FERC Approves New Reliability Standards for Extreme Cold Weather

On February 16, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an order approving standards for electrical grid reliability during extreme cold weather, implementing recommendations from an inquiry into the freeze in Texas in 2021.

The freeze, also known as Winter Storm Uri, caused 4.5 million Texans to lose power, leading to the “largest controlled firm load shed event in U.S. history”.

The Order also directs the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) to develop and submit modifications to Reliability Standard EOP-012-1 to address “undefined terms, broad limitations, exceptions and exemptions, and prolonged compliance periods.”

See the FERC Order here: https://www.ferc.gov/media/e-1-rd23-1-000

See the 2021 Report here: https://www.ferc.gov/media/february-2021-cold-weather-outages-texas-and-south-central-united-states-ferc-nerc-and