Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-725R); Comment Request; Extension
In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC) is soliciting public comment on the extension of the information co...
Notice of information collection and request for comments.
SUMMARY:
In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC) is soliciting public comment on the extension of the information collection FERC-725R (OMB# 1902-0268) Mandatory Reliability Standards for the Bulk-Power System: BAL Reliability Standards.
DATES:
Comments on the collection of information are due January 4, 2027.
ADDRESSES:
You may submit copies of your comments (identified by Docket No. IC26-43-000) by one of the following methods:
Please submit comments via email to
DataClearance@FERC.gov.
You must specify the Docket No. (IC26-43-000) and the FERC Information Collection number (FERC-725R) in your email. If you are unable to file electronically, comments may be filed by USPS mail or by hand (including courier) delivery:
Mail via U.S. Postal Service only, addressed to:
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20426.
Hand (including courier) delivery to:
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852.
Title:
FERC-725R, Mandatory Reliability Standards for the Bulk-Power System: BAL Reliability Standards.
OMB Control No.:
1902-0268.
Type of Request:
OMB renewal of the FERC-725R information collection requirements, with no changes to the requirements.
Abstract:
The FERC 725R information collection includes four reliability standards.
BAL-001-2, Real Power Balancing Control Performance; (effective July 1, 2016)
BAL-002-3, Disturbance Control Standard—Contingency Reserve for Recovery from a Balancing Contingency Event; (effective April 1, 2019)
BAL-003-2, Frequency Response and Frequency Bias Setting; (effective December 1, 2020)
BAL-005-1, Balancing Authority Control. (effective January 1, 2019)
On August 8, 2005, Congress enacted into law the Electricity Modernization
( printed page 69840)
Act of 2005, which is Title XII, Subtitle A, of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005).[1]
EPAct 2005 added a new section 215 to the Federal Power Act (FPA), which required a Commission-certified Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) to develop mandatory and enforceable Reliability Standards, which are subject to Commission review and approval. Once approved, any Reliability Standard may be enforced by the ERO subject to Commission oversight, or the Commission may independently enforce Reliability Standards.[2]
On February 3, 2006, the Commission issued Order No. 672, implementing section 215 of the FPA.[3]
Pursuant to Order No. 672, the Commission certified one organization, North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), as the ERO.[4]
The Reliability Standards developed by the ERO and approved by the Commission apply to users, owners and operators of the Bulk-Power System as set forth in each Reliability Standard.
Types of Respondents:
Balancing authorities and a Frequency Response Sharing Group (FRSG).
Estimate of Annual Burden:[5]
The estimated burdens of the FERC 725R include the Reliability Standards: BAL-001-2, BAL-002-3, BAL-003-2, and BAL-005-1.[6]
The requirements for each Reliability Standard go as follows:
BAL-001-2: Real Power Balancing Control Performance. Reliability Standard BAL-001-2 is designed to ensure that applicable entities balance generation and load by maintaining system frequency within narrow bounds around a scheduled value, and it improves reliability by adding a frequency component to the measurement of a Balancing Authority's Area Control Error (ACE).[7]
BAL-002-3: Disturbance Control Standard—Contingency Reserve for Recovery from a Balancing Contingency Event. This standard ensures that a responsible entity, either a balancing authority or reserve sharing group, can recover from system contingencies by deploying adequate reserves to return their Area Control Error to defined values and replacing the capacity and energy lost due to generation or transmission equipment outages.
BAL-003-2: Frequency Response and Frequency Bias Setting. This standard requires sufficient Frequency Response from the Balancing Authority (BA) to maintain Interconnection Frequency within predefined bounds by arresting frequency deviations and supporting frequency until the frequency is restored.
BAL-005-1: Balancing Authority Control. This standard establishes requirements for acquiring data necessary to calculate Reporting Area Control Error (Reporting ACE). The standard also specifies a minimum periodicity, accuracy, and availability requirement for acquisition of the data and for providing the information to the System Operator. It requires balancing authorities to maintain minimum levels of annual availability of 99.5% for each balancing authority system for calculating Reporting ACE.
Our estimates are based on the NERC Compliance Registry as of July 21, 2026, which indicates that there are for unique US only 97 registered balancing authorities, 6 registered reserve sharing group (RSG) and 1 frequency response sharing group (FRSG).
Estimates for the average annual burden and cost [8]
follow.
FERC-725R—BAL-001-2
[Real Power Balancing Control Performance]
Function
Number & type of
respondents
Number of annual
responses per respondent
Total No. of annual
responses
Average
burden hours & cost ($) per
response
Total annual burden hours & total annual cost ($)
Cost per respondent ($)
(1)
(2)
(1) × (2) = (3)
(4)
(3) × (4) = (5) rounded
(5) ÷ (1)
Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping
97 (BA)
1
97
12 hrs.; $1,000.68
1,164 hrs.; $97,066
$1,000.68
TOTAL for FERC-725R BAL-001-2
97
1,164 hrs.; $97,066
( printed page 69841)
FERC-725R—BAL-002-3
[Disturbance Control Standard—Contingency Reserve for Recovery from a Balancing Contingency Event]
Function
Number & type of
respondents
Number of
annual responses
per respondent
Total No. of annual
responses
Average
burden hours & cost ($) per
response
Total annual burden hours & total annual cost ($)
Cost per respondent ($)
(1)
(2)
(1) × (2) = (3)
(4)
(3) × (4) = (5) Rounded
(5) ÷ (1)
Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping
97 (BA)
1
97
12 hrs.; $1,000.68
1,164 hrs.; $97,066
$1,000.68
6 (RSG)
1
6
12 hrs.; $1,000.68
72 hrs.; $6,004
$1,000.68
TOTAL for FERC-725R BAL-002-3
103
1,236 hrs.; $103,070
FERC-725R—BAL-003-2
[Frequency Response and Frequency Bias Setting]
Function
Number & type of respondents
Number of annual
responses per respondent 9
Total No. of annual
responses
Average
burden hours & cost ($) per
response
Total annual burden hours & total annual cost ($)
Cost per respondent ($)
(1)
(2)
(1) × (2) = (3)
(4)
(3) × (4) = (5) rounded
(5) ÷ (1)
Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping
97 (BA)
28
2,716
10 hrs.; $833.90
27,160 hrs.; $2,264,873
$23,349.20
1 (FRSG)
28
28
10 hrs.; $833.90
280 hrs.; $23,349
$23,349.20
TOTAL for FERC-725R BAL-003-2
2744
27,440 hrs.; $2,288,222
FERC-725R—BAL-005-1
[Balancing Authority Control]
Function
Number & type of
respondents
Number
of annual responses per
respondent
Total No. of annual
responses
Average burden hours & cost ($) per
response
Total annual
burden hours & total annual cost($)
Cost per respondent ($)
(1)
(2)
(1) × (2) = (3)
(4)
(3) × (4) = (5) rounded
(5) ÷ (1)
Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping
97 (BA)
1
97
1 hr.; $83.39
97 hrs.; $8,089
$83.39
TOTAL for FERC-725R BAL-005-1
97
97 hrs.; $8,089
Standard
Total No. of annual
responses
Total annual burden hours & total annual cost ($) rounded
Total annual reporting and recordkeeping for 725R
BAL-001-2
97
1,164 hrs.;
$97,066
>BAL-002-3
103
1,236 hrs.;
$103,070
BAL-003-2
2744
27,440 hrs.;
$2,288,222
BAL-005-1
97
97 hrs.;
$8,089
Total FERC 725R
3,041
29,937 hrs.; $2,496,446
Comments:
Comments are invited on: (1) whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Commission, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden and cost of the collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information collection; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
Dated: November 2, 2026.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.
Footnotes
1.
Energy Policy Act of 2005, Public Law 109-58, Title XII, Subtitle A, 119 Stat. 594, 941 (codified at 16 U.S.C. 824o).
3.
Rules Concerning Certification of the Electric Reliability Organization; and Procedures for the Establishment, Approval, and Enforcement of Electric Reliability Standards,
Order No. 672, FERC Stats. & Regs. ¶ 31,204,
order on reh'g,
Order No. 672-A, FERC Stats. & Regs. ¶ 31,212 (2006).
4.
North American Electric Reliability Corp.,
116 FERC ¶ 61,062,
order on reh'g and compliance,
117 FERC ¶ 61,126 (2006),
order on compliance,
118 FERC ¶ 61,190,
order on reh'g,
119 FERC ¶ 61,046 (2007),
aff'd sub nom. Alcoa Inc.
v.
FERC,
564 F.3d 1342 (D.C. Cir. 2009).
5.
Burden is defined as the total time, effort, or financial resources expended by people to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or provide information to or for a federal agency. See 5 CFR 1320 for additional information on the definition of information collection burden.
6.
The Reliability Standard BAL-007-1.1 (Near-Term Energy Reliability Assessments) will become in April 2027 and be included in the future 725R renewals.
7.
Area Control Error is the “instantaneous difference between a Balancing Authority's net actual and scheduled interchange, taking into accounts the effects of Frequency Bias, correction for meter error, and Automatic Time Error Correction (ATEC), if operating in the ATEC mode. ATEC is only applicable to Balancing Authorities in the Western Interconnection.” NERC Glossary.
8.
The estimated hourly cost (salary plus benefits) is a combination of the following categories from the BLS website, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics—source for hourly wages: 75% of the average of an Electrical Engineer (17-2071) $92.32/hr., × .75 = $69.24 ($69.24/hour); and 25% of an Information and Record Clerk (43-4199) $56.60/hr., $56.60 × .25 = $14.15 ($14.15/hour), for a total ($69.24/hour + $14.15/hour = $83.39/hour).
9.
Allotting 10 hours for balancing authorities and the FRSG to compile the information on candidate events, (
the information is automatically generated from computer databases. However, time is allotted to compile, verify, and review the information.) Multiplied by 28 events per balancing authority (or FRSG) per year yields 280 hours per year per balancing authority as the regulatory burden for compliance. (
Assuming an average of between 20 and 35 events per year would result in average of 27.5 responses, rounded to 28.) as approved in Docket No. RD20-9-000. Procedure for ERO Support of Frequency Response and Frequency Bas Setting Standard Clean Version, is the source material for reviewing frequency events information.
elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/search
Public Law 109-58
5 CFR 1320