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Published: April 19, 2021
Fourth Amended and Restated Order 1000 Functional Agreement
ColumbiaGrid’s Stakeholders and Interested Parties: On March 3, 2016, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“Commission”) conditionally accepted, subject to revision, the portions of the Third Amended and Restated Order 1000 Functional Agreement (“Agreement”) that were included in the jurisdictional transmission providers’ (i.e. Avista Corporation and Puget Sound Energy) Attachment K’s of their Open Access Transmission Tariffs (OATT’s). The Commission further directed the jurisdictional transmission providers to file a revised Agreement, incorporating the Commission’s directives, with the Commission within 30 days of the ruling.
On April 4, the jurisdictional transmission providers made their compliance filings to comply with the March 3 Commission ruling. A combined notice of filings can be found at http://elibrary.FERC.gov/idmws/file_list.asp?accession_num=20160404-3027 and includes docket numbers:
Puget Sound Energy – (ER13-99-008 / ER15-429-004)
“It has been a very long regulatory process, however, with the most recent round of modifications to the Agreement, we are optimistic that the Commission will finally accept the Agreement as fully conforming to the regional Order 1000 transmission planning requirements,” said Patrick Damiano, ColumbiaGrid’s president and CEO. In 2014, ColumbiaGrid’s jurisdictional transmission providers had already received The Commission’s acceptance of their compliance with the interregional Order 1000 transmission planning requirements. “I admire the diligence, collaboration, and patience of ColumbiaGrid’s planning parties in working through the long regulatory process,” added Mr. Damiano . ColumbiaGrid has been providing regional and interregional Order 1000 transmission planning since January of 2015. Order 1000 transmission planning is another example of how ColumbiaGrid is fulfilling its mission in providing services that help ColumbiaGrid’s Members and planning parties solve complex issues related to grid planning and expansion.
Background: The Commission issued its final rule Transmission Planning and Cost Allocation by Transmission Owning and Operating Public Utilities, Order No. 1000, on July 21, 2011, which required the jurisdictional transmission providers that are parties to the PEFA to make certain changes to the transmission planning and cost allocation provisions of their respective planning attachment in their OATT. These jurisdictional transmission providers submitted their corresponding compliance filings, including revisions to PEFA, on October 11, 2012. On June 20, 2013, the Commission directed additional revisions to the open access transmission tariffs of the jurisdictional transmission providers and conditionally accepted the proposed revisions to the PEFA, subject to further revisions. Compliance with the Commission’s directives in the June 20, 2021 order necessitated the development of the Order 1000 Functional Agreement by and among the jurisdictional transmission providers who filed their compliance letters with the Commission by December 17, 2013. Compliance with the Commission’s directives in the September 18, 2014, order necessitated the development of the First Amended and Restated Order 1000 Functional Agreement by and among the jurisdictional transmission providers who filed their compliance letters with the Commission by November 17, 2014. Compliance with the Commission’s directives in the May 14, 2015, order necessitated the development of the Second Amended and Restated Order 1000 Functional Agreement by and among ColumbiaGrid and the jurisdictional transmission providers, who filed their compliance letters with the Commission by June 15, 2015. Compliance with the Commission’s directives in the October 22, 2015, order necessitated the development of the Third Amended and Restated Order 1000 Functional Agreement, by and among ColumbiaGrid and the jurisdictional transmission providers, who filed their compliance letters with the Commission by November 23, 2015. Compliance with the Commission’s directives in the March 3, 2016, order necessitated the development of the Fourth Amended and Restated Order 1000 Functional Agreement, by and among ColumbiaGrid and the jurisdictional transmission providers, who filed their compliance letters with the Commission on April 4, 2016. MATL LLP was also subject to the March 3 FERC order, but had withdrawn from ColumbiaGrid’s Order 1000 process as of March 31 and, as such, is not a party to the Fourth Amended and Restated Order 1000 Functional Agreement.
ColumbiaGrid, a non-profit membership corporation, was formed in 2006 to improve the operational efficiency, reliability, and planned expansion of the northwest transmission grid. The members are Avista Corp., Bonneville Power Administration, Chelan County PUD, Grant County PUD, Puget Sound Energy, Seattle City Light, Snohomish County PUD and Tacoma Power. Cowlitz PUD, Douglas County PUD, and MATL LLP are non-member participants in grid expansion planning.
