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Railbelt Reliability Council (RRC)

Standards

One of the RRC’s primary purposes is to develop and enforce standards across the Railbelt region. Technical Advisory Council members and subject matter experts use their knowledge of the islanded Railbelt grid’s unique challenges—along with stakeholder input—to create specialized reliability, operating, security, and other standards.

RRC Standards

(FAC) Facilities Design, Connections, and Maintenance (3)

  1. Facilities Process Standard

    Upcoming

  2. Facility Interconnection Requirements

    RRC-FAC-001

    Upcoming

  3. Facility Interconnection Studies

    RRC-FAC-002

    Upcoming

Sanction Guidelines (1)

  1. Sanction Guidelines

    Upcoming

(BAL) Resource and Demand Balancing (6)

  1. Disturbance Control Performance

    RRC-BAL-002

    Upcoming

  2. Frequency Response and Bias

    RRC-BAL-003-1

    RCA Review

  3. Time Error Correction

    RRC-BAL-004

    Inactive

  4. Automatic Generation Control

    RRC-BAL-005-1

    Board Approved

  5. Inadvertent Interchange

    RRC-BAL-006

    Inactive

  6. Planning Resource Adequacy Analysis, Assessment and Documentation

    RRC-BAL-502

    Upcoming

(CIP) Critical Infrastructure Protection (14)

  1. BES Cyber System Categorization

    RRC-CIP-002

    In Progress

  2. Security Management Controls

    RRC-CIP-003

    In Progress

  3. Personnel and Training

    RRC-CIP-004

    In Progress

  4. Electronic Security Perimeter(s)

    RRC-CIP-005

    In Progress

  5. Physical Security of BES Cyber Systems

    RRC-CIP-006

    In Progress

  6. System Security Management

    RRC-CIP-007

    In Progress

  7. Incident Reporting and Response Planning

    RRC-CIP-008

    In Progress

  8. Recovery Plans for BES Cyber Systems

    RRC-CIP-009

    In Progress

  9. Configuration Change Management and Vulnerability

    RRC-CIP-010

    In Progress

  10. Information Protection

    RRC-CIP-011

    In Progress

  11. Communications between Control Centers

    RRC-CIP-012

    In Progress

  12. Supply Chain Risk Management

    RRC-CIP-013

    In Progress

  13. Physical Security

    RRC-CIP-014

    In Progress

  14. Internal Network Security Monitoring

    RRC-CIP-015

    In Progress

(INT) Interchange Scheduling and Coordination (1)

  1. Evaluation of Interchange Transactions

    RRC-INT-006-1

    RCA Review

Interconnection Process (1)

  1. Interconnection Process

    RRC-Interconnection Process-001

    Upcoming

(PRC) Protection and Control (1)

  1. Automatic Underfrequency Load Shedding

    RRC-PRC-006

    Upcoming

(RC) Reliability Coordinator (1)

  1. Reliability Coordinator

    RRC-RC-001 - Reliability Coordinator

    Board Approved

(RES) Reserve Policy (1)

  1. Reserve Scheduling

    RRC-RES-001

    Upcoming

(TPL) Transmission Planning (1)

  1. Transmission System Performance Requirements

    RRC-TPL-001

    In Progress

(VAR) Voltage and Reactive (2)

  1. Voltage and Reactive Control

    RRC-VAR-001-1

    Board Approved

  2. Generator Operation for Maintaining Network Voltage Schedules

    RRC-VAR-002-1

    Board Approved

Standards Currently Under Review by the Regulatory Commission of Alaska

These standards have completed the TAC development process and received Board approval. They have been filed with the Regulatory Commission of Alaska and are awaiting approval before taking effect.

Frequency Response and Bias

This standard requires sufficient Frequency Response from the Balancing Authority (BA) to maintain Interconnection Frequency within predefined bounds by arresting frequency deviations and supporting frequency until the frequency is restored to its scheduled value. It also provides consistent methods for measuring Frequency Response and determining the Frequency Bias Setting.

View & Comment on Frequency Response and Bias

Standard Developments In Progress

The RRC is actively developing these standards through working group meetings. Once a standard is finalized, it is submitted to the RRC Board of Directors for approval, then filed with the Regulatory Commission of Alaska (RCA) for review. After the RCA approves it, the standard takes effect.

Security Management Controls

This standard specifies consistent and sustainable security management controls that establish responsibility and accountability to protect Bulk Electric Systems (BES) Cyber Systems (BCS) against compromise that could lead to misoperation or instability in the Railbelt Region BES.

5 days until Board Action.

View & Comment on Security Management Controls

Personnel and Training

This standard minimizes the risk against compromise that could lead to misoperation or instability in the Bulk Electric System (BES) from individuals accessing BES Cyber Systems by requiring an appropriate level of personnel risk assessment, training, security awareness, and access management in support of protecting BES Cyber Systems.

5 days until Board Action.

View & Comment on Personnel and Training

Configuration Change Management and Vulnerability

This standard prevents and detects unauthorized changes to BES Cyber Systems by specifying configuration change management and vulnerability assessment requirements in support of protecting BES Cyber Systems from compromise that could lead to misoperation or instability in the Bulk Electric System (BES).

View & Comment on Configuration Change Management and Vulnerability

Information Protection

This standard prevents unauthorized access to BES Cyber System Information (BCSI) by specifying information protection requirements in support of protecting BES Cyber Systems against compromise that could lead to misoperation or instability in the Bulk Electric System (BES).

5 days until Board Action.

View & Comment on Information Protection

Physical Security

This standard identifies and protects Transmission stations and Transmission substations, and their associated primary control centers, that if rendered inoperable or damaged as a result of a physical attack could result in instability, uncontrolled separation, or Cascading within an Interconnection.

View & Comment on Physical Security

Transmission System Performance Requirements

This standard establishes Transmission system planning performance requirements within the planning horizon to develop a System that will operate reliably over a broad spectrum of conditions and following a wide range of probable Contingencies applicable to the portions of the Bulk Electrical System (BES) used to supply power to or from major load and generation centers.

View & Comment on Transmission System Performance Requirements

Alaska Voluntary Consensus Standards

In 2018, the Railbelt utilities voluntarily adopted a set of jointly developed reliability standards. While not the RRC’s official standards, these often serve as the foundation for RRC standards development.