On Friday, June 15, 2012, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) will hold a joint meeting at FERC’s headquarters to continue ongoing discussions to address grid reliability and the roles of the respective agencies in addressing this issue.
On September 2, 2009, the NRC and FERC signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to facilitate actions between the agencies on matters of mutual interest pertaining to the nation’s electric power grid reliability and nuclear power plants, including the coordination of activities related to cybersecurity. The MOA followed several meetings that began after the August 2003 blackout in the Eastern Interconnection that shut down nine U.S. nuclear plants.
Under the MOA, the NRC’s Electrical Engineering Branch (EEEB) in the Division of Engineering, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation is responsible for evaluating the design and operation of the electric power grid systems with regard to the following:
- The inter-relationship between the nuclear power generating unit, the utility offsite electric power grid and interconnecting grids, and
- The reliability and integrity of the electric power grid as it relates to nuclear power plant safety.
In addition, the EEEB is tasked with coordinating its implementation of action plans for addressing grid concerns with FERC’s Office of Electricity Reliability.
Click here for the MOA between FERC and the NRC.