Infrastructure Briefing — August 15, 2025
Transmission providers must demonstrate sustained compliance with FERC Order 881’s ambient-adjusted line ratings during the first post-deadline operating month, documenting telemetry, EMS upgrades, and oversight processes.
Executive briefing: FERC Order 881 required transmission providers to implement ambient-adjusted line ratings and data-sharing protocols by 12 July 2025. By mid-August, regional operators are auditing SCADA telemetry, EMS integrations, and dispatcher procedures to confirm the new ratings are active and improving transfer capability. Grid owners should evidence continuous monitoring, coordination with neighbouring balancing authorities, and corrective action processes to withstand compliance reviews.
Key infrastructure signals
- Transparency obligations. Transmission providers must share near-real-time rating data with grid operators and, upon request, with transmission customers under updated Open Access Transmission Tariff (OATT) provisions.
- Automation maturity. Order 881 expects EMS upgrades that recalculate line ratings at least hourly using temperature inputs, wind speed, and solar loading.
- Consumer benefits. FERC will examine whether operators are documenting congestion relief and increased transfer capacity achieved through the new ratings.
Operational priorities
- Telemetry validation. Confirm weather stations and conductor sensors feeding ambient-adjusted line ratings are calibrated and redundancies are in place for data loss scenarios.
- OATT compliance. Ensure tariff manuals, customer portals, and settlement processes reflect updated rating practices and data-access procedures.
- Performance reporting. Capture metrics on congestion cost reductions, emergency transfer capability, and curtailment avoidance attributable to the new ratings.
Enablement moves
- Conduct joint drills with balancing authorities and reliability coordinators to verify that real-time rating updates propagate through all control centres.
- Document governance workflows covering model change approvals, dispatcher training, and incident response for telemetry failures.
Sources
Zeph Tech equips transmission operators with telemetry analytics, EMS integration support, and compliance documentation that keep Order 881 programmes audit-ready.