Key Players

NERC is governed by a Board of Trustees comprised of 10 independent directors and the president of NERC, who is appointed by the board.

NERC members participate in governance through the MRC (see below).

NERC is overseen by the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Canadian provincial authorities.

Eight regional reliability organizations (RRO) share NERC’s mission but for their respective geographies within North America.  The RROs and their members work together to forecast electricity demand, coordinate operations, share information and plan for emergencies.

“Regional Entity” is an entity to which NERC has delegated enforcement authority through an agreement approved by FERC.  The eight Regional Entities were formed by the eight regional reliability organizations to receive delegated authority and to carry out standards compliance monitoring and enforcement activities.

Membership in NERC is open to any person or entity that has an interest in the reliable operation of the North American bulk power system.  Members come from 12 different sectors of the industry.  NERC has more than 500 members.

Many members and other bulk power industry experts provide time and expertise to NERC, the industry and the general public by participating in NERC committees, sub-committees, task forces, working groups and drafting teams.

Members participate in NERC governance through the Member Representative Committee (MRC), which serves as a conduit between NERC members and the NERC Board of Trustees.  MRC members are elected by the NERC membership.  The MRC’s responsibilities include:

• Electing the Board of Trustees
• Voting on amendments to the NERC bylaws
• Advising the Board of Trustees on policy, business plans, budgets, funding, etc.

Registered Entities are those entities required by law to register with NERC and comply with NERC Reliability Standards.  See the Compliance Registry for a list of the approximately 1,400 Registered Entities.