Topic:"Performance Monitoring" in M12619

1 11.1.4 Impact of Reliability Projects 2 3 The Board’s 2013 ACE Plan Decision provided the following directive: 4 5 …the Board expects NSPI to monitor the impact of the deferral of reliability 6 projects in the original 2013 ACE Plan clos...

AI summary The document outlines the Board's directives related to the impact of reliability projects in the Annual Capital Expenditure (ACE) Plan. It emphasizes NSPI's responsibility to monitor deferrals, report on reliability performance, and align capital investments with performance standards.

1 It is not clear such items as, for example, plans for replacement of aging 2 transmission and distribution equipment, and storm performance information, 3 beyond the 48-hour restoration metric, will be fully explored in the context of 4...

AI summary The document discusses uncertainties regarding the inclusion of reliability metrics in the ACE Plan, particularly concerning aging infrastructure and storm performance. NS Power has committed to providing risk ratings for reliability-focused distribution projects over $1 million, with updates over five years post-implementation.

uts of the condition score for these projects will be provided in subsequent ACE 10 Plans for five years following the in-service date of the project. 11 12 The Board’s Decision pertaining to the 2023 Performance standards provided the fol...

AI summary The Board has directed NS Power to prepare a comprehensive five-year reliability plan to track service improvements and progress against performance goals, to be filed by December 31, 2024. This follows the 2023 Performance Standards Report and relates to the 2026 ACE Plan.

ing the cost of capital as the discount rate automa cally provides for not only the recovery of the investment, but also a return on the investment at least equal to the cost of capital. A er the es mates have been converted to their prese...

AI summary The text describes Nova Scotia Power's use of the Economic Analysis Model (EAM) to evaluate projects through net present value (NPV) calculations and sensitivity analysis. It emphasizes NPV as a tool for comparing alternatives and identifying risks from input assumptions, with sensitivity analysis assessing how variations in estimates affect project economics.

1 1.0 INTRODUCTION 2 3 NS Power owns and operates the Mersey Hydro System (MHS), a series of six hydroelectric 4 stations and a lake storage diversion along a 21km reach of the Mersey River. The 2026 ACE Plan 5 focuses on sustaining capita...

AI summary NS Power is updating the 2026 ACE Plan to address sustaining investments for the Mersey Hydro System (MHS) while evaluating long-term options via the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). The Board directed NS Power to include NPV analyses comparing decommissioning, partial decommissioning, and redevelopment options, along with assumptions, in the ACE Plan application following the next depreciation study.

ration Phase-Out................................................................................... 35 30 7.0 ADDITIONAL IRP ACTION PLAN AND ROAD MAP ITEMS ................................... 38 Page 2 of 55 Date: December 12, 2025 Page 65...

AI summary This document outlines the 2026 ACE Plan's update, covering demand-side management, hybrid peak/load management, green hydrogen projects, offshore wind, and project accountabilities, coordination, and risk management strategies for Nova Scotia's energy sector.

competitive procurements for required products and services. 1 2 8.2 Implementation Coordination 3 4 The Province of Nova Scotia and NS Power are both committed to meeting 2030 coal phase-out 5 and 80 Percent Renewable Energy Standard targ...

AI summary Nova Scotia and NS Power collaborate on 2030 coal phase-out and 80% renewable energy targets through a Working Group, emphasizing program coordination and risk management for capital-intensive initiatives. The 2026 ACE Plan Appendix F outlines implementation strategies and risk mitigation frameworks.

2026 Annual Capital Expenditure (ACE) Plan (NSEB M12619) NSPI Responses to Consumer Advocate Information Requests 2 3 With respect to Appendix I, CIs for transmission replacement and upgrade projects 4 C0080110 and C0080109, and 2024 ACE P...

AI summary The text discusses the 2026 Annual Capital Expenditure (ACE) Plan and responses from Nova Scotia Power Inc. (NSPI) to information requests by the Consumer Advocate. It includes questions regarding risk registers, contingency budgets, and project modifications, particularly for transmission replacement and upgrade projects.

REDACTED 2026 ACE Plan CA IR-16 Attachment 2 Page 6 of 7 REDACTED (CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION REMOVED) 8.2 Welding (Tank) Location TAIWAN QA Level ANSI/IEEE 8.3 Radiators Location INDIA QA Level DIN&BSEN 8.4 Fans/Pumps Location USA QA Level...

AI summary This document outlines the locations and quality assurance (QA) levels for various components of a project, including welding, radiators, fans/pumps, core, winding, instrument transformers, tap changers, bushings, final assembly, and testing. The QA levels are specified using international standards such as ANSI/IEEE, DIN&BSEN, and CSA C88.1.

2026 ACE NSDoE IR-003 Attachment 1 All Events Performance Standards Year Actuals ($Millions) Customer Additions CI CHI SAIFI SAIDI CI CHI SAIFI SAIDI 2016 68.9 4,070 1,721,114 5,988,996 3.42 11.90 1,237,756 2,545,202 2.46 5.06 2017 79.1 4,...

AI summary The table presents data on capital expenditure, customer additions, and performance standards from 2016 to 2025. It includes metrics such as Actuals, Customer Additions, CI, CHI, SAIFI, and SAIDI, providing a detailed overview of trends and performance over time.

1 1 Request IR-19: 19 utilities measure individual project impacts on circuit performance and system 20 performance, and how those approaches differ from NSPI's approach? 21 22 Response IR-20: 23 24 (e) Based on conversations with other No...

AI summary NS Power explains that other North American utilities primarily use standard reliability indicators (e.g., SAIFI, SAIDI) to evaluate the benefits of reliability-based projects, and no widely adopted alternative metric or methodology has been identified. NS Power has not completed a comprehensive jurisdictional scan but has reviewed information from Canadian utilities through industry engagement.

2026 Annual Capital Expenditure (ACE) Plan (NSEB M12619) NSPI Responses to NSEB Information Requests 1 Request IR-19: 2 3 Section 7.0 Transmission pages 46 to 50 4 5 On page 48 of the application, NS Power states: "The focus for transmissi...

AI summary The 2026 Annual Capital Expenditure (ACE) Plan focuses on transmission and distribution investments aimed at improving system reliability and performance standards. The plan includes projects related to energy storage and synchronous condensers, and it is expected to contribute to a net positive impact on performance metrics. Questions are raised about the specific performance standards and the expected improvements from the proposed projects.

NON-CONFIDENTIAL 2026 ACE Plan Condition Inputs Transmission Projects Line Criticality Line Reliability Clearance Violation Inspection C0080110 - L7012 Replacements and 5 1 1 5 Upgrades Phase 1 1 Request IR-45: 2 3 Directives & Misc pages...

AI summary The 2026 ACE Plan includes T&D projects that are part of the Five-Year Reliability Plan, which are expected to have a positive impact on performance standards. A concern was raised about the use of the term 'net,' implying some projects might have a negative impact, but NS Power clarified that no such projects are planned.

Q: What is your recommendation regarding collection of new customer data? - A: I recommend that the Board direct NS Power to revise its internal work orders for work done in customer-driven routines to identify whether the work was done fo...

AI summary The recommendation is for the Board to direct NS Power to revise internal work orders to better categorize customer-driven work and monitor external cost drivers, such as supply chain issues and labor shifts, ensuring supporting data is provided for significant cost increases.

Standardized Data, Reporting & Analytics Standardized reporting and analytics improvements in the first year achieved full benefits in year 1 instead of year 3. Real-time reports and dashboards now provide quick access to information on up...

AI summary Standardized data and reporting improvements in the first year achieved immediate benefits, including reduced manual effort, enhanced operational visibility, and robust benchmarking capabilities. Real-time dashboards now provide quick access to information on tasks, compliance, and productivity opportunities.

thin the site and are not expected to interact with potentially sensitive ecological receptors. As such, further assessment to address the associated ecological concerns is not warranted at this time. Based on these results and the site co...

AI summary The site has been assessed for PHC contamination, and while the impacted areas have been delineated, long-term groundwater monitoring is recommended. A Risk Management Plan should be developed and implemented, and regulatory closure can be submitted to NSECC once monitoring is complete. Monitoring wells should be decommissioned following regulatory closure.

present in the area below the transformer containment pad extending west (down-gradient) towards the retaining wall. Nova Scotia Power Incorporated Project # 24-10728 - The surface water sample collected from East River west (downgradient)...

AI summary The document discusses the findings from the Phase III Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) at a site impacted by PHCs. Surface water and sediment assessments are not required due to compliance with EQS criteria. Long-term groundwater monitoring is recommended to ensure plume stability. Ecological concerns were identified but are not expected to affect sensitive receptors.

ontacts, based originally on subject-matter-expert estimates from 2019. Mr. Wilson's concern is that NS Power does not collect specific additional data to substantiate that attribution. Where there is programs. clear evidence that a tree c...

AI summary The text discusses concerns regarding NS Power's reliability metrics, specifically the accuracy of tree-contact outage attribution and the effectiveness of expenditures on grid modernization and vegetation management. It highlights the need for more precise data and verification of trendlines, as well as the argument that capital investments have not consistently improved reliability performance.

iate benchmarks. [161] Based on this analysis, NS Power has not identified a new metric that it considers sufficiently superior to its existing reliability measures to warrant adoption at this point: Over the course of the last year, NS Po...

AI summary NS Power has evaluated potential new reliability metrics but found none superior to its current measures. It maintains that existing metrics like SAIDI and SAIFI are comprehensive and standard in the industry. The NSEB has initiated a review of NS Power's performance standards, potentially leading to new metrics for the 2027 ACE Plan.

Request IR-45: - Page 92 of the application states "All T&D projects in the 2026 ACE Plan that are included in the - Five-Year Reliability Plan will contribute to having a net positive impact on the metrics tracked - under performance stan...

AI summary The text questions the use of the term 'net' in the context of T&D projects in the 2026 ACE Plan, suggesting that some projects may have a negative impact on performance standards. It requests clarification on how these projects support an overall positive impact.

forecast that is significantly higher than that provided in the 2025 ACE Plan Figure 59. Please discuss the changes to this project’s forecast budget. In reference to Impact of Reliability Projects. 1. On pdf page 92 of the application, NS...

AI summary The text requests clarification on budget forecasts for a project in the 2026 ACE Plan and asks for details on how T&D projects will impact performance standards. It also questions the use of the term 'net' in the context of potential negative impacts from some projects and references the CEATI Grid Resiliency working group.

Request IR-17: - Please refer to the Application Page 99 of 782, Line 8-9, Metrics. - a) Did NS Power consider or evaluate the potential use of the following customer centric metrics: - i) Customers Experiencing Multiple Momentaries (CEMM)...

AI summary The document contains a series of requests (IR-17 to IR-28) directed at NS Power, focusing on outage metrics, event days, definitions, and governance milestones. It asks for clarifications on customer-centric metrics, outage causes, figures, and directives related to energy infrastructure and regulatory compliance.

classes, and specifically for the three classes represented by the SBA, are assumed to be planned for in this Application? 3. How did you calculate the change in number of customers for this table? Refer to the Application confirming that...

AI summary The text raises questions about the calculation of customer numbers and project risk assessments in NS Power's 2026 ACE Plan, including how risks are handled in contingency planning and whether projects were excluded or revised based on updated quality control steps in the Project Delivery Model.

Projects with actual spending > $5M. 21 22 ii. Projects with actual spending between $1M and $5M, where at least one of the 23 following criteria are met: 24 25 1. Unique or first-time undertaking - 26 2. Significant safety or environmenta...

AI summary The text outlines criteria for post-project reviews at NS Power, focusing on projects with significant spending or performance issues. It also asks for examples of how these reviews have contributed to continuous improvement or, if not effective, what changes are planned.

1. Please confirm that NS Power’s policy remains, “In the case of Transmission Replacement and Upgrade projects, the project risks and their potential impacts are well understood by the project team, therefore having a risk register for ea...

AI summary The text consists of a series of questions directed at NS Power regarding its risk management practices, budgeting mechanisms, and project management for transmission replacement and upgrade projects. Specific focus is on risk registers, contingency budgets, and the impact of changes in project scope on procurement and scheduling.

1. Please provide a list of all post-project reviews conducted over the past 18 months and identify any that have previously been filed (e.g., in an ATO or in the 2024 ACE Plan proceeding). Please provide a copy of a sample comprising at l...

AI summary The request asks for a list of post-project reviews conducted by NS Power over the past 18 months, with a focus on those not previously filed, and how these reviews have contributed to continuous improvement. It also asks for examples of actionable findings from the reviews, including insights into project coordination, risk management, and staff response to challenges.

of risks that were overlooked, overstated, or successfully mitigated; and 3. Staff response to emerging problems, such as whether internal communication was effective and whether mid-course action mitigated those problems. 4. If, for any o...

AI summary The text requests a review of NS Power's post-project reviews, focusing on risk management, internal communication, and quality control. It also asks for actions taken since April 2024 to assess the acquisition of historical and forecast distribution cost data across various categories.

13 Reliability Investment vs. Performance Achievements NSPI has consistently identified system reliability as a key driver supporting significant capital investment requirements, including forecast expenditures of approximately $1.3 billio...

AI summary Nova Scotia Power Inc. (NSPI) has invested heavily in grid reliability, yet has not consistently met performance targets. The document highlights a 'Reliability Gap' where capital expenditures have not directly translated into improved system performance, suggesting a need for better performance monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.

5.0 EFFECTIVENESS OF RELIABILITY INVESTMENTS Consistent with the 2026 ACE Plan proceeding, it is important to emphasize that NS Power's reliability investments are effective and are delivering measurable reliability improvements for custom...

AI summary NS Power emphasizes the effectiveness of its reliability investments, citing measurable improvements in reliability metrics and the use of a robust evaluation framework. The Company highlights the importance of using both lagging and leading indicators to assess performance and manage risks proactively. It also notes the potential for changes to performance standards and how the Five-Year Reliability Plan may need to be adjusted accordingly.

5.4 Reliability Spending and Improvements in Reliability - The Department argues that reliability performance has not improved in proportion to capital - spending and therefore questions the effectiveness of reliability investments. In NS...

AI summary The Department of Energy argues that reliability performance has not improved proportionally with capital spending, questioning the effectiveness of reliability investments. NS Power counters that factors beyond utility investment, such as severe weather and aging infrastructure, impact reliability. The Company emphasizes that reliability investments are preventative and that the existing Performance Standards framework already ensures accountability for reliability outcomes.

placement and upgrade projects. - Upgraded 33.7 kilometers of transmission line through reconductoring to enhance system reliability and improve grid resilience. [Exhibit N-1, Appendix G, pp. 14-15] [129] The Company provided updated SAIDI...

AI summary The document discusses upgrades to transmission lines and reliability metrics from 2024 to 2025, noting an improvement in customer interruptions but a worsening trend in customer hours of interruptions. The Board is examining whether spending on vegetation management and storm hardening has improved reliability, referencing reports M12784 and M12558.

iate benchmarks. [161] Based on this analysis, NS Power has not identified a new metric that it considers sufficiently superior to its existing reliability measures to warrant adoption at this point: Over the course of the last year, NS Po...

AI summary NS Power has evaluated potential new reliability metrics but does not currently see a need to replace its existing ones, which include SAIDI, SAIFI, CKAIDI, and CKAIFI. The NSEB has opened a new matter (M12376) to review performance standards and may introduce new metrics. NS Power will continue to evaluate emerging measures for future use.

NS POWER PANEL 225 Cr-ex, (Rudderham) 1 BY MS. RUDDERHAM: 19 MS. RUDDERHAM: I think it's most 1 important if it's clear to NSPI as to what they're doing, 2 so it's a comparison of what was done what projects 3 were anticipated for the 2025...

AI summary The discussion focuses on providing an update on the 2025 ACE Plan, comparing anticipated and actual project completions, costs, and carryforward expenses to 2026. It also references performance standards and evaluations related to outages and equipment failures.

NS POWER PANEL 489 Questions, (Murphy) 1 but we won't I don't think we'll quibble over the 2 difference there. 3 So your target is 4.08 by 2029. The 4 current standard is 4.29. The performance standard is 5 4.29. So when you look at those...

AI summary The discussion centers on Nova Scotia Power's target for reducing SAIDI (System Average Interruption Duration Index) by 12.6 minutes by 2029, with a focus on the justification for spending $97 million on infrastructure improvements. The plan aims for an overall hour reduction in SAIDI by 2029 and includes monitoring and potential revisions based on system performance.

NS POWER PANEL 491 Questions, (Murphy) 1 that I feel is going to get us there within that, 2 absolutely looking at in terms of the real actual 3 result response of the system to those investments and 4 what are we actually getting, in term...

AI summary The discussion focuses on Nova Scotia Power's SAIDI performance and the effectiveness of investments in grid improvements, including right-of-way widening and vegetation management. Concerns are raised about whether these expenditures are delivering the expected improvements in system reliability.

NS POWER PANEL 495 Questions, (Murphy) 1 clear more trees away from the line, that is going to 2 build year upon year, and we will see those improvements 3 and 4 Q. Okay. Thank you. 5 One last question on this topic. You 6 recognize that t...

AI summary The discussion centers on the potential adjustment of reliability targets in the Five-Year Reliability Plan if new performance standards are established. If targets are lowered, such as for SAIDI, the plan would be updated to reflect these changes, potentially requiring increased spending on grid modernization and storm hardening initiatives.