Section 466.100  Level 2 Expedited Review

An EDC shall use the Level 2 review procedure for interconnection requests that meet the Level 2 criteria in Section 466.80(b).  An EDC may not impose additional requirements for Level 2 reviews that are not specifically authorized under this Section unless the applicant agrees.

a)         The EDC shall evaluate the potential for adverse system impacts using the following screens, which shall be satisfied:

1)         For interconnection of a proposed distributed generation facility to a radial distribution circuit, the total distributed generation connected to the distribution circuit, including the proposed distributed generation facility, may not exceed 15% of the maximum normal load normally supplied by the distribution circuit

2)         For interconnection of a proposed distributed generation facility to the load side of spot network protectors, the proposed distributed generation facility shall utilize an inverter-based equipment package.  The customer interconnection equipment proposed for the distributed generation facility must be lab-certified and, when aggregated with other generation, may not exceed 5% of a spot network's maximum load.

3)         The proposed distributed generation facility, in aggregation with other generation on the distribution circuit, may not contribute more than 10% to the distribution circuit's maximum fault current at the point on the primary line nearest the point of interconnection.

4)         The proposed distributed generation facility, in aggregate with other generation on the distribution circuit, shall not cause any distribution protective devices and equipment including substation breakers, fuse cutouts, and line reclosers, or other customer equipment on the electric distribution system to be exposed to fault currents exceeding 90% of their short circuit interrupting capability.  The interconnection may not occur under Level 2 if equipment on the EDC's distribution circuit is already exposed to fault currents of between 90% and 100% of the EDC's equipment short circuit interrupting capability.  However, if fault currents exceed 100% of the EDC's equipment short circuit interrupting capability even without the distributed generation being interconnected, the EDC shall replace the equipment at its own expense, and interconnection may proceed under Level 2.

5)         When a customer-generator facility is to be connected to 3-phase, 3-wire primary EDC distribution lines, a 3-phase or single-phase generator shall be connected phase-to-phase.

6)         When a customer-generator facility is to be connected to 3-phase, 4-wire primary EDC distribution lines, a 3-phase or single phase generator shall be connected line-to-neutral and shall be grounded.

7)         When the proposed distributed generation facility is to be interconnected on single-phase shared secondary line, the aggregate generation capacity on the shared secondary line, including the proposed distributed generation facility, may not exceed 20 kVA.

8)         When a proposed distributed generation facility is single-phase and is to be interconnected on a center tap neutral of a 240 volt service, its addition may not create an imbalance between the two sides of the 240 volt service of more than 20% of the nameplate rating of the service transformer.

9)         A distributed generation facility, in aggregate with other generation interconnected to the distribution side of a substation transformer feeding the circuit where the distributed generation facility proposes to interconnect, may not exceed 10 MVA in an area where there are known or posted transient stability limitations to generating units located in the general electrical vicinity.

10)        Except as permitted by additional review in Section 466.100(f), the EDC shall not be required to construct any facilities on its own system to accommodate the distributed generation facility's interconnection.

b)         The Level 2 interconnection shall use the following procedures:

1)         The applicant submits an interconnection request using the appropriate form and the Level 2 application fee (see Appendix C).

2)         Within 10 business days after receiving the interconnection request, the EDC shall inform the applicant as to whether the interconnection request is complete.  If the request is incomplete, the EDC shall specify what materials are missing and the applicant has 10 business days to provide the missing information or the interconnection request shall be deemed withdrawn.

3)         After an interconnection request is deemed complete, the EDC shall assign a queue position based upon the date that the interconnection request is determined to be complete.  The EDC shall then inform the applicant of its queue position.

4)         If, after determining that the interconnection request is complete, the EDC determines that it needs additional information to evaluate the distributed generation facility's adverse system impact, it shall request this information.  The EDC may not restart the review process or alter the applicant's queue position because it requires the additional information.  The EDC can extend the time to finish its evaluation only to the extent of the delay required for receipt of the additional information.  If the additional information is not provided by the applicant within 15 business days, the interconnection request shall be deemed withdrawn.

5)         Within 20 business days after the EDC notifies the applicant it has received a completed interconnection request, the EDC shall:

A)        Evaluate the interconnection request using the Level 2 screening criteria.

B)        Provide the applicant with the EDC's evaluation, including a written technical explanation.  If an EDC does not have a record of receipt of the interconnection request and the applicant can demonstrate that the original interconnection request was delivered, the EDC shall expedite its review to complete the evaluation of the interconnection request within 20 business days after applicant's demonstration.

c)         When an EDC determines that the interconnection request passes the Level 2 screening criteria, or the EDC determines that the distributed generation facility can be interconnected safely and will not cause adverse system impacts, even if it fails one or more of the Level 2 screening criteria, it shall provide the applicant with a standard distributed generation interconnection agreement (see Appendix D) on the day the EDC makes its determination.

d)         Within 30 business days after receipt of the standard distributed generation interconnection agreement, the applicant shall sign and return the agreement to the EDC.  If the applicant does not sign and return the agreement within 30 business days, the interconnection request shall be deemed withdrawn unless the applicant requests a 15 business day extension in writing.  The initial request for extension may not be denied by the EDC.  When the EDC constructs an additional review under the provisions of subsection (f), the interconnection of the distributed generation facility shall proceed according to milestones agreed to by the parties in the standard distributed generation interconnection agreement.

e)         The standard distributed generation interconnection agreement is not final until:

1)         All requirements in the standard distributed generation interconnection agreement are satisfied;

2)         The distributed generation facility is approved by the electric code officials with jurisdiction over the interconnection;

3)         The applicant provides a certificate of completion (see Appendix B) to the EDC. Completion of local inspections may be designated on inspection forms used by local inspecting authorities; and

4)         The witness test is successfully completed if required by the EDC or if the witness test is waived according to Article 2.1.1 of Appendix D.

f)          Additional review may be appropriate when a distributed generation facility fails to meet one or more of the Level 2 screens.  The EDC shall offer to perform additional review to determine whether there are minor modifications to the distributed generation facility or electric distribution system that would enable the interconnection to be made safely and so that it will not cause adverse system impacts.  The EDC shall provide the applicant with a nonbinding estimate for the costs of additional review and the costs of minor modifications to the electric distribution system.  The EDC shall undertake the additional review only after the applicant pays for the additional review.  The EDC shall undertake the modifications only after the applicant pays for the modifications.

g)         If the distributed generation facility is not approved under a Level 2 review, the EDC shall provide the applicant with written notification explaining its reasons for denying the interconnection request.  The applicant may submit a new interconnection request for consideration under a Level 4 interconnection review.  The queue position assigned to the Level 2 interconnection request shall be retained, provided that the request is made by the applicant within 15 business days after notification that the current interconnection request is denied.