Reliability Assessment

Members of the SERC Reliability Assessment (RA) team contribute to and support several reliability data collection efforts and assessments at both the regional and North American (NERC) levels.

The RA team supports the SERC Reliability Review Subcommittee (RRS) in the creation of the Annual Report to the SERC Engineering Committee, which assesses the SERC Region’s resource adequacy and transmission system performance to verify the future reliability of the Region. The RA team also participates in the creation of the NERC Seasonal, Long-Term, and Probabilistic Assessments, as well as any special assessments and reliability data gathering efforts that NERC undertakes.

In addition to NERC Reliability Assessments, studies created from power flow and dynamic modeling are supported by the RA team and the SERC Planning Coordination Subcommittee. The Reliability Review Subcommittee utilizes this data for the NERC Summer, Winter, and Long-Term Reliability Assessments. SERC study groups produce a near term winter, summer, and long term summer seasonal forecast based on additions and retirements of bulk electric system facilities within the SERC reliability footprint.

SERC Reports and Publications

	The Reliability Review Subcommittee Annual Assessment provides an assessment of the reliability of the SERC Bulk Power System, while identifying trends, emerging issues, and potential risks for the next ten years.
	The Probabilistic Assessment  provides an assessment of the resource adequacy of the SERC Bulk Power System, while identifying trends, emerging issues, and potential risks across all hours of the year (peak and off-peak) for years two and four of the Reliability Subcommittee Annual Assessment.
	The Information Summary Brochure presents historical and projected seasonal peak-hour demand, annual net energy for load, capacity resource and other information for the SERC Region in summary form.

SERC Reliability and Planning Studies

SERC studies are conducted to evaluate the future performance of the interconnected electric transmission systems within the SERC footprint. These studies incorporate projected loads, base transfers and generation facilities as well as the interconnected transmission network configuration that is projected for the study period. As a measure of system performance these studies assess the strength of the SERC interconnected network by determining its ability to support power transfers that are incremental to the base system transfers determined by the study groups. In some instances, SERC special studies will be performed to assess the potential reliability implications and operating concerns that require additional analysis and/ or coordination.

Annual FERC 715 Data Submittal

Each transmitting utility that operates integrated transmission system facilities that are rated at or above 100 kilovolts (kV), must annually submit the Form No. 715 - Annual Transmission Planning and Evaluation Report - to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. As a FERC-approved Regional Entity, SERC files the most current information for Parts 2, 5, and 6 of the Commission's annual FERC Form 715 request on behalf of its members and Registered Entities. The cover letter for this annual submittal is provided here.