Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 39, September 27, 2024
Section 150-3-5 - Engineering Requirements5.1. Standard practice. 5.1.1. National Electrical Code -- Insofar as the National Electrical Code, as approved by American National Standards Institute, defines and establishes Standard Practice, it is the purpose of the Commission to be guided by the current edition of that "Code", except those changes that may be noted in the current Rules of this Commission from time to time.5.1.2. National Electrical Safety Code -- For practice not covered by the National Electrical Code the Commission will take as a guide the current edition of the National Electrical Safety Code, American National Standards Institute Publication (ANSI-C2), issued by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.5.1.3. Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers' Guide for Electric Power Distribution Reliability Indices ("IEEE 1366") -- Insofar as the most recently published, current IEEE 1366 defines and establishes reliability guidelines, the Commission will be guided by the current edition of the IEEE 1366, except for those changes that may be noted in the current rules of this Commission from time to time.5.1.4. Utility plant -- The entire plant of any electric utility shall be constructed, installed, operated, and maintained in accordance with accepted standard practice as defined in this rule, especially the following: 5.1.4.a. Buildings and other structural facilities.5.1.4.b. The generating plant equipment.5.1.4.c. Transmission lines and equipment.5.1.4.e. Distribution lines and equipment.5.1.4.f. Overhead system, poles, lines, transformers and associated equipment.5.1.4.g. Underground system, manholes, conduit, and cables.5.1.4.h. Street lighting system.5.1.4.i. Service wires and attachments.5.1.4.j. Meters and instruments.5.2. Adequacy of facilities. 5.2.1. Generating -- The electrical generating capacity of any utility's plant, including that of any equipment reserved for emergency use, peak load or other requirement, supplemented by electric power regularly available from outside sources by transmission line connections must be sufficiently large to meet all normal, as well as reasonable emergency demands, for service occurring during any or all hours of the day during which the plant is normally in operation.5.2.2. Distribution -- The transmission system shall be so designed, constructed, maintained and operated as to enable each electric utility to supply its customers at a standard or nominal voltage within the variation limits prescribed in Rule 7.2.5.3. Interstate operation. 5.3.1. Export -- Where an electric utility transmits energy out of the State, the Company shall accurately meter and record the flow of such energy.5.3.2. Import -- Where electric energy is imported into the State by a utility a record shall be maintained of that energy taken either from billing records or its own meters.5.3.3. Exception -- Where small distribution lines cross State boundaries the interstate energy may be estimated, based upon adjusted customer meter readings.5.4. Pole identification. 5.4.1. General -- Each utility owning poles, posts, or other structures supporting wires shall, except as provided in Rule 5.4.4, mark every structure with: 5.4.1.a. The initials or abbreviation of its name, corporate symbol or other distinguishing mark by which the owner of every such structure may be readily determined.5.4.1.b. In case of lines operated at voltage above 15,000 volts, the number by which the location of each structure may be described.5.4.1.c. The requirements herein shall apply to all existing structures and those hereafter erected and to all changes in ownership.5.4.2. Methods -- Such marks shall be made with paint, stamps, brands, plates or other satisfactory method as the utility may elect to use, and characters of the mark shall be of such size and so spaced and hereafter maintained as to be easily read from the surface of the ground at a distance of six feet from the structure.5.4.3. Joint use -- In case two or more utilities jointly own or use any such structures, the distinguishing mark of every utility shall be placed thereon.5.4.4. Private rights-of-way -- In case of structures erected on private rights-of-way, or on public highways, when of a character that the construction may be deemed to be a through line, such marks need be affixed only to structures so located that the identification can be readily observed from the highway; not more than every tenth pole need be so identified.5.4.5. Filing method -- Each utility shall file with the Commission, in duplicate, a statement showing (i) the initials, abbreviations of name, corporate symbol or distinguishing mark; (ii) the means of marking to be employed; (iii) the method intended to be followed in numbering structures upon through lines.5.4.6. Pole tags -- Each utility shall in the future mark each such pole, post or other structure used for supporting electrical conductors with "pole tags" or other approved devices which will be used to indicate the location of said pole, post or other structure.5.5. Extensions of lines. 5.5.1. Urban extensions -- All utilities shall build at their own expense along public streets, alleys, highways or company's rights-of-way, extensions to distribution lines in urban areas upon at least as favorable terms as they make rural extensions.5.5.2. Rural extensions -- All rural extensions shall be made in accordance with the utility's tariff on file with the Commission or the Commission's latest order governing such extension if no such tariff is on file.5.6. Service connections. 5.6.1. Meter -- No utility shall make any charge for furnishing or installing a watt hour meter or meters, or other devices necessary to the utility to measure the service furnished to the customer.5.6.2. Service drop -- In all cases the utility shall pay the entire cost of connecting its distribution line by aerial service drop to the customer's service outlet. 5.6.2.a. When the distance from the utility's distribution line to the customer's service outlet is in excess of 125 feet, or, where the customer's outlet for any reason is inaccessible to the utility, the cost of such special construction as may be found necessary shall be borne by the customer.5.6.2.b. Nothing contained herein shall be construed so as to prohibit a utility from making at its expense, greater extensions to its facilities than set out herein, should its judgment so dictate, provided like extensions are made to other customers under similar conditions.5.6.3. Transformers -- In no case shall a utility furnishing alternating current charge the customer for transforming apparatus, unless the charge so made is by mutual agreement to cover special conditions of service, by contract, or to furnish a voltage other than the standard secondary distribution voltage established by the utility.5.6.4. Underground -- Underground service requirements and regulations shall be established by each utility having such class of service facilities and shall be submitted to the Commission for its approval.5.6.5. Devices and material -- All devices and material furnished by the utility at its own expense shall remain the property of the utility and may be removed by it at any reasonable time after the discontinuance of service or in case of renewal or replacement.5.6.6. Exceptions -- Nothing in the foregoing rule shall prevent the utility from making such charges as are prescribed for electric service in its filed tariffs, including those for seasonal or temporary service.5.7. Lighting. 5.7.1. Incandescent. 5.7.1.a. Each utility supplying electricity for incandescent lighting shall inform its customers, on request, of its standard voltage as defined in Rule 7.1, in the particular community in which they live, so that they may be enabled to purchase the most efficient lamp for their particular conditions.5.7.2. Gaseous Tube. 5.7.2.a. No customer, after the effective date of these rules, shall connect to the lines of the utility any fluorescent lighting, mercury vapor lamps, neon or zeon signs or other lighting or display facility having similar low power factor, unless such fluorescent mercury vapor lamp, neon, zeon, or other lighting equipment with similar load characteristics, shall have been installed by the customer in connection therewith, and such auxiliaries or other means are designed to correct the power factor of such equipment to not less than ninety percent (90%) lagging, except that where the rate schedule, applicable to the customer's service, contains suitable power factor provisions, this rule shall not apply.5.7.1.b. This rule shall apply on all future additions made to old installations that were installed prior to the effective date of these rules and to such prior installations in their entirety in the event of rearrangement, relocation, or replacement thereof.5.8. General Reliability Provisions.5.8.1. Internal Procedures -- Each utility shall adopt internal procedures to satisfy the reliability requirements contained herein which shall be submitted to the Commission for review.5.8.2. Reliability Index Targets. 5.8.2.a. Minimum and optimal targets for SAIFI, CAIDI, SAIDI and, if applicable, MAIFI indices shall be established by the utility for its Service Area, and submitted to the Commission for approval. The utility will make the first filing of these reliability targets one-hundred-twenty days following the initial effective date of Rule 5.8.1. The Commission may approve the targets as filed or modify one or more of the targets. Thereafter, a utility may request that these targets be established by the Commission for the utility's Service Areas. Subsequent changes and/or modifications of these targets shall be filed with the Commission for approval by application of the utility, petition by an interested party, or on the Commission's own motion. Any utility application to modify targets must be filed on or before May 1 of each year.5.8.2.b. Minimum targets shall be considered as the lowest performance threshold of adequate service.5.8.2.c. Optimal targets shall be considered as the fully adequate level of service that the utility should strive to achieve and maintain.5.8.2.d. Interruptions caused by Major Events are not included in the calculation of Reliability Indices.5.8.3. Failure to Meet Minimum Targets -- Failure to meet minimum targets shall be considered unacceptable. When a Service Area fails to meet one or more of the established minimum targets, the utility shall include in its annual reliability report to the Commission, a description of the problem patterns and trends, a history of the operation and maintenance activities within the Service Area, and the corrective actions the utility is taking to improve reliability to the Service Area in question.5.8.4. Additional Reporting -- The Commission may require a report on reliability in a Service Area that meets the minimum reliability target levels under circumstances where the Commission determines that a negative trend has developed, prior corrective actions have not improved reliability as expected, or for other reasons.