20150812AVU to Staff 37.doc

AVISTA CORPORATION
RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

JURISDICTION: IDAHO DATE PREPARED: 07/30/2015
CASE NO.: AVU-E-15-05/AVU-G-15-01 WITNESS: Bryan Cox
REQUESTER: IPUC RESPONDER: Garth Brandon
TYPE: Production Request DEPARTMENT: Transmission Operations
REQUEST NO.: Staff - 037 TELEPHONE: [phone]

REQUEST:

With respect to the Northwest Power Pool (NWPP) cost increase (See Cox DI pg. 4, line 18), please answer the following questions:
What caused the annual increases from the current contributions, and how are they determined?
Did the amounts change with the recently signed 2015 agreement? Please explain.
Do Company operators obtain NERC certification credits via the NWPP training? If so, what are the estimated savings to the Company for taking advantage of this service?
Did Company staff participate in the NWPP Energy Emergency Plan (EEP) training (May 13, 2015)? If so, did this training compliment or replace any Company-sponsored emergency response training?
Are any of the cost increases associated with the Market Assessment and Coordination Committee (MC) Initiative? Please explain.
Does the Company intend to explore Energy Imbalance Market (EIM) opportunities via other means (i.e., join the California/PacifiCorp EIM)? Please explain.
Please explain whether the Company has utilized the NWPP reserves, including the frequency, specific times, and quantities over the past 5 years.
Please explain whether the Company plans to utilize the NWPP reserves, including the frequency specific times, and quantities for the next three years.

RESPONSE:

Recent annual increases in NWPP dues have been due to staff increases at NWPP to address upcoming retirements as well as development of the NWPP Online Training. Dues are assessed to each member, and dues are determined by the standing committee operating plans. These operating plans are approved by the standing committees at the NWPP.
To our knowledge a 2015 agreement with NWPP does not exist at this time. Dues are assessed to each member, and dues are determined by the standing committee operating plans. These operating plans are approved by the standing committees at the NWPP.
Avista utilizes NWPP Training for NERC certification credits. The advantage of this is that no travel is required, and no additional cost for the courses is incurred. For 2015 Avista System Operators received 108 CEH’s from the NWPP training programs. This equates to approximately $8,100.00 in savings.
Several Avista System Operators did participate in the NWPP Energy Emergency Plan (EEP) training on May 13, 2015. This training does complement, not replace, any Company-Sponsored emergency response training.
None of the NWPP costs included in Mr. Cox’s testimony are associated with the NWPP Market Assessment and Coordination Committee (MC) Initiative. The costs associated with the NWPP MC Initiative are included as Company Power Supply costs. The NWPP acts as a billing agent for the NWPP MC Initiative but doesn’t perform any of the work for the MC initiative. The NWPP costs associated with this item are for actual costs incurred by the NWPP staff to support normal NWPP efforts.
See response to staff PR 57 for discussion on the evaluation of joining the CAISO EIM.
Avista utilizes NWPP Reserve Sharing as necessary to address contingencies. NWPP Reserve Sharing is utilized in an ongoing basis to reduce the contingency reserve required due to the pooling of reserves among NWPP members. Rather than carrying contingency reserve to cover Avista’s Most Severe Single Contingency, Avista carries contingency reserve calculated on 3% of load plus 3% of generation, which is generally much lower than the Most Severe Single Contingency. Contingency events occur, in general, ten to twenty times per year.
Date Time Outage MW Loss MW RSG 01/28/2015 03:49:42 Coyote Springs #2 182 130 02/17/2015 05:13:10 Lancaster 195 75 03/03/2015 14:25:14 Colstrip #3 108 50 03/26/2015 12:11:07 Lancaster 235 160 04/01/2015 07:12:49 Lancaster 95 10 06/14/2015 18:06:10 Lancaster 248 200 06/16/2015 14:13:34 Lancaster 143 65 07/15/2015 04:20:42 Colstrip #3 90 32 Total 8 Date Time Outage MW Loss MW RSG 02/08/2014 14:26:06 Coyote Springs #2 272 4 07/03/2014 13:42:49 Colstrip #4 107 36 07/07/2014 10:27:05 Colstrip #3 107 10 08/22/2014 23:52:14 Colstrip #3 108 120 09/11/2014 09:18:50 Noxon #1 & #2 140 80 09/18/2014 02:31:45 Colstrip #3 81 40 09/19/2014 21:51:05 Colstrip #3 108 160 09/23/2014 12:03:16 Noxon #5 200 130 09/24/2014 02:20:29 Colstrip #3 108 62 09/25/2014 00:41:47 Colstrip #3 75 100 10/18/2014 03:27:21 Colstrip #3 117 53 11/04/2014 08:33:22 Coyote Springs #2 240 200 11/20/2014 03:07:28 Lancaster 187 130 12/28/2014 03:11:38 Noxon #2 70 15 Total 14 Date Time Outage MW Loss MW RSG 02/25/2013 22:22:45 Coyote Springs #2 273 175 03/05/2013 06:33:50 Coyote Springs #2 272 200 03/22/2013 09:54:06 Noxon #4 & #5 95 5 03/31/2013 18:07:56 Colstrip #3 107 31 04/29/2013 10:58:28 Colstrip #4 107 10 05/01/2013 00:17:16 Colstrip #3 107 20 05/05/2013 22:15:48 Lancaster 47 12 05/17/2013 11:46:18 Colstrip #3 108 20 06/11/2013 19:45:02 Lancaster 200 150 07/01/2013 10:27:42 Lancaster 223 130 07/01/2013 11:46:10 Noxon #1 & #2 154 140 07/01/2013 21:21:15 Colstrip #4 118 20 07/03/2013 17:06:49 Lancaster 216 130 07/03/2013 12:20:02 Lancaster 245 154 08/13/2013 16:59:50 Cabinet 230 bus 130 30 08/21/2013 09:04:10 Lancaster 256 200 08/24/2013 22:17:42 Lancaster 228 160 09/01/2013 17:45:14 Lancaster 238 180 10/13/2013 09:08:10 Coyote Springs #2 290 280 10/15/2013 11:24:26 Coyote Springs #2 290 110 11/13/2013 15:54:40 Lancaster 243 180 12/09/2013 09:40:20 Colstrip #3 106 25 Total 22 Date Time Outage MW Loss MW RSG 01/03/2012 08:40:58 Lancaster 248 165 01/12/2012 11:55:11 Lancaster 274 230 01/18/2012 16:23:14 Lancaster 273 190 04/06/2012 09:39:30 Coyote Springs #2 281 165 04/13/2012 05:51:27 Lancaster 240 125 04/25/2012 21:47:29 Lancaster 185 110 05/04/2012 06:58:30 Colstrip #4 103 52 07/03/2012 00:25:47 Noxon #1 & #2 159 110 07/07/2012 00:15:07 Lancaster 54 27 07/12/2012 17:11:38 Lancaster 189 120 07/14/2012 12:19:09 Lancaster 187 100 07/27/2012 07:09:50 Box Canyon 62 25 08/24/2012 17:44:36 Lancaster 254 200 09/07/2012 22:31:28 Lancaster 238 160 10/01/2012 01:30:16 Colstrip #3 105 100 Total 15 Date Time Outage MW Loss MW RSG 01/13/2011 07:40:37 Colstrip #3 96 10 03/01/2011 07:32:47 Noxon #5 100 35 04/30/2011 16:26:28 Cabinet 230 bus 243 180 05/18/2011 08:21:30 Noxon #2 76 41 06/21/2011 13:26:47 Lancaster 251 200 06/21/2011 12:56:59 Coyote Springs #2 130 10 07/21/2011 00:34:46 Cabinet 230 bus 257 200 07/27/2011 07:14:40 Cabinet 230 bus 262 270 07/30/2011 02:19:40 Colstrip #3 124 80 08/10/2011 08:46:07 Colstrip #3 & #4 217 160 08/28/2011 13:08:45 Colstrip #3 & #4 60 10 08/29/2011 07:29:16 Colstrip #2 & #4 108 23 08/31/2011 18:10:47 Lancaster 231 164 09/21/2011 10:16:58 Coyote Springs #2 285 220 09/23/2011 10:38:11 Colstrip #4 106 42 10/03/2011 00:35:32 Colstrip #3 106 120 10/29/2011 10:40:06 Noxon #1 98 32 Total 17 Date Time Outage MW Loss MW RSG 01/12/2010 07:21:46 Cabinet #2 75 20 01/19/2010 17:17:09 Coyote Springs #2 260 180 01/27/2010 16:56:54 Cabinet #2 122 5 03/07/2010 00:19:04 Coyote Springs #2 275 275 04/06/2010 03:01:26 Coyote Springs #2 216 70 04/15/2010 01:12:01 Colstrip #3 108 68 04/17/2010 02:56:01 Colstrip #4 104 60 04/27/2010 04:19:20 Colstrip #3 104 95 05/14/2010 19:53:10 Colstrip #3 104 20 08/25/2010 13:32:24 Coyote Springs #2 276 230 10/31/2010 20:52:52 Colstrip #4 108 50 Total 11
Avista plans to continue to utilize NWPP contingency reserve sharing as it has in the past, with no changes.

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