Enabling Compliance

The IESO's Market Assessment & Compliance Division (MACD) is responsible for assessing requests for temporary exceptions from strict compliance with the terms of certain NERC Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Standards on grounds of technical feasibility or technical limitations. These exceptions are referred to as "Technical Feasibility Exceptions" or "TFEs".

MACD has the authority to approve or disapprove TFE applications. An approved TFE does not exempt the applicant from compliance with the applicable CIP requirements; it only authorizes temporary dispensation from strict compliance with these requirements through the use of approved compensating and/or mitigating measures.

In developing the Ontario-specific TFE process, MACD has primarily adopted the industry-stakeholdered NERC TFE process (Appendix 4D to the NERC Rules of Procedure), including:

• The criteria under which a TFE application can be submitted
• Information requirements in support of the TFE application
• Obligations on both MACD and TFE applicants

Additional details about the TFE process are available in the Ontario Technical Feasibility Exception Process manual.

Who is Eligible to Submit a TFE?

Any Ontario market participant that meets the IESO's applicability criteria for compliance with NERC CIP standards and whose facilities are unable to strictly comply on grounds of technical feasibility or technical limitations with the applicable requirements identified in Appendix 4D to the NERC Rules of Procedure.