NERC's 9/17/98 Year 2000 Status Report and Work Plan said that the electric industry should have a final contingency plan ready by 6/30/99. When I asked my local electric company Nashville Electric Service (NES) about this they said the NERC's work plans and deadlines don't apply to NES because NES doesn't generate power, they just distribute power they get from TVA. Just wondered if anyone here familiar with the industry can confirm this for me? Thanks.

-- Anonymous, August 23, 1999

Answers

The NERC process covers the large (+/-250) organizations that make up the "bulk electric system". Smaller Distribution (+/-2900) organizations are covered by APPA, CEA, EEI or the NRECA. Each of these industry organizations have their own processes for collecting Y2K data from their members. This is discussed in a little more detail in the NERC 2nd Quarter Report to DOE.

Jim

-- Anonymous, August 23, 1999

Thanks for pointing me to that 2nd Quarter Report, Jim. It confirms that NERC's direct contact is with just the bulk electric suppliers, while distributors (like NES) only report to trade associations -- in this case the American Public Power Association (APPA). The "deadline" or "target date" for contingency plans doesn't appear to be as clear for distributors. Nonetheless, the APPA section of the report claims that "Of the systems surveyed in June 1999, 91.81% of the middle and 96.20% of the large systems have Y2K specific contingency plans to maintain continuous operations." So our company would seem to be a bit behind the curve if they haven't come up with contingency plans yet ... that's what I wanted to know. Thanks again.

-- Anonymous, August 23, 1999

This just confirms to me that despite the faith that we would like to have in the eu's Y2K repairs, nobody is really in charge here, and the chances for success are thus lessened. Although the idea of martial law gives me the willies, maybe--just MAYBE-- the military should have taken over the coordination of Y2K remediation for the eu's. (I haven't clearly thought out any of the implications of this idea.) The NERC and the government don't seem to realize that the NERC is NOT in control. They try to talk a good talk, but they're really just trying to herd cats, and nobody's really in charge. I wish with all my heart that Fact Finder were correct in his beliefs about Y2K, but this particular aspect of Y2K is the one thing that prevents me from being reassured.

-- Anonymous, August 24, 1999

The NERC and the government don't seem to realize that the NERC is NOT in control.

No. They realize. All too well, I suspect.

-- Anonymous, August 24, 1999