NOTICE DATE:  March 14, 2016

NOTICE TYPE:  W-A020416-03 Operations

SHORT DESCRIPTION:  Reschedule of EMS Upgrade Program Closed Loop Testing

INTENDED AUDIENCE:  ERCOT Market Participants

DAY AFFECTED:  March 17 2016, 10:30 – 15:00 CPT

LONG DESCRIPTION:  ERCOT will be performing an EMS Upgrade Program Closed Loop Test on Thursday, March 17, 2016 by operating the upgraded Energy Management System (EMS) in place of the existing EMS in the Production Environment. Closed Loop Testing will be performed for 4 hours between 10:35 and 14:35 CPT.

During the EMS Upgrade Program Closed Loop Testing:

· The current ICCP System will be used as part of the closed loop testing and will be recycled at the start and completion of the closed loop testing.

· The current Production EMS will be disconnected from existing ICCP, Market Management System (MMS), Settlements, Market Information System (MIS), and other downstream systems.

· The Upgraded EMS will be receiving Telemetry from Market Participants through the existing ICCP systems.

· The Upgraded EMS will be monitoring and controlling the Transmission Grid and providing data to MMS, Settlements Systems, MIS, and other downstream systems and applications.

· The Upgraded EMS will be sending Regulation signals, Base Points, Updated Desired Base Points (UDBPs), and Resource-specific Locational Marginal Prices (LMPs) to Market Participants through existing ICCP systems.

· The Closed Loop Testing real-time EMS data will be archived into PI historian.

· The current System Operations Test Environment (SOTE) system will be available for Transmission Service Providers (TSPs) for their STNET studies.  The upgraded SOTE system will not be available for this test.

Note that the EMS Upgrade Program system switchover activities are scheduled to begin at approximately 10:35 CPT and switchback activities are scheduled at 14:35; however, the start and completion times may be delayed depending on system conditions at that time.  A Hotline call to Market Participants will be executed prior to and following completion of the Closed Loop Testing.

Impacts during Production Closed Loop Testing Period:

· MMS – Security-Constrained Economic Dispatch (SCED)/Look Ahead SCED applications may be unavailable from 10:40 until 11:00 CPT during the transition from current Production EMS to Upgraded EMS.

· MMS - SCED/Look Ahead SCED applications may be unavailable again from 14:40 until 15:00 CDT during the transition back to current production EMS system.

· Base Points from SCED may not be created from 10:40 until 11:00 CPT and from 14:40 until 15:00 CPT. During these periods, Qualified Scheduling Entities (QSEs) with Resources may be required to follow Emergency Base Points from ERCOT Load Frequency Control.

· SCED Real-Time LMPs may not be calculated and published from 10:40 until 11:00 CPT and from 14:40 until 15:00 CPT.

· 15-minute Real-Time Settlement Point Prices (RTSPPs) may not be calculated and published during the 10:40 until 11:00 CPT time frame and again during 14:40 until 15:00 CPT time frame. MMS will calculate and publish the RTSPPs for these durations once the Closed Loop Testing is completed.

· The MIS Public Area dashboards and displays will not be populated with data during the transition.

· The following Current Day Reports (CDR) containing SCED/Real-Time Dispatch (RTD)/LMP/SPP data may be unavailable during the transition from 10:40 until 11:00 CPT and again from 14:40 until 15:00 CPT.  

· SCED and RTD Reports

· Network Security Analysis (NSA) Active and Inactive Constraint Reports

· State Estimator Reports

· Real-Time Dynamic Rating Data Reports

· Wind Power Production - 5-minute Averaged Actual values

· Solar Power Production – 5-minute Averaged Actual values

ACTION REQUIRED:  QSEs with Resources may be instructed to follow Emergency Base Points during the transition of the EMS.

CONTACT:  If you have any questions, please contact your ERCOT Account Manager. You may also call the general ERCOT Client Services phone number at (512) 248-3900 or contact ERCOT Client Services via email at [log in to unmask].

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