(a) Application. This section applies to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Inc. (ERCOT) and to generation entities and transmission service providers (TSPs) in the ERCOT power region.
  (1) A generation resource with an ERCOT-approved notice of suspension of operations for the summer season or winter season is not required to comply with this section until the return to service date identified in its notice of change of generation resource designation required under the ERCOT protocols.
  (2) A new or repowered resource scheduled to begin commercial operations during the summer season or winter season or a transmission facility scheduled for initial energization during the summer season or winter season must meet the requirements of this section prior to either the commissioning date established in the ERCOT interconnection process for generation resources or initial energization for transmission facilities, as applicable.
(b) Definitions. In this section, the following definitions apply unless the context indicates otherwise.
  (1) Energy storage resource--An energy storage system registered with ERCOT as an energy storage resource for the purpose of providing energy or ancillary services to the ERCOT grid and associated facilities controlled by the generation entity that are behind the system's point of interconnection, necessary for the operation of the system, and not part of a manufacturing process that is separate from the generation of electricity.
  (2) Generation entity--An ERCOT-registered resource entity acting on behalf of an ERCOT-registered generation resource or energy storage resource.
  (3) Generation resource--A generator registered with ERCOT as a generation resource and capable of providing energy or ancillary services to the ERCOT grid, as well as associated facilities controlled by the generation entity that are behind the generator's point of interconnection, necessary for the operation of the generator, and not part of a manufacturing process that is separate from the generation of electricity.
  (4) Inspection--Activities that ERCOT employees, commission staff, and designated contractors engage in to determine whether a generation entity is in compliance with all or parts of subsection (c) of this section or whether a TSP is in compliance with all or parts of subsection (f) of this section. An inspection may include site visits, assessments of procedures, interviews, and review of information provided by a generation entity or TSP in response to a request by ERCOT, including review of evaluations conducted by the generation entity or TSP or its contractor.
  (5) Major weather-related forced interruption of service of a resource -
    (A) The failure of a resource to start, following one or more attempts, for 12 or more continuous hours as a result of a weather emergency; or
    (B) The loss of 50% or more of the capacity reflected in a resource's seasonal net maximum sustainable rating for 12 or more continuous hours as a result of a weather emergency.
  (6) Major weather-related forced interruption of service of a transmission facility--A non-momentary transmission service outage caused by damage to, or the inoperability of, a transmission facility as a result of a weather emergency.
  (7) Repeated weather-related forced interruption of service--Three or more of any combination of the following occurrences as a result of separate weather emergencies within any three-year period:
    (A) The failure of a resource to start;
    (B) The loss of 50% or more of the capacity reflected in a resource's seasonal net maximum sustainable rating for 30 minutes or more; or
    (C) The loss or derate of 50% or more of a transmission facility's rating.
  (8) Resource--A generation resource or energy storage resource.
  (9) Summer season--June 1 to September 30 each year.
  (10) Transmission facility--A transmission-voltage element inside the fence surrounding a TSP's high-voltage switching station or substation owned or operated by the TSP.
  (11) Weather critical component--Any component of a resource or transmission facility that is susceptible to fail as a result of a weather emergency, the occurrence of which failure is likely to significantly hinder the ability of the resource or transmission facility to function as intended or, for a resource, is likely to lead to a trip, derate of more than five percent of the capacity represented in the resource's seasonal net maximum sustainable rating or of the transmission facility's rating, or failure to start.
  (12) Weather emergency--A situation resulting from a summer or winter weather event that produces significant risk for a TSP that firm load must be shed or a situation for which ERCOT issues an Emergency Notice to market participants involving an operating condition in which the safety or reliability of the ERCOT system is compromised or threatened by summer or winter weather.
  (13) Weather emergency preparation measures--Measures that a generation entity or TSP takes to support the function of a resource or transmission facility during a weather emergency.
  (14) Winter season--December 1 to February 28 of the following year.
(c) Weather emergency preparedness reliability standards for a generation entity.
  (1) Winter season preparations. By December 1 each year, a generation entity must complete the following winter weather emergency preparation measures for each resource under its control. A generation entity must maintain these measures throughout the winter season and complete any ongoing or monthly requirements at the appropriate time. If necessary to come into compliance, a generation entity must update its winter weather emergency preparation measures no later than one year after ERCOT files a historical weather study report under subsection (i) of this section.
    (A) Implement weather emergency preparation measures that could reasonably be expected to ensure the sustained operation of all cold weather critical components during winter weather conditions. Where appropriate, such measures may be implemented using either personnel or automated systems. Such measures include, as appropriate for the resource:
      (i) Installation and maintenance of adequate wind breaks for resources susceptible to outages or derates caused by wind;
      (ii) Installation and maintenance of insulation and enclosures for all cold weather critical components;
      (iii) Inspection of existing thermal insulation and associated forms of water-proofing for damage or degradation, and repair of damaged or degraded insulation and associated forms of water-proofing;
      (iv) Arrange and provide for the availability and appropriate safekeeping of sufficient chemicals, auxiliary fuels, and other materials necessary for sustained operations during a winter weather emergency;
      (v) Plan for and maintain the operability of instrument air moisture prevention systems;
      (vi) Maintenance of freeze protection equipment for all cold weather critical components, including fuel delivery systems controlled by the generation entity, and testing or verifying the functionality of freeze protection equipment prior to and on a monthly basis during the winter season; and
      (vii) Monitoring of all cold weather critical components, including circuitry that provides freeze protection or prevents instrument air moisture;
    (B) Beginning in 2023, implement weather emergency preparation measures by December 1 each year, in addition to the weather emergency preparation measures required by subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, that could reasonably be expected to ensure sustained operation of the resource at the 95th percentile minimum average 72-hour wind chill temperature reported in ERCOT's historical weather study, required under subsection (i) of this section, for the weather zone in which the resource is located.
    (C) Review the adequacy of staffing plans to be used during a winter weather emergency and revise the staffing plans, as appropriate.
    (D) Train relevant operational personnel on winter weather preparations and operations.
    (E) Beginning in 2023, create a list of all cold weather critical components, review the list at least annually prior to the beginning of the winter season, and update the list as necessary.
  (2) Summer season preparations. By June 1 each year, a generation entity must complete the following summer weather emergency preparation measures for each resource under its control. A generation entity must maintain these measures throughout the summer season and complete any ongoing or monthly requirements at the appropriate time. If necessary to come into compliance, a generation entity must update its summer weather emergency preparation measures no later than one year after ERCOT files a historical weather study report under subsection (i) of this section.
Cont'd...