Power System Reliability

AESO’s Role

IEEE - Southern Alberta Section AGM

Fred Ritter, Chief Engineer

November 20, 2015

2

Overview

• Alberta’s Power Industry

• Role of the AESO

• Alberta’s Electricity Grid

• Reliability – Standards and compliance

• Planning for reliability

• Reliable operations

• Reliability – Today and in the future

Alberta’s Power Industry

Distribution

Retail

Transmission

Generation

How The System Works

4

Power Industry Structure in Alberta

Electric Utilities Act

Market Surveillance Administrator (MSA)

Balancing Pool

Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC)

Transmission Facility Owners

Distribution Facility Owners Retailers

Independent System Operator

(AESO)

Minister of Energy Appoints AESO Board Members, MSA & AUC Chair

Generators

5

Role of the AESO

7

About the AESO

• Not-for-profit corporation established by the 2003 Electric Utilities Act as the “Independent System Operator”

• Operates in the public interest • May not own or hold an interest in any transmission facility,

electric distribution system or generating unit • Has visibility of all market and transmission activities

and data • No government funding

8

The AESO’s Core Functions

System Operations

Direct the reliable 24/7 operation of Alberta’s

power grid

Market Services

Develop and operate Alberta’s real-time

wholesale energy market to facilitate fair, efficient and open competition

Transmission System Development

Plan and develop the transmission system to

provide continued reliability and facilitate the

competitive market and investment in new supply

Transmission System Access

Provide access for both electricity generators and large industrial customers

Alberta’s Electricity Grid

Alberta’s Power System – A Snapshot

10

• 26,000 km of Transmission • Approx. 235 generating units • 16,000 MW installed generation • 11,229 MW peak demand

Jan. 2015 • Wind generation record of 1,348

MW set Oct. 11/15 • Three interconnections to

B.C., Sask. and Montana

Connected to North America

• Alberta has 3 interconnections to neighbouring jurisdictions – BC

– SK

– Montana

• Interties provide import and export capabilities

• Alberta has been a net economic importer for the past 11 years

11

Independent System Operators Manage a Large Portion of the Continent’s Grid

12

ISOs supply: • 2/3 U.S. customers • 1/2 Canadian customers

Reliability

Reliability

14

Reliability is Paramount Today and in the Future…

Effects of the August 14, 2003 Blackout

15

Regular night August 14, 2003

Normal Blackout

Toronto

Ottawa

Montreal

Reliability – Standards and Compliance

Legislative Obligations

• Electric Utilities Act – Defines the legal obligations of the Independent System

Operator (ISO) operating as AESO

• Transmission Regulation – 86/2007 – Details more specific obligations with respect to transmission

matters • Consultation

• Transmission system planning

• Reliability standards

• Transmission facility projects

• Transmission system losses

17

Transmission Regulation Requirements

• Reliability standards – T-Reg Sec. 19 – WECC and NERC standards

– Consultation requirements

– AUC approval

• Electric Reliability Organization – T-Reg Sec. 20 – Acknowledged role of NERC

• Compliance with monitoring and reporting – T-Reg Sec. 23 – ISO rules

– MSA role

18

Alberta Reliability Standards

• Alberta Reliability Standards – NERC standards form the basis and cover wide range of topics

• Resource and Demand Balancing, CIP, COM, Emergency preparedness, design and maintenance, interchange scheduling, P&C, modeling and data, transmission operations and planning, voltage and reactive power

• Standards development process – AESO drafts, consults, and files with AUC

• Compliance – AESO monitors compliance

– WECC, by MSA agreement, monitors AESO

– Non-compliance reported to MSA

19

Transmission Interconnection Requirements

• ISO rules – Operational voice

communication

– Wind Power Technical Requirements

– Transmission line design

– Protection

– Generator/Load

– Synchrophasor measurement

– Revenue metering

– SCADA

– Transmission data

20

Planning for Reliability

Transmission System Planning

• Planning is purposefully flexible with upgrades planned in stages to accommodate changes in demand or generation

22

24 Months

2015 LTP Highlights

• Provides a high-level summary of transmission infrastructure solutions over a 20-year planning horizon

• Identifies 17 transmission projects totaling approximately $2.5 billion proposed out to 2020 (regulatory approval required)

• Under the Low-growth Scenario, 11 projects proposed out to 2020 at a projected cost of $800 million

• The 2015 LTP provides the most accurate assessment of the province’s transmission needs during this time of economic uncertainty

• The Plan is not a decision document; projects outlined within it are subject to change based on forecast, economic, legislative or regulatory changes

• The AESO reconciles any future changes by adjusting transmission infrastructure planning as needed over time

23

Looking Ahead

24

Fuel 2015* 2034** Coal 6,277 2,509

Co-gen 4,504 6,737

Natural Gas

2,700 11,270

Hydro 894 894

Wind 1,434 2,679

Bio Mass 428 864

Total installed

16,237 24,953

*CSD, aeso.ca (Sept 3, 2015) **2014 LTO, Main Outlook p. 16 24

Reliable Operations

Grid Operations

• Monitor the health of the system • 26,000+ data points across the

power system every 3 seconds

• Prepare for the next contingency

• Meet Alberta Reliability Standards which are based on North America reliability standards

• Communicate with all generation, transmission and distribution control centres

• Our operators go through extensive, world-class training before being certified

26

27

• AESO Reliability Plan in effect per IRO-001-AB1-1.1 R2 – Plan is modelled on existing Reliability Plans published

on the NERC website

• ISO to neighbouring RC operating agreements in place with SaskPower RC, PEAK RC

• ISO to neighbouring transmission operators operating agreements in place with SaskPower, BC Hydro, MATL/NWE

AESO Reliability Plan

The AESO System Coordination Centre

28

System Coordination Centre: The hub of Alberta’s electricity industry

24/7 365 days/year

35,000 data points every 4 seconds

Always preparing for next

contingency

4 million Albertans rely on us

29

• Ensure the safe, reliable operation of the Alberta power system

– Provide system wide reliability oversight

– Monitor system reliability limits

– Direct Transmission Facility Owners (TFOs) to reduce overloads

– Direct Generation Facility Owners (GFOs) for reliability

• Operate a fair, and efficient market

– Operate wholesale electricity market for Alberta

– Dispatch generation to meet demand

Role of the AESO System Control Centre

System Coordination Centre

Video Wall

Energy Desk

Balance supply and demand

Dispatch of energy and operating reserves markets

Monitoring of Tx system

Reactive power dispatch, TMR

Direct TFO and GFO control rooms

Real-time studies, monitoring of CA

Posting of TTC/TRM/ATC in the operating time frame

Interchange dispatch, scheduling, etag approval, checkouts

Communication with entities external to Alberta

Reliability Desk

Real-time Analysis and Planning Interchange Desk

30

Review and refresh next day studies with current config.

Develop mitigation plans for next contingency for rest of the current day

Support real-time operations of Reliability Desk and Real Time Emergency Operations

31

• Energy Management System – Monitors 26,000+ data points across the power system every three seconds

– Transmission: line flows, voltage, frequency, system limits, interconnections

– Generation: frequency, plant generation, reserves, equipment limits

– From: TFOs, GFOs, NWPP members, weather monitoring, British Columbia, Saskatchewan

– To: Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC), Northwest Power Pool (NWPP) members, British Columbia, Saskatchewan

– Provides deep system insight and situational awareness

– Positions System Control Centre to have wide area view with contingency impact analysis

• Data and System Monitoring – Primary Data Centre (PDC) located at the System Control Centre (SCC)

– Secondary Data Centre (SDC) located at the Back-up Control Centre (BUCC)

SCC EMS / Data Monitoring

Reliability – Today and in the Future

Reliability – Today and in the Future

• Shifting generation mix to increased levels of renewable integration

• Timely transmission development – 5 to 7 years to develop

• Meeting demands of new customers

• Implementation of reliability standards

• Maximize utilization of existing transmission system

33

34

Summary

• Reliability is our first priority

• The AESO has the tools, practices and standards to ensure our system is reliable

• The power system is evolving and we’re keeping pace to ensure continued reliability

• The AESO continues to work collaboratively with industry participants to ensure reliability is maintained and the electricity market operates efficiently

Thank you

www.aeso.ca