6 - Market Participant Spotlight – Mike Brinkman, Pedernales Electric Coop, Inc
Mike Brinkman is the guest speaker, a substation and transmission maintenance manager at Pedernales Electric Coop (PEC) with over 25 years of experience.
Introduction of Pete Godswill, Program Analyst at ERCOT since November of the previous year.
Discussion on the winter 2024 inspection season and the developed Weather Emergency Preparedness Checklist.
Clarification that ERCOT will not provide any legal interpretation of the checklist.
Inspection schedule is confidential, shared only with the Commission and ERCOT.
Inspection season runs from December 2, 2024, to February 28, 2025, excluding specific holidays.
7.2 - Kevin harris - Weatherization Inspector Lead
Kevin Harris introduced himself, detailing his role with ERCOT since November 2022, covering the coastal and, recently, part of the South Central region.
Cold Weather Critical Components
Emphasized the importance of creating and reviewing the list of cold weather critical components annually.
Highlighted this being the second winter requiring compliance, referencing standard 16 TAC § 25.55 for new transmission providers.
Stressed the need for documentation showing the review and updates of the component list, with a completion date before December 1st.
Suggested using winter preparation documents and checklists for ensuring annual review compliance.
Operability Confirmation
Discussed the necessity of confirming the operability of systems with cold weather components before and during the winter season.
Gave examples of systems like DC systems, HVAC, battery, backup power, cooling, and oil systems.
Recommended periodic inspections varying from monthly to weekly, involving different personnel for diverse checks.
7.3 - Darryl Nitschke - Weatherization Inspector Lead
Introduction of Darryl Nitschke as the North Central Weather Zone inspector.
Experience in power generation with coal-fired and natural gas-fired facilities.
Explanation of 16 TAC § 25.55 (f) (1) (A) (ii) focused on SF6 gas pressure, temperature, and breaker heater inspections.
TSP need to maintain preseason and monthly inspection records for SF6 gas and heater operations.
Best practice suggestion for SF6 pressure vs. temperature charts in breaker panels.
Discussion of rule section (f) (1) (A) (iii) regarding transformer operability and heater functionality during winter weather emergencies.
Requirement for TSP to have preseason and monthly inspection records confirming transformer control cabinet heater functionality.
Inspections will verify breaker pressures and transformer control cabinet heaters.
Confirmation that transformer main oil tank levels must be appropriately checked against oil temperature.
Jake Jacobs highlighted the importance of understanding the context and purpose behind jobs, following a model learned from Decker Communications.
Recounted a personal story from 1996 to emphasize that all individuals are part of ERCOT, regardless of their role or location.
Discussed the importance of thorough inspection checklists to help market participants demonstrate compliance effectively.
Explained the inspection criteria for bushing oil levels, emphasizing the need for clear and weatherproof indicators, good integrity of bushings, and oil level visibility.
Highlighted best practices, such as trending bushing oil health, using IR scans, conducting power factor and capacitance testing, and marking hardware to detect movement.
Outlined the upcoming topic on nitrogen pressure inspection, stressing the need for detailed and separate inspection points.
Mentioned visual inspections and procedural checks, like vendor contracts for nitrogen, weatherproofing, and telemetry for remote monitoring.
Identified best practices related to nitrogen pressure inspections, including 24-hour monitoring, spare nitrogen storage, and long-term data trending.
Neil Quast is the Eastern region Weatherization Inspector for ERCOT and will also cover coastal and south central regions.
Importance of verifying proper oil quality of transformers, ensuring moisture and dissolved gasses are within acceptable ranges.
Emphasis on drawing oil samples and sending them to a lab for analysis rather than relying solely on inline monitors.
Annual requirement for drawing samples before December 1st each year, with a best practice of conducting sampling closer to the winter season.
Reviewed samples should be evaluated by engineering staff and any recommendations from lab engineers should be followed.
Best practice of using a checklist for preparedness measures to ensure training and sampling are documented and signed off.
Checklist aids in accountability and supports the signing of the Declaration of Weather Preparedness.
7.6 - Audie Proctor - Weatherization Inspector Lead
Audie Proctor is responsible for inspections in the North Weather Zone.
Emphasized the importance of addressing the wind chill factor in weather preparedness documentation.
Larger companies are generally effective at preparing and submitting data for weather inspections.
In instances where the wind chill factor does not meet applicable zone standards, additional measures need to be documented to address the gap.
The importance of a clear and effective staffing plan for TSPs was highlighted.
TSPs typically have mobile staffing plans that ensure staff can be relocated to areas with problems, rather than being stationed at substations permanently.
It's crucial to have annual reviews and necessary revisions included in the weatherization and staffing plans.
Documentation should be clear and readily available for weather inspections.
7.7 - Greg Schwierking - Weatherization Inspector Lead
Personnel related to winter weather preparations and operations need to be trained by December 1st.
The training roster, content, and trainer's signature should be provided to an inspector.
Allowances are made for exceptions, such as staff on FMLA, who must be trained upon return.
Entities are encouraged to define 'relevant personnel' by job roles to ensure consistent training.
Compliance deficiencies can be addressed before inspection or identified during inspection.
Correction of on-the-spot deficiencies is required within 72 hours.
Long-term deficiencies need a documented correction plan with a report provided after completion.
Fully qualified personnel should be present during inspections, along with compliance representatives.
Effective communication via the W&I market participant portal is crucial for inspection processes.
The portal allows scheduling, rejecting, or rescheduling inspection dates and uploading necessary documents.
Inspection-related queries can be addressed via the portal, while other queries go to specific ERCOT teams.
