24 July 2009

[Federal Register: July 24, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 141)]
[Notices]               
[Page 36672]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr24jy09-36]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology

 
Third Smart Grid Interoperability Standards Interim Roadmap 
Public Workshop

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), United 
States Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public workshop.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Standards and Technology announces 
that a free two-day public workshop on Smart Grid interoperability 
standards will be held on August 3-4, 2009, in the Washington, DC area. 
Space is limited to about 300 people. Registration will be on a first 
come, first served basis. Opening and closing plenary sessions will be 
Webcast, and the breakout sessions will be teleconferenced. Information 
on how to view the Webcasts and join the teleconferences will be posted 
in advance on the NIST smart grid Web site at: http://www.nist.gov/
smartgrid/.

DATES: The free public workshop will be held on August 3 and 4, 2009, 
from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

ADDRESSES: The free public workshop will be held at: Westfields 
Marriott Washington Dulles, 14750 Conference Center Drive, Chantilly, 
Virginia 20151, (http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/iadwf-
westfields-marriott-washington-dulles/).
    Persons interested in attending may register at: http://
guest.cvent.com/i.aspx?4W,M3,8954df11-b743-4b4b-9487-3d71b252286d, or 
by calling Ashley Eldrege of the Electric Power Research Institute, at 
650-855-2063.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Zulma Lainez at 301-975-2232 or by e-
mail at smartgrid@nist.gov. Registration information will be posted at: 
http://www.nist.gov/smartgrid/ and at http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/
Calendar/Calendar.aspx?cal=22e6c583-7b72-4ba0-9898-598e801ee421.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Energy Independence and Security 
Act (EISA) of 2007 (Pub. L. 110-140), the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology (NIST) has ``primary responsibility to 
coordinate development of a framework that includes protocols and model 
standards for information management to achieve interoperability of 
smart grid devices and systems * * *'' (EISA, Section 1305]
    In 2008, responding to this congressional mandate, NIST initiated a 
government/industry effort to develop an Interoperability Framework and 
to engage the many Smart Grid stakeholders in a coordinated approach to 
identify or develop needed standards. This coordinated effort was 
designed and initiated in full collaboration with the Department of 
Energy. In early 2009, responding to President Obama's energy-related 
national priorities, NIST intensified and expedited efforts to 
accelerate progress toward identification of Smart Grid standards.
    NIST will submit standards that are identified or developed through 
this process to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Once 
FERC determines that there is sufficient consensus, EISA instructs FERC 
to institute a rulemaking proceeding to adopt the standards and 
protocols that may be necessary to ensure that there is Smart Grid 
functionality and interoperability in interstate transmission of 
electric power, and in regional and wholesale electricity markets.
    A key objective of the workshop is to engage Standards Development 
Organizations (SDOs) in addressing standards-related priorities, 
efficiently and expeditiously. Plenary and break-out sessions will be 
devoted to discussing individual SDO perspectives on the evolving 
roadmap for Smart Grid interoperability standards; identifying 
individual and collaborative responsibilities of SDOs to address and 
resolve standards issues and gaps, and develop plans and set timelines 
for the meeting these responsibilities.
    NIST recently posted the Report to NIST on the Smart Grid 
Interoperability Standards Roadmap for public comment until July 30. 
This report, prepared by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) 
under contract to NIST, can be found on the NIST Smart Grid 
Interoperability Standards Project (http://nist.gov/smartgrid/). A 
recorded Webcast that describes the Report can be found at http://
intelligrid.epri.com. (Click on: Briefing on the EPRI report to NIST on 
Smart Grid Interoperability Standards Roadmap for the NIST DEWGs.)
    On the basis of its review of this report, and other information, 
NIST has identified high-priority areas that it is proposing for 
immediate, focused action by SDOs and stakeholder groups.
    Additional Information. More information is available on the NIST 
Smart Grid project Web site at: http://www.nist.gov/smartgrid/. To help 
it fulfill its mandate to facilitate Smart Grid standards 
interoperability, NIST also manages a Smart Grid collaboration Web site 
at: http://collaborate.nist.gov/twiki-sggrid/bin/view/SmartGrid/
WebHome. NIST recently exercised the option to extend an existing 
contract with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to perform 
services related to NIST's effort to coordinate development of Smart 
Grid standards. The contract requires EPRI to help NIST organize and 
facilitate workshops at which stakeholders will present, review, 
develop, and work to towards consensus on roadmap content, and to use 
its technical expertise to compile, distill, and organize stakeholder 
contributions. This notice announces the third workshop organized by 
EPRI. All EPRI outputs under the contract are subject to NIST review 
and approval and are owned by NIST.

    Dated: July 21, 2009.
Patrick Gallagher,
Deputy Director.
[FR Doc. E9-17720 Filed 7-23-09; 8:45 am]

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