Regional Electric Reliability Councils Form ReliabilityFirst Corporation
LRRC Initiative Takes a New Name and Moves Forward
Dover, DE — Four regional electric reliability councils took another major step toward creating a new, larger electric reliability council in the Mid-Atlantic and Central United States by forming ReliabilityFirst Corporation. ReliabilityFirst was organized as a Delaware corporation on June 15, 2005.
ReliabilityFirst's goal is to preserve and enhance electric service reliability and security of infrastructure for the interconnected electric system in its region. Upon approval by the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC), ReliabilityFirst will replace three existing regional councils, the East Central Area Reliability Council (ECAR), Mid-America Interconnected Network (MAIN) and Mid-Atlantic Area Council (MAAC). A fourth council, the Midwest Reliability Organization (MRO), is also participating in the project. However, MRO is not part of the initial combination.
The key functions of ReliabilityFirst will be the development of regional standards for reliable planning and operation of the electric utility system and non-discriminatory compliance monitoring and enforcement of standards in its region.
The formation of ReliabilityFirst is the next step in a consolidation process which began in late 2004 and that resulted in execution of a memorandum of understanding by ECAR, MAIN, MAAC and MRO last month. Almost 100 representatives from companies across the four regions are participating in technical teams on the project. The target date for implementation of the project is January 1, 2006.
"This is a major accomplishment for all the teams working on our shared goal of electric system reliability," said Mike Core, general manager of Big Rivers Electric Coop and chairman of the executive team directing the project. "Members of all four councils are focusing on harmonized standards and uniform procedures for a stronger electric system."
More information about the ReliabilityFirst initiative is available at www.maac-rc.org/rrcboundaries.
SOURCE: ReliabilityFirst Corporation