Small Generating Qualifying Facility

For projects wanting to interconnect equal to or smaller than twenty (≤20) MW to PacifiCorp’s Transmission System.
 

PacifiCorp Contact

Brad Ryan
503-813-5541
brad.ryan@pacificorp.com

Application
Interconnection Customer must submit the following for a valid application to receive a queue number:
  • original signed application with all applicable fields completed.
  • application deposit $1,000.
  • demonstration of site control.

Specifically, PacifiCorp requires documentation reasonably demonstrating ownership, right to develop, option to purchase, leasehold or an exclusivity or business relationship between the applicant and the person/company owning the property that gives the applicant the right to construct a Generating Facility on the land. If Interconnection Customer owns the land, the most recent property tax receipt for the location would be an acceptable form of site control.

PDF QF-SGIA-Application

Study Process

Feasibility Study

The Feasibility Study is an optional study the Interconnection Customer may request. Should the Interconnection Customer decide to skip this study they would be required to complete the System Impact Study. See OASIS (PDF)
 
  • The study deposit is $1,000. 
  • The study will take thirty (30) business days to complete. 
  • The estimated cost to complete the study is $5,000-10,000. The balance of the study costs will be invoiced / refunded upon completion of the study.
Scope:
The Feasibility Study shall provide the following information:
  • preliminary identification of any circuit breaker short circuit capability limits exceeded as a result of the interconnection;
  • preliminary identification of any thermal overload or voltage limit violations resulting from the interconnection; and
  • preliminary description and non-binding estimated cost of facilities required to interconnect the large generating facility to the transmission system and to address the identified short circuit and power flow issues.

PDF QF-SGIA-FEASA

PDF FEAS Tech Checklist WIND

PDF FEAS Tech Checklist Non-WIND

 

System Impact Study

The System Impact Study is a required study and must be completed prior to the Facilities Study and signing the Small Generator Interconnection Agreement. 
 
  • The study deposit is $15,000. The estimated cost to complete the study is $10,000-15,000.
  • The study will take forty-five (45) Business Days to complete.
  • The balance of the study costs will be invoiced / refunded upon completion of the study.
Scope
The System Impact Study shall evaluate the impact of the proposed interconnection on the reliability of the transmission system. The System Impact Study will consider base case as well as all generating facilities that, on the date the System Impact Study is commenced:
 
  • are directly interconnected to the transmission system;
  • are interconnected to affected systems and may have an impact on the interconnection request;
  • have a pending higher queued interconnection request to interconnect to the transmission system, including any identified network upgrades associated with such higher queued interconnection; and
  • have no queue position but have executed an SGIA.
The System Impact Study will consist of a short circuit analysis, a stability analysis, and a power flow analysis. The System Impact Study will state the assumptions upon which it is based; state the results of the analyses; and provide the requirements or potential impediments to providing the requested interconnection service, including preliminary indication of the cost and length of time that would be necessary to correct any problems identified in those analyses and implement the interconnection. The System Impact Study will provide a list of facilities that are required as a result of the Interconnection Request and a non-binding good faith estimate of the cost responsibility and a non-binding good faith estimated time to construct.
 
 
 

Facilities Study

The Facilities Study is a required study and must be completed prior to signing the Small Generator Interconnection Agreement. 
 
  • The study deposit is $25,000. The estimated cost to complete the study is $20,000-25,000.
  • The study will take forty-five (45) business days to complete.
  • The balance of the study cost will be invoiced / refunded upon completion of the study.
Scope
The objective of the Facilities Study is to complete a facilities analysis, which shall specify and estimate the cost of equipment, engineering, procurement, and construction required to address issues as outlined in the system impact study, and shall provide a scope of work and an estimated cost and schedule for completing the scope of work.
 
Scoping Meeting
Within ten (10) business days after the application has been deemed complete, the Transmission Provider shall hold a scoping meeting to discuss the project. The public utility and the applicant may agree to waive the scoping meeting requirement.
Engineering & Procurement
Prior to executing a Small Generator Interconnection Agreement, an Interconnection Customer may, in order to advance the implementation of its interconnection, request and Transmission Provider shall offer the Interconnection Customer, an Engineering and Procurement Agreement that authorizes Transmission Provider to begin engineering and procurement of long lead-time items necessary for the establishment of the interconnection.
E&P Deposit guidelines
 
Interconnection Agreement
Upon completion of the Facilities Study, and with the agreement of the Interconnection Customer to pay for Interconnection Facilities and Upgrades identified in the facilities studies, the Transmission Provider shall provide the Interconnection Customer an executable interconnection agreement within five (5) Business Days.
 
Financial Security
At least twenty (20) business days prior to the commencement of the design, procurement, installation, or construction of a discrete portion of a Transmission Provider’s Interconnection Facilities and upgrades, the Interconnection Customer shall provide the Transmission Provider, at the Interconnection Customer’s option, a guarantee, a surety bond, letter of credit or other form of security that is reasonably acceptable to Transmission Provider and is consistent with the uniform Commercial Code of the jurisdiction identified in Article 6.3. Such security for payment shall be in an amount sufficient to cover the costs for construction, designing, procuring, and installing the applicable portion of Transmission Provider’s Interconnection Facilities and Upgrades and shall be reduced on a dollar-for-dollar basis for payments made to Transmission Provider for these purposes.
 
Operating & Maintenance Agreement
During the term of the Agreement, Transmission Provider shall provide maintenance services with respect to certain facilities, which are owned by Transmission Provider, in accordance with this Agreement, and Interconnection Customer shall compensate Transmission Provider for the maintenance services that Transmission Provider supplies in accordance with this Agreement.
 
The O&M Agreement is sent out along with the Interconnection Agreement.
Closeout Checklist

Within one hundred twenty (120) calendar days after the Commercial Operation Date, unless the Parties agree on another mutually acceptable deadline, Interconnection Customer shall deliver to Transmission Provider "as-built" drawings, information and documents for the Interconnection Customer’s Interconnection Facility.