ATLANTA – NERC and Texas RE published a joint disturbance report that provides a comprehensive assessment of the June 4, 2022, Odessa disturbance, in which a widespread loss of solar photovoltaic (PV) and synchronous generation was caused by a fault in the Texas Interconnection. This event, which occurred just over a year after NERC and Texas RE analyzed a nearly identical event at the same location, illustrates the need for immediate industry action to ensure reliable operation of the bulk power system with the ever-increasing penetrations of inverter-based resources (IBRs).
The 2022 Odessa disturbance was a Category 3a event in the NERC Event Analysis Process, and the combined loss of generation nearly exceeded the Texas Interconnection Resource Loss Protection Criteria. This concurrent and unexpected tripping of synchronous generation, in conjunction with the abnormal reduction of power from many solar PV facilities, poses a significant risk to bulk power system reliability. This is especially true when many of the underlying causes of abnormal performance are systemic in nature and are not mitigated in a timely manner (impacting large amounts of resources), and should be captured in system planning assessments or interconnection studies.
Full Announcement | 2022 Odessa
Disturbance
Texas Event: June 4, 2022
Joint NERC and Texas RE Staff Report
