Mixed Deck — All NERC Topics Flashcards
100 cards from real NERC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 20 Mixed Deck — All NERC Topics flashcards as text
Which legislation gave FERC the authority to approve and enforce mandatory electric reliability standards in the US?
Answer: The Energy Policy Act of 2005
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 amended the Federal Power Act to give FERC authority to certify an Electric Reliability Organization and enforce mandatory reliability standards.
What does "Just-in-Time" (JIT) inventory management aim to achieve?
Answer: Reduce inventory holding costs
JIT is a strategy that reduces inventory costs by ordering materials and producing goods only when needed, thus minimizing excess stock.
What is the primary concern addressed by NERC standard PRC-025?
Answer: Load-responsive generator and motor protection relay settings to prevent unnecessary tripping
PRC-025 requires that generator and motor protection relays be set so they do not operate in response to load changes that do not represent a fault condition.
What is the purpose of NERC standard PRC-019?
Answer: Coordination of voltage regulating controls with protection systems
PRC-019 requires that generator voltage regulating system controls be coordinated with the generator's protection systems to prevent conflicting operations.
Which entities are the primary applicants required to comply with NERC FAC-003 vegetation management requirements?
Answer: Transmission Owners
FAC-003 primarily applies to Transmission Owners who own bulk electric system transmission lines, typically at 200 kV and above or those designated by the Planning Coordinator.
When a Transmission Owner hires a contractor to perform vegetation management work, who retains compliance responsibility under FAC-003?
Answer: The Transmission Owner retains full compliance responsibility regardless of contractor use
FAC-003 places compliance responsibility squarely on the Transmission Owner; delegating the physical work to a contractor does not transfer or diminish the owner's regulatory accountability.
Which impact level classification under NERC CIP carries the most stringent security requirements?
Answer: High impact
High impact BES Cyber Systems face the most stringent CIP requirements, including controls for all applicable CIP standards.
Which of the following best describes the purpose of NERC's 'Operating Reliability Margin' (ORM)?
Answer: Capacity reserved by a Reliability Coordinator to account for uncertainties in real-time operations
ORM is capacity reserved by the RC to maintain reliability in the face of real-time uncertainties such as load forecast errors and equipment availability.
What is the primary purpose of NERC standard MOD-032?
Answer: Modeling data requirements for steady-state and dynamic simulations used in reliability studies
MOD-032 establishes data requirements for steady-state and dynamic models submitted to planners for BES reliability studies.
What is the maximum civil penalty FERC can impose on entities violating NERC reliability standards?
Answer: $1,000,000 per day per violation
Under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, FERC can impose civil penalties of up to $1,000,000 per day per violation.
A 'Sudden Pressure Relay' on a power transformer is primarily designed to protect against:
Answer: Internal transformer faults that produce a rapid rise in gas or oil pressure
Sudden pressure relays detect rapid pressure rises inside transformer tanks caused by internal arcing faults, providing fast fault clearing.
What is the primary goal of transmission planning?
Answer: Ensure reliable and efficient electricity delivery
Transmission planning aims to ensure that electricity is delivered reliably and efficiently from generation sources to distribution networks.
What is a primary resource in production management?
Answer: All of the above
Resources in production management include labor, machinery, and financial capital, as they are all essential for producing goods or services.
What is the purpose of a Mitigation Plan in NERC compliance?
Answer: To document how a violating entity will correct a violation and prevent recurrence
A Mitigation Plan describes the corrective actions a registered entity will take to fix a violation and prevent it from recurring.
Under NERC standards, what is the role of the 'Reliability Coordinator' (RC) in real-time operations?
Answer: Maintaining the widest area view of the system and coordinating actions to preserve reliable operation
The RC maintains a wide-area perspective on reliability and has the authority to direct Transmission Operators and Balancing Authorities to take corrective actions.
What vegetation management approach does NERC FAC-003 support that combines biological, mechanical, and chemical control methods for long-term effectiveness?
Answer: Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM)
Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM) is the approach endorsed by NERC that uses a combination of biological, mechanical, and chemical methods to manage vegetation cost-effectively and with minimal environmental impact.
Which organization provides mutual aid coordination between utilities during large-scale grid emergencies in the US?
Answer: The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) through the Mutual Assistance Program
EEI coordinates the electric utility industry's mutual assistance program, which mobilizes crews and equipment from unaffected utilities to help restore power after major events.
What does the term 'grow-in' encroachment refer to in the context of NERC transmission vegetation management?
Answer: Vegetation growing upward or laterally from within the right-of-way toward energized conductors
Grow-in describes vegetation originating within the right-of-way that grows toward energized conductors, representing the primary encroachment risk FAC-003 is designed to prevent.
What is a 'misoperation' in the context of NERC protection system standards?
Answer: Any unintended operation or failure to operate of a protection system
A misoperation is any protection system operation or failure to operate that does not match the intended design, including false trips or failure to trip during a fault.
What must a responsible entity do within 35 days under CIP-008 after a reportable Cyber Security Incident?
Answer: Submit an after-action review report
CIP-008 requires an after-action review and lessons-learned documentation submitted within 35 days of a reportable incident.