. The complete filing is also available for inspection at the Commission's office at 701 West 8th Avenue, Suite 300, Anchorage, AK 99501; phone:(907) 276-6222, or may be viewed at the Commission's website at http://rca.alaska.gov by typing Docket “E-22-001" in the Find a Matter search box.
To comment on this filing, please file your comments by 5 p.m., April 22, 2022, at the Commission's address above or via our website at:
https://rca.alaska.gov/RCAWeb/WhatsNew/PublicNoticesComments.aspx
Please reference Docket No. E-22-001 and include a statement that you have filed a copy of the comments with RRC at the address given above. Individual or groups of people with disabilities, who require special accommodations, auxiliary aids or service, or alternative communications formats, please contact Valerie Fletcher-Mitchell at (907) 276-6222, toll-free at 1-800-390-2782, or TTY/Alaska Relay: 7-1-1 or 1 (800) 770-3973, or send a request via electronic mail to rca.mail@alaska.gov by April 15, 2022.
DATED at Anchorage, Alaska, this 1st day of April, 2022.
REGULATORY COMMISSION OF ALASKA
Robert M. Pickett
Chairman