Reliability Risk Priorities for the Western Interconnection | InPOWERd Report | August 2017

By

Earl Shockley

The Western Interconnection Regional Advisory Body (WIRAB) commissioned a report from INPOWERD LLC on the NERC Reliability Issues Steering Committee’s (RISC) November 2016 report on ERO Reliability Risk Priorities. The INPOWERD Report provides a summary of the NERC RISC process and highlights key reliability risk profiles for the Western Interconnection, based on the 2016 ERO report.

The NERC RISC plans to release a new draft 2017 ERO Reliability Risk Priorities Report in mid-September and a Final 2017 ERO Reliability Risk Priorities Report in November 2017. The NERC Board of Trustees will then consider the 2017 ERO Risk Priorities at its February 2018 meeting.

The WIRAB-commissioned InPOWERd report can be used to help prepare WIRAB to review the upcoming November 2017 report on ERO Reliability Risk Priorities. With this information, WIRAB can work with the WECC Member Advisory Committee (MAC) to provide strategic guidance to the WECC Board of Directors on how it should develop its strategic planning process and utilize the work of the NERC RISC in implementing that process.

InPOWERd Report – Reliability Risk Priorities for the Western Interconnection
NERC RISC Report – 2016 ERO Reliability Risk Priorities

By Admin2 on August 24, 2017 in Announcements

About the Author

Earl Shockley

President and CEO of INPOWERD

earl.shockley@INPOWERD.com

Short Bio

Earl W. Shockley is the President and CEO of INPOWERD LLC and one of the electric-utility industry’s most respected authorities on NERC reliability, compliance strategy, and grid-risk governance. With more than 40 years of experience spanning real-time system operations, transmission planning, regulatory oversight, and enterprise risk management, Earl brings rare depth to the technical and institutional challenges facing today’s grid. A former NERC executive and certified auditor, Earl has led or supported over 100 compliance enforcement engagements, including audits, certifications, investigations, and major blackout reviews. His experience includes decades of hands-on system operations and planning, development of national compliance and enforcement frameworks, and direct involvement in interpreting and implementing NERC Reliability Standards across diverse operating environments. Through INPOWERD, Earl helps registered entities build practical, audit-ready compliance programs and internal controls that align regulatory requirements with day-to-day system operations. Drawing on his experience as a former regulator and industry consultant, he focuses on clear accountability, defensible decisions, and sustainable reliability outcomes. His work emphasizes practical execution and disciplined risk management to support a secure and reliable Bulk Power System.

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