Md. Code Regs. 20.50.12.18

Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 26, December 27, 2024

Section 20.50.12.18 - Estimated Times of Restoration and Associated Messaging

A. In the absence of conditions that allow or dictate a more circumscribed ETR, a utility shall issue a Global ETR within 24 hours of the end of the cause of the major outage event. Should completion of the damage assessment required as the result of the major outage event require more time, this period shall be extended by the electric company.

B. The Global ETR should be reviewed at least once every 24 hours and modified when information is received that would significantly change the Global ETR or allow a more precise ETR for a specific, smaller area.

C. An assessment message statement that indicates the electric company is assessing the system, including a safety message, should be posted within 4 hours, if not immediately, upon the end of the cause of the major outage event.

D. A restoration message statement that indicates when a majority of the electric company's customers within the entire service territory will be restored shall be delivered to customers within 24 hours following completion of the initial damage assessment.

E. When a Zonal ETR can be established, the electric company shall issue a restoration message statement that indicates when at least 90 percent of the electric company's customers, who were affected by the original major outage event within a zone, will be restored.

F. Global and Zonal ETRs will be reviewed by the utility, at least once every 24 hours during a major outage event and updated when better information becomes available.

G. An ETR, whether Global or Zonal, shall be considered accurate if at least 90 percent of the customers affected by the original storm event are restored by the last applicable Global or Zonal ETR provided to the customer.

H. Following a major outage event, utilities shall perform a self-assessment of the quality of Global and Zonal ETRs provided to customers as part of lessons learned activities in its Major Outage Event Report pursuant to COMAR 20.50.12.13.E lements to be considered include the accuracy of the original ETR in terms of hours, the number of adjustments to the original ETR, the reasons for updating the ETR, significant external influences that may have contributed to the changes, and the accuracy of the final ETR in terms of hours.

I. All utilities shall engage in consumer education programs to help customers better understand all aspects of emergency preparedness and outage restoration related to a major outage event.

Md. Code Regs. 20.50.12.18

Regulation .18 adopted effective 50:16 Md. R. 728, eff. 8/21/2023