Decision No. 1/6 of the Board of the Public Utilities Commission

Adopted 22 February 2012

Regulations Regarding System Connection for Electricity Producers

Issued pursuant to
Section 8, Paragraph two of the Electricity Market Law

I. General Provisions

1. Regulations regarding system connection for electricity producers (hereinafter - the regulations) prescribe uniform regulations for a system connection and the methodology for the calculation of a connection fee for electricity producers (hereinafter - producer).

2. Terms used in the regulations:

2.1. power plant - electrical equipment or electrical installation of any kind for production of electricity which has been connected to the electricity transmission or distribution system;

2.2. specifications - a document which is issued by the system operator to the producer and in which technical requirements and conditions to be conformed to are determined in order to connect a new power plant to the system or to increase the load;

2.3. connection site - a connection point to the electricity transmission or distribution system to which a power plant of the producer may be connected according to justified technical requirements and for economically feasible costs.

II. Construction of a System Connection and Determination of the Connection Fee

3. A system connection shall be formed by a part of the electricity supply network which is installed for the supply of electricity from the border of electrical facility belonging to the connection site in the system.

4. The producer shall submit an application of specific sample laid down in Annex 1 for construction of a system connection and the documents laid down in Annex 1 to these regulations for connecting of a new power plant to the system or for increasing the power of the existing system connection.

5. The producer shall also submit the results of standard checks of generating devices (generators) in accordance with the sample laid down in Annex 2 to these regulations for connection of wind power plants.

6. The system operator has the right to request additional information from the producer which is necessary for the construction of a new system connection or for the commencement of alteration of an existing system connection.

7. The system operator shall determine the connection site and conditions, by issuing clear and technically feasible specifications to the producer within 60 days after receipt of the application, and the term of validity of the specifications shall be two years.

8. The producer shall ensure designing of the system connection from his own funds according to the specifications issued by the system operator in conformity with the requirements of the laws and regulations currently in force. The producer shall co-ordinate the building project of the system connection with the system operator and approve it in conformity with the requirements of the laws and regulations governing construction.

9. After approval of the building design of the system connection the system operator and the producer shall enter into a connection contract, in which the conditions for construction works of the connection, the connection fee, the deadlines for payment of the connection fee, and the deadlines for construction of the connection, and also the conditions for connecting the power plant of the producer to the system are determined.

10. The connection fee shall be determined in conformity with the economically feasible construction costs of the connection.

11. If the construction works of the system connection are ensured by the system operator, the system operator shall choose the building merchant of the electrical installations of the system connection according to open, equal, and impartial criteria, taking into account the offered quality, experience, offered costs of construction works, deadlines for construction works, and other criteria, ensuring the most economically feasible fulfilment of the construction works of the system connection.

12. All expenses related to the construction of the system connection shall be paid by the producer.

13. Upon entering into a connection contract, the system operator has the right to request financial guarantees for construction of the connection from the producer for construction of the system connection of which building of a new 110 kV substation or reconstruction of an existing 110 kV substation is necessary. The amount of the financial guarantees requested by the system operator may not exceed 50% from the actual costs for construction of the substation necessary for the connection.

14. If in accordance with the building design for constructing the connection reconstruction of the electricity supply networks of the system operator is necessary for construction works of the system connection, the system operator and the producer shall agree in writing regarding the performance of the necessary construction works. The producer shall pay for the reconstruction works laid down in this Paragraph.

III. Connecting of the Power Plant of the Producer to the System

15. The producer shall inform the system operator in writing regarding readiness to perform the joint check of the power plant and electrical installations of the system operator not later than forty five days before it is planned to commence parallel operation checks of the power plant and the system.

16. The system operator shall, in a mutually acceptable time but not later than ten working days from receipt of the information regarding completion of construction of the power plant and its system connection, check the power plant installed by the producer and the conformity of the system connection built with the specifications issued by the system operator.

17. If the system operator detects that the power plant installed and the system connection built by the producer conform to the specifications issued by the system operator, the system operator and the producer shall enter into a system services contract.

18. After entering into a system services contract the system operator shall issue a permit of the sample laid down in Annex 3 to these regulations to the producer for connecting the power plant to the system for a probationary period not less than seventy two hours.

19. During the parallel performance check of the power plant and the system the producer, by co-ordinating it with the system operator, shall organise checks of the installed generating device (generator) and measurements of parameters of electricity produced on the border of electrical facility belonging in different operating modes of the power plant. The measurements shall be taken by a laboratory accredited in accordance with the procedures provided for in the laws and regulations in the field of conformity assessment. The check costs of the power plant shall be paid by the producer.

20. If the results of the measurements taken in the check conform to the requirements laid down in the standard LVS EN 50160 "Voltage characteristics of electricity supplied by public electricity networks", the system operator shall sign the act of the sample laid down in Annex 4 to these regulations regarding recognition of the power plant as valid for parallel work with the system and shall, not later than on the following working day, issue the permit of the sample laid down in Annex 5 to these regulations for connecting the power plant to the system, and shall connect the power plant to the system.

Closing Provisions

21. Connections regarding construction of which connection contracts have been entered into until the day of coming into force of these regulations in accordance with the Regulations Regarding System Connection for Electricity Producers which were approved by the Decision No. 280 of the Public Utilities Commission of 3 September 2008, shall be installed in conformity with the conditions included in the abovementioned connection contracts.

22. The Regulations Regarding System Connection for Electricity Producers, which were approved by the Decision No. 280 of the Public Utilities Commission of 3 September 2008 (Latvijas Vēstnesis, 2008, No. 141), are repealed.

23. The regulations shall come into force on the day following the publication thereof in the official gazette Latvijas Vēstnesis.

Chair of the Board of the Public Utilities Commission V.Lokenbahs

 

Annex 1
Decision No. 1/6 of the Public Utilities Commission
22 February 2012

APPLICATION

for connecting a power plant to the _____________ system

___ _____________ 20____

1. Information regarding the producer
1.1. name

1.2. registration number in the Commercial Register

1.3. legal address

1.4. registration number in the register of electricity producers (if the power of the power plant exceeds 1 MW) _________________
1.5. position, given name and surname of the authorised representative
telephone		fax		e-mail

Bank details

Code No.

Account No.

2. Name and location (address) of the power plant

3. Description of the power plant:

Type of the power plant [hydroelectric power plant, wind power plant (Annex 2 shall also be filled in), cogeneration power plant, other]

Type of generator(s) (synchronous, asynchronous)

Nominal voltage of generator(s) (V)

Installed capacity of generator(s) (kW, kVA)

Nominal capacity of generator(s) (kW)

Type of turbine(s)

The river on which construction of the hydroelectric power plant is planned

Heating fuel to be used in cogeneration cycle of the power plant (fossil, renewable energy resource) and the foreseeable efficiency of its use

Planned concurrent maximum consumption load (MW)

Planned amount of production of electricity per year (MWh)

Planned consumption of electricity per year (MWh)

Planned surplus of electricity per year (MWh)

Electricity produced in a planned cogeneration cycle per year (MWh)

Thermal energy produced in a planned cogeneration cycle per year (MWh)

Planned supply of thermal energy for a centralised thermal supply system per year (MWh)

Other information

4. Preferable connection site

to a 0.4 kV network

to a 6; 10; 20 kV network

to a 110 kV network

5. Preferable time period for connection

6. Person responsible for the operation of the power plant

given name, surname

date of testing the qualification, knowledge, telephone number

Upon appending a copy of the document, the original must be presented.

Appended:

1. Plan of the geographical layout of the power plant

2. Copy of the land boundary plan

3. Copy of the document certifying the possession rights of the immovable property ____________

4. Copy of the permit of the Ministry of Economics for introduction of new capacities

5. Electric scheme of the power plant with the boundaries of belonging indicated and electrotechnical parameters and operational designations of the equipment installed

6. Copy of the document certifying the qualification of the responsible person

Authorised representative of the producer:
	signature		/position, given name, surname/

Chair of the Board of the Public Utilities Commission V.Lokenbahs

 

Annex 2
Decision No. 1/6 of the Public Utilities Commission
22 February 2012

RESULTS OF STANDARD CHECKS OF GENERATORS

Voltage level when performing generator checks ________________________ V

List of protection functions, settings of their setting in:

Protection and automation function	Setting	Time of triggering, s

Generator parameters upon connecting to the electricity supply network:

Switching on of the 1st coil of the generator with starting wind velocity

Switching on of the 2nd coil of the generator with shifting wind velocity

Switching on at nominal capacity, wind velocity

Short-circuit angle of the electricity supply network (ψk)

30°

50°

70°

85°

30°

50°

70°

85°

30°

50°

70°

85°

Coefficient of changes in voltage ku(ψk)≤

Flicker level coefficient kf(ψk) ≤

Short-circuit angle of the electricity supply network (ψk)	30°	50°	70°	85°
Flicker coefficient (cf)≤

Report on the highest current harmonics:

Even No.	Generated capacity	Currents of harmonics	Odd No.	Generated capacity	Currents of harmonics
	kW	% from Inom		kW	% from Inom
2			3
4			5
6			7
8			9
10			11
12			13
14			15
16			17
18			19
20			21
22			23
24			25
26			27
28			29
30			31
32			33
34			35
36			37
38			39
40			41

Authorised representative of the producer:
	signature		/position, given name, surname/

Chair of the Board of the Public Utilities Commission V.Lokenbahs

 

Annex 3
Decision No. 1/6 of the Public Utilities Commission
22 February 2012

Permit No. ____________

to connect a power plant to the ________ system for a probationary period ______________

___ ____________ 20___

Permit issued according to
Name of the producer

Power plant
	name, address

________________________________ documentation submitted, including regarding assembly and adjustment works performed, assessing the readiness of newly built (reconstructed) electrical installations of the power plant for commencement of parallel operation check.

Electrical installation examined:

System operator:

Authorised representative of the system operator
	given name, surname

Producer:
Authorised representative of the producer
	given name, surname

The person of the producer responsible for electrical installations
	given name, surname

Manager of the works of the construction merchant of the electrical installation
	given name, surname

The persons who prepared the act, examined the electrical installation to be connected to the ________________ system (No. of the generating device ____________________________), assessed the conformity of the system connection with the building design, specifications.

Documentation submitted by the producer:

• specifications;

• electricity supply scheme of the power plant (co-ordinated technical design);

• protocols of checks and measurements of the electrical installation:

- minutes on measurement of earthing,

- acts on covered works of laying in the cables,

- acts on inspections of cables,

- relay protection schemes, minutes on settings,

- minutes on measurements of generating devices, transformers, circuit-breakers, and the corresponding voltage.

• certification regarding completion of the assembly works of the structures of the power plant and of the electrical installation (No. of generating devices ___), their conformity with the requirements of the laws and regulations governing construction and installation of electrical installations, and preparation of the electrical installation for tests with turning on the voltage;

• technical characteristics of the power plant.

Authorised representative of the system operator:
	signature		/position, given name, surname/

Chair of the Board of the Public Utilities Commission V.Lokenbahs

 

Annex 4
Decision No. 1/6 of the Public Utilities Commission
22 February 2012

ACT No. _______________
on recognition of the power plant as valid for parallel work with the system

____ ___________ 20___

The act was prepared upon examining
name of the producer

power plant
	name, address

assembly electrical and technical part of the electrical installation
(No. of generating devices)
after completing the check of parallel operation of electrical installations.

System operator:
Authorised representative of the system operator
	given name, surname

Producer:
Authorised representative of the producer
	given name, surname

The persons who prepared the act, upon becoming acquainted with the act on the check of parallel operation of electrical installations (72 hours) and the results of checks and measurements recorded in annexes to the abovementioned act, assessed the conformity of operational settings of automatics of the power plant and of the parameters of electricity produced with the requirements of laws and regulations and specifications, while it was operating in different operating modes, concurrently with ______________ system.

The persons who prepared the act recognise the electrical installations of the power plant of the producer as valid for parallel work with ______________ system.

Appended:

• Act on acceptance of the power plant for operation;

• Act on the check of electrical installation of the producer

(No. of generating devices __________________________),

according to the programme of full check;

• Devices for accounting electricity (and thermal energy), their technical characteristics and readings of meters, print-outs.

Authorised representative of the system operator:
	signature		/position, given name, surname/

Authorised representative of the producer:
	signature		/position, given name, surname/

Chair of the Board of the Public Utilities Commission V.Lokenbahs

 

Annex 5
Decision No. 1/6 of the Public Utilities Commission
22 February 2012

PERMIT No. ____________

for connecting the power plant to the system _____________

_____ ________________ 20___

at ________________ o'clock

Issued to
	name of the producer

power plant
	name, address
for connecting the electrical installation (No. of generating devices ___________________) for parallel work with ___________________________________ system

Technical indicators of generating devices:
Type

Capacity

Capacity coefficient

Connection site

to the system:

Operating mode:

Act on the system operator regarding recognition of the connection of the power plant as valid for parallel work with ______________ system No. _______, drawn up on ____ _____________ 20____.

On the basis of the abovementioned, according to the system services contract it is permitted to connect the power plant for parallel work with ______________ system.

Authorised representative of the system operator:
	signature		/position, given name, surname/

Chair of the Board of the Public Utilities Commission V.Lokenbahs

 

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