Updates
June 23, 2015
Modeling Practices Workshop
The NATF held a modeling practices workshop in June. Topics included TPL-001-4, dynamic load modeling, CIP-014-1 R2 (third-party verification of transmission risk assessment), modeling tools for cascading analysis, solar facility integration, NATF Modeling Reference Document – Reporting and Verification of Generating Unit Reactive Power Capability for Synchronous Machines, and parallel runs in PSS/E.
June 12, 2015
NATF-EPRI-INPO Nuclear Plant Offsite Power Reliability Summit
The NATF, EPRI, and INPO held a joint Nuclear Plant Offsite Power Reliability Summit in May. The summit focused on challenges and projects affecting grid resiliency, reliability, and power delivery to nuclear power plants. Topics included relevant activities of the NATF, EPRI, and INPO; collaboration between nuclear generators and grid operations; safety; and operating experiences.
May 26, 2015
May Member Newsletter Posted
The NATF’s May newsletter has been posted to the member site. Article topics include human performance, lessons learned, operating experience, metrics, misoperations, CIP-014, physical security, training, and various activity updates.
May 22, 2015
Joint Compliance-Security Workshop
The NATF held a joint compliance practices and security practices workshop last week. Topics included internal controls design, testing and application, risk areas for compliance and security, and cyber and physical security implementation.
April 29, 2015
System Protection Workshop
The NATF System Protection Practices Group held its annual workshop in April. Topics included human performance error reduction, working group project updates, NERC standards under development updates, minimum approach distance calculations, and cyber and physical security.
April 24, 2015
Human Performance Symposium
The NATF held its 2015 human performance symposium last week. Topics included human performance plan development and implementation, just culture, root cause analysis tools, and member activities.
April 06, 2015
March Board and Members Meetings
The NATF held its quarterly board and members meetings in March. Members approved the NATF’s Strategic Plan 2015-2019 and ratified four new members. Focus topics included operating experience, human performance, physical security, system protection, and resiliency.
February 20, 2015
February Member Newsletter Posted
The NATF’s February newsletter has been posted to the member site. The articles cover misoperations, CIP-014, nuclear off-site power, physical security, lessons learned, operating experience, metrics, and other updates. For members with site access, click here to review.
December 21, 2014
December Board and Members Meetings
The NATF held its quarterly board and members meetings in December. Focus topics included operating experience, peer reviews, assistance, resiliency, and security.
November 30, 2014
Fall Workshops
The NATF hosted a number of member workshops and meetings this fall. Topics included vegetation management, security, resiliency, transmission-nuclear power plant interface, and cold weather preparation.
September 29, 2014
September Board and Members Meetings
The NATF held a board meeting and its annual members meetings in September. Members approved a long-term operational plan and 2015 business plan and budget, elected new board members, and discussed a range of industry topics, including operating experience and human performance.
September 02, 2014
New Equipment Performance & Maintenance Working Group
The NATF is built on the principle that open and candid exchange of information among its members is the key to improving the reliability of the transmission systems in the U.S. and Canada. The NATF’s Practices Program achieves this principle by conducting monthly web meetings and high-quality workshops and by facilitating the development of NATF practices and principles of operating excellence.
Through its Practices Program and other areas, the NATF continually monitors emerging issues that have the potential to affect the reliability of members’ electric transmission systems and focuses efforts on helping members address those issues.
As part of the NATF’s long-range operational plan to identify priorities over the next five years, members agree on the need for increased emphasis and dedication of resources regarding (1) transmission and substation equipment performance, (2) equipment asset management, and (3) spare equipment for critical facilities.
In response, members have formed an Equipment Performance & Maintenance Working Group, under the NATF Practices Program, to share ideas and operating experiences related to these three topics. The working group will collect and analyze equipment performance and asset management data, and develop associated NATF practices to promote reliability excellence.
To expedite the development of products and prevent duplication of effort, the NATF working group will collaborate with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), which has been collecting equipment performance data on transmission assets since 1998.
September 02, 2014
Training Workshop
The NATF held its annual train-the-trainer workshop last week.
August 27, 2014
NATF Increases Focus on Grid Resiliency
“Reliability” is at the core of the NATF’s mission and vision, but an increasingly important focus area for us is “resiliency.” These two areas are interwoven, with reliability improvements centered on keeping the lights on and resiliency efforts geared towards preparing for, operating through, and recovering from severe events.
To better coordinate ongoing efforts, the NATF has created a “Resiliency” initiative. Formal NATF initiatives are large, multi-discipline projects designed to address important industry concerns or issues. This new initiative incorporates previous topics of as GMD and EMP with severe weather, security (cyber and physical), and other hazards that could impact the transmission system.
In order to leverage industry resources as efficiently as possible, the NATF has been coordinating with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) on resiliency-related meetings and workshops. This year’s culminating activity is a joint NATF/EPRI Resiliency Summit to be held in October for members of both organizations and invited guests. The summit will focus on policy discussions and technical topics to sharpen NATF/EPRI efforts in using a new matrix designed to capture and guide our work products.
June 26, 2014
June Board and Members Meetings
The NATF held its quarterly board and members meetings this month. Members discussed current and proposed NATF activities and exchanged information on topics such as security, human performance, and asset management.
June 09, 2014
Modeling Workshop
The NATF’s Modeling Practices Group held its annual workshop last week.
June 02, 2014
Transmission-NPP Interface Practices Group Workshop
The NATF’s Transmission-Nuclear Power Plant Interface Practices Group (one of the NATF’s newer groups) held a workshop last week.
May 19, 2014
System Protection and Security Workshops
Two NATF groups held workshops last week. The System Operations Practices Group held its annual workshop, and the Security Practices Group held its spring workshop.
May 12, 2014
System Operations Workshop
The NATF’s System Operations Practices Group held its annual workshop last week.
April 28, 2014
Spring Compliance Workshop
The NATF’s Compliance Practices Group held its spring workshop last week.