Case Details

- Case Details:

Case Number:

2013-00415

Case Status:

Closed

Utility/Industry Type :

Electric

Utility/Industry Subtype :

Transmission and Distribution Utilities (T and Ds)

Case Type :

COMMISSION INITIATED

Case Subtype :

INQUIRY

Pertaining to Utility/Company :

PUBLIC UTILITIES COM-O

Case Title :

COMMISSION INITIATED INQUIRY INTO MEASURES TO MITIGATE THE EFFECTS OF GEOMAGNETIC DISTURBANCES AND ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE ON THE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM IN MAINE

Initiating Filer :

COMMISSION, MPUC

Case Start Date :

8/8/2013

Assigned Staff :

Lisa.Fink,
Michael.Simmons

View Case References

Filings (53) Data Requests (0)Public Comments (39) Active Party and Notification List (13) Assigned Staff (2)

Item No.	Date Filed	Description Of Filing	Filing Party	Filed By	No of Attachments	Deleted Filings
53	3/12/2017	W.R. Harris Statement to EUT Committee of Maine State Legislature: four EHV transformers damaged or destroyed in solar storms, 2 in Maine, are at sites exempt from protective equipment mandates. Maine needs a Maine standard using Maine data.	FOUNDATION FOR RESILIENT - SOCIETIES	Harris, William R.	1
52	1/6/2015	Report	Faxvog (Emprrimus LLC), Fred R	Faxvog (Emprrimus LLC), Fred R	1
51	12/23/2014	2014-12-23 CMP Final Report on GMD-EMP (2013-415)	CENTRAL MAINE POWER COMPANY	Regulatory Administration, Debra Mills	2
50	12/20/2014	Comments of Senator David Miramant	Miramant, Senator David	Miramant, Senator David	1
49	12/17/2014	Articles by K Forbes & C St Cyr showing potential economic benefits of blocking GICs during modestr & minor solar storms, including reduce % off-cost sales, reduced need for reactive power facilities & use, reduced transmission congestion.	FOUNDATION FOR RESILIENT - SOCIETIES	Harris, William R.	4
48	12/17/2014	William Radasky, CEO of Metatech Corp. and a national expert on GMD & EMP, provides an overview of high voltage grid protection. Worth citing in MPUC Report.	FOUNDATION FOR RESILIENT - SOCIETIES	Harris, William R.	1
47	12/17/2014	Thomas, et al. is an economic overview of reactive power markets. Must invest before need; neutral blockers can reduce $ costs & need for reactive power in solar storms. MPUC should quantify benefits of averted reactive power by adding GIC blockers.	FOUNDATION FOR RESILIENT - SOCIETIES	Harris, William R.	1
46	12/17/2014	Forbes & St Cyr Review Texas (ERCOT) market during GMD events. Balancing errors require redispatch; and higher elec. & gas costs. Hence, ISO-NE should review all Chester, Maine SVC trips 1991 - present & identify redispatch costs affecting Maine.	FOUNDATION FOR RESILIENT - SOCIETIES	Harris, William R.	1
45	12/17/2014	2-part solar storm Nov 8-9 1998 vibrated bolt (after 3000+ op. days), melted 345 kV transformer, caused redispatch to Maine, NH & MA for 12.2 days. No GIC monitors, misreported. See Harris Rpt (2012) and Bjornson Cost est. of $32+ million dollars.	FOUNDATION FOR RESILIENT - SOCIETIES	Harris, William R.	2
44	12/17/2014	Schrijver & Mitchell Study (2013) shows that about 4% of "system disturbances" in NERC-DOE databases for 1992-2010 are solar storm-linked, but not so reported. ISO-NE claim of no redispatch for GMD is both improbable & unsupported by Docket evidence.	FOUNDATION FOR RESILIENT - SOCIETIES	Harris, William R.	1

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Posted By	Posted Date	Comments	Attachment(s)
andrea boland Email ID:sixwings@metrocast.net	12/29/2016	Please see attachment	STATE OF MAINEDocket . 2013-0415 dec. 2016.docx
andrea boland Email ID:sixwings@metrocast.net	12/29/2016	STATE OF MAINE Docket No. 2013-0415 PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION COMMENTS OF THE HONORABLE ANDREA M. BOLAND December 27, 2016 Re: GEOMAGNETIC DISTURBANCE STUDY REPORT REVIEW And CENTRAL MAINE POWER'S PAPER ENTITLED: GEOMAGNETIC DISTURBANCE FLOWS IN THE CMP TRANSMISSION SYSTEM (See attach)
William R. Harris 52 Technology Way Nashua, NH03060 Email ID:williamrharris@yahoo.com Phone No. :978-255-2203	12/29/2016	The Foundation for Resilient Societies urges both Central Maine Power and the Maine Public Utilities Commission to promptly execute revisions to the CMP Model for geomagnetic disturbance hazard modeling and mitigation plans: first, to comply with the LD131 legislation to also include protection against man-made EMP hazards. With respect to geomagnetic disturbance hazards and mitigation plans, the CMP model should not rely on the NERC model, which is not consistent with the empirical record of solar storm hazards in Maine. The CMP model should be revised to be consistent with the record of higher GIC readings, transformer trips, and actual damage and loss of at least two 345 kV transformers at a coastal site (Wiscasset, ME) where no transformer hardware protection is now proposed to protect against higher magnitude GMD events than the ones that destroyed transformers in lower magnitude solar storms. If neither CMP nor the Maine PUC require modeling reforms to provide prudent protection of the Maine transmission and distribution system, and more reliable transmisson into other New England states, and to provide cost-benefit comparison of reactive power reductions via (lower cost) neutral ground blocker installations which reduce demand for reactive power, versus additional purchase of (far higher cost) reactive power equipment, with risks of system collapse due to a reactive power shortage in solar storms, should the other five New England states prudently seek cost recovery of the 92% share of Maine Power Reliability Program costs that they now pay?	Resilient Societies Comments on CMP GMD Report.pdf
William R. Harris 52 Technology Way Nashua, NH03060 Email ID:williamrharris@yahoo.com Phone No. :978-255-2203	12/29/2016	The Foundation for Resilient Societies appreciates the opportunity to file Comments to CMP authors of a Nov 2016 Draft Report on modeling and mitigation of geomagnetic disturbance risks to the Maine electric transmission system. Unfortunately, CMP and the Maine PUC have never complied with the LD131 legislative mandate to assess vulnerabilities and mitigation options for both solar geomagnetic (GMD) and man-made electromagnetic pulse (EMP) hazards. If that had been done, CMP would most likely order neutral ground blocking devices for 16 345 kV transformers, and far lower cost ($26K per transformer) equipment to block ultra-fast E1 EMP pulses. CMP has reduced the report scope to just GMD, and limited the hazard assessments to the deficient NERC Standard TPL-007-1 and Model. As a result, the November 2016 Draft CMP Report is inconsistent with (substantially higher) actual geomagnetic induced currents recorded in Maine GMD events between June 1991 and 2016. The model should be adapted to be consistent with higher GICs and transformer "trips" during actual solar storms experienced in Maine. The Report should include a "coastal effect" because in moderate solar storms Maine has experienced total loss of 2 coastal-sited 345 kV transformers (sites X-14 and X-16); yet this same site is improperly exempted from mandatory GMD hardware protection? The NERC model is falsified by actual loss of Maine-based GSU transformers in solar storms, evidence of major coastal effect & improper use of the NERC latitudinal "alpha" factor. The NERC model is illogical, anti-scientific, and inappropriate for Maine. If CMP and/or Maine's PUC do not mandate modification of CMP's GMD model for Maine to conform to Maine experience, data, and transformer damage & if Maine does not compare cost-benefits of neutral ground blockers versus costlier reactive power equipment, should other New England states seek to recover the 92% of the Maine Power Reliabilty Program costs they now subsidize?	Resilient Societies Comments on CMP GMD Report.pdf
Frederick R Faxvog Ph.D. 1660 S Hwy 100, Suite 130 Minneapolis, MN55416 Email ID:ffaxvog@emprimus.com Phone No. :952-545-2051 Extn: 2011	1/28/2015	Please see the attached file.	Reply to ISO NE comments FF.pdf
Alberto Raul Ramirez Orquin PHD 224 Stefani Mayaguez, PR00680 Email ID:ramirezorquin@aol.com Phone No. :682-232-9252	1/15/2015	Beyond the NEISO comments on line loading let me add on the voltage theme. In the past, some authors have loosely referred to voltage collapse as in these reports, and even in GMDTF documents, as a voltage profile violation, conceivably the result of a VAR-shortage contingency ; as long as that is clear, and it does not implies a misconception, I do not have problem. However, the orthodoxy distinctly reflects something conceptually different; indeed, voltage collapse as the unfavorable outcome of a system voltage instability phenomenon, typically causing a full blackout. This is generally assessed running a voltage stability study, most likely using the PV method; actually I was quite surprised when the said TF drafting team did not seem to be aware of that at all. I bring this because voltage stability could be an issue omitted at the GMD/EMP system impact analysis. Moreover, a fact to stress is that the role of reactive power plays erratically and may even work at some critical buses in a reverse way i.e. a VAR supply may cause voltage dips and vice versa. Anyway I recognize this is a very complex problem, yet probably one of the most serious facing the power grid today. Furthermore, I believe we are far from being able to believe we have the GMD/EMP impact under control, and even worse, that we can undergo optimization routines, simply by overusing friendly software, leading to conclusive results that clearly set a far overreach.
Michael S. Giaimo ISO New England 1 Sullivan Rad Holyoke, MA 01040 Email ID: mgiaimo@iso-ne.com Phone No.: 413-535-4000	1/14/2015	The following comment is offered relative to one discrete comment in Emprimus' report in docket 2013-00415. The Emprimus report presumption that interfaces at 90% or less will have no further adjustments made is inaccurate. (See page 38 of Emprimus report which states ?it is presumed that any interface already at 90% or less will have no further adjustments, this make [sic] the operating procedure useless?). It is wrong to presume that system operators will take only one action, reducing interface flows to 90% or less, and not re-evaluate throughout the event to re-dispatch the system as system conditions change. Accordingly, the language included in the Emprimus report is a misrepresentation of the application of ISO New England operating procedures.
Fred R Faxvog (Emprrimus LLC) 1660 S Hwy 100, Suite 130 Minneapolis, MN 55416, MN55416 Email ID:ffaxvog@emprimus.com Phone No. :763-222-9830	1/6/2015	Report: Effects of GMD & EMP on the State of Maine Power Grid January 2, 2015 Corrected January 5, 2015 See Attached Document	Emprimus Report 1- 5- 2015 Final Document.pdf
Alberto Raul Ramirez Orquin PHD 224 Stefani Mayaguez, PR00680 Email ID:ramirezorquin@aol.com Phone No. :682-232-9252	12/23/2014	Please see attachments	Comment.pdf Arrester GIC Mitigation.pdf
William R. Harris 52 Technology Way Nashua, NH03060 Email ID:williamrharris@yahoo.com Phone No. :978-255-2203	12/12/2014	This is a request by William R. Harris, Secretary, Foundation for Resilient Societies for the Maine PUC Staff to substitute the Corrected Document (in Word) filed by W R Harris on December 12, 2014, with technical corrections, for the earlier version filed at 4:58 p.m., also on Dec. 12, 2014. The 2nd Word document corrects spelling errors and includes more appropriate engineering terms. The PDF file containing analysis by John Kappenman, earlier filed by the Electric Indfrastructure Security Council inthe same docket on October 4, 2013, is unchanged and is refiled as an Appendix to the Resilient Societies Comment of December 12, 2014, in part because of Commentator proposal that this Report, or sections 3 & 4 of the Report be included in the Final MPUC Report to the state legislature.

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Notification List Active Party List

Name of Person/Company	Representing Company	Mailing Address	Email/Phone/Fax
Birnbach MR, Curtis		11 Edmond Rd Newtown CT 06470	Email ID: cbirnbach@advfusion.com Phone Ph: 203-270-9700 Extn: 101 Fax:
boland, andrea			Email ID: sixwings@metrocast.net Phone Fax:
Boland, Rep. Andrea		ME	Email ID: sixwings@metrocast.net Phone Fax:
Faxvog Ph.D., Frederick R		1660 S Hwy 100, Suite 130 Minneapolis MN 55416	Email ID: ffaxvog@emprimus.com Phone Ph: 952-545-2051 Extn: 2011 Fax: Fax: 952-545-2216
Guzzetti, Jean		ME	Email ID: jean.guzzetti@legislature.maine.gov Phone Fax:
Harris, William R.		52 Technology Way Nashua NH 03060	Email ID: williamrharris@yahoo.com Phone Ph: 978-255-2203 Fax: Fax: 603-595-2228
Laracy Sr., Michael Kevin		91 Chestnut Street Foxborough MA 02035	Email ID: mklaracy@verizon.net Phone Ph: 508-543-1475 Fax:
Manto, Charles Leo		230 Baltimore Ave Cumberland 21502	Email ID: cmanto@stop-emp.com Phone Ph: 410-991-1469 Fax: Fax: 410-991-1469
Miller, Monica			Email ID: miller@centerforsecuritypolicy.org Phone Fax:
Ramirez Orquin PHD, Alberto Raul		224 Stefani RUM Mayaguez PR 00680	Email ID: ramirezorquin@aol.com Phone Ph: 682-232-9252 Fax:

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Staff Name	Role
Fink, Lisa	Staff Analyst
Simmons, Michael	Staff Analyst

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