Operating procedures
Operating procedures implement the policies and authorities contained in the California ISO Tariff and business practice manuals. We provide public access to current versions of the operating procedures, which do not contain information that is system security sensitive, market sensitive or third party proprietary.
Operating procedures are intended to guide ISO stakeholders regarding the implementation of rules and policies specified in the California ISO Tariff.
Actual ISO operations are based upon system conditions and prudent practice. System conditions may warrant deviation from written procedures. The shift manager will determine the need for such deviation. The ISO reserves the sole right to revise or edit these procedures in accordance with Operating Procedure 5510.
The following information is not available in this public posting of the ISO operating procedures due to security or confidentiality reasons: third party operating procedures and unit specific data is not being provided pending ISO and third party confidentiality review; names and phone numbers are excluded for privacy and security reasons; and emergency restoration procedures are not included due to security considerations.
Balancing authority area procedures
All publicly available procedures are posted here grouped by series. For a complete list of operating procedures, view the Operating Procedures Index List.
Draft and future effective operating procedures
1000-2000 series - balancing area operations
1200 - Day-ahead market
- 1210 Day-Ahead Market05/06/2024, 9:30 AM
1500 - Interchange management
- 1510 Pre-schedule and Checkout Validation 04/09/2024, 12:02 PM
2200 - Real-time market
- 2210 Real-Time Market Activities 04/09/2024, 12:02 PM
- 2210D Ancillary Service Blocking and Disqualification07/01/2024, 9:25 AM
- 2210Z Effectiveness Factors - All12/05/2024, 8:47 AM
2300-2400 - procurement and commitment adjustments
- 2310 Real-Time Reliability Must Run Unit Commitment and Dispatch01/02/2024, 11:24 AM
- 2330 Real-Time Exceptional Dispatch 05/02/2024, 8:35 AM
- 2330C Exceptional Dispatch Instruction Type Codes02/22/2024, 8:21 AM
- 2340 Ancillary Service Availability Validation 04/23/2024, 8:12 AM
- 2390 Over-supply/Over-generation 05/02/2024, 8:35 AM
2500 - Interchange management
- 2510 NERC and CAISO Tagging Requirements07/01/2024, 9:25 AM
- 2510A POR/POD-Scheduling Path Cross Reference07/01/2024, 9:25 AM
- 2510B CAISO Tagging Templates07/01/2024, 9:25 AM
- 2510C Allowable Tag and Market Award Combinations12/13/2022, 12:11 PM
- 2520 Real-Time and After-the-Fact Checkout01/18/2024, 11:07 AM
- 2530 Manual Dispatch on Interties09/11/2023, 9:04 AM
- 2540 Interchange Schedule Curtailments07/12/2024, 8:33 AM
- 2550 Inadvertent Interchange ATEC Payback09/12/2023, 10:39 AM
2700 - Market disruptions
- 2710 Market Disruption - RTM Failure and Suspension08/15/2024, 10:30 AM
- 2720 Market Disruption - Western Energy Imbalance Market (WEIM)08/15/2024, 10:30 AM
3000 series - transmission operations
3100 - Policy
- 3100 Establishing System Operating Limits for the Operations Horizon08/15/2024, 10:30 AM
- 3100A Acceptable Thermal Performance Examples01/12/2023, 8:48 AM
- 3140 TOP-003 TOP - BA Data Request and Specification Guidelines11/05/2024, 9:43 AM
- 3140A TOP-003 TOP - BA Data Request and Specifications for Data Provision07/05/2024, 3:45 PM
3200 - Outage coordination
- 3200 Normal Operations Planning Process10/26/2023, 8:10 AM
- 3210 Transmission Outages10/26/2023, 8:10 AM
- 3210A Transmission Outage Request05/18/2023, 8:53 AM
- 3210G Outages to Connect New or Rearranged Facilities05/18/2023, 8:53 AM
- 3220 Generation Outages08/15/2024, 10:30 AM
3300 - System and voltage monitoring and control
- 3320 Voltage and VAR Control09/12/2024, 9:32 AM
3500 - Interchange management
- 3510E Considerations When Requesting Unscheduled Flow Mitigation for Path 66 (COI)10/22/2024, 8:59 AM
- 3530 Scheduling for Stranded Loads01/18/2024, 11:07 AM
- 3530I Stranded Load Scheduling - Public Attachment07/30/2024, 10:59 AM
3600 - System modeling
- 3610 Nomograms, TCORs, Flowgates, Contingencies and MOC09/12/2024, 9:32 AM
- 3620 Transmission Reliability Margins09/11/2023, 9:04 AM
- 3630 Modeling - Scheduling ETC and TOR Rights 07/13/2023, 8:45 AM
- 3630A ETC/TOR Instructions 07/13/2023, 8:45 AM
- 3640 Existing Transmission Contract Calculator Update02/01/2024, 8:24 AM
4000 series - emergency operations
4100 - Adverse operating conditions
- 4100 System Operations Emergency Plan08/01/2024, 10:58 AM
- 4110 Operations Emergency Preparation Notifications and Reporting10/10/2024, 9:32 AM
- 4110A DOE, NERC and WECC Significant Event Reporting Requirements10/10/2024, 9:32 AM
- 4120 Gas Transmission Pipeline System Limitations or Outages02/22/2024, 8:21 AM
4400 - Electric and capacity emergencies
- 4410 Emergency Assistance07/20/2023, 8:45 AM
- 4410D Emergency Assistance Resource IDs07/01/2024, 9:26 AM
- 4420 System Emergency12/03/2024, 9:41 AM
- 4420C Emergency Notice Templates10/31/2024, 2:58 PM
- 4420E Allowable Maintenance Activities During Restricted Maintenance Operations10/31/2024, 2:58 PM
4500 - Load management
- 4510 Load Management Programs and Underfrequency Load Shedding06/04/2024, 11:44 AM
- 4510A Load Shed Calculation Guideline - Public Attachment03/28/2024, 9:31 AM
- 4510B Demand Response and UDC Interruptible Programs06/04/2024, 11:44 AM
- 4510F Reliability Demand Response Resource (RDRR) Daily Reporting Template06/04/2024, 11:44 AM
5000 series - communications and administration
5100 - Communications and reporting
- 5110 Real-Time Communications Guidelines12/05/2024, 8:47 AM
- 5140 California ISO Market Participant Inquiries 09/11/2023, 9:04 AM
5200 - SLIC logging and reports
- 5210A Transmission Desk Logging10/01/2024, 11:10 AM
- 5210B Generation Desk Logging01/02/2024, 11:24 AM
- 5210E Market Operator Logging11/01/2023, 8:18 AM
5300 - Resource certification and testing
- 5310 Generation Station Requirements and Communications12/05/2024, 8:47 AM
- 5320 Resource Trial Operations and Test Energy Process10/10/2024, 9:32 AM
- 5320A Test Energy Process for NGR Resources02/01/2023, 9:18 AM
- 5330 Resource Testing Guidelines01/02/2024, 11:24 AM
- 5330A Resource Test Request Form12/11/2023, 10:55 AM
- 5330B Spinning and Non-Spinning Reserve Imports12/11/2023, 10:55 AM
- 5330D Request for Testing Spinning and Non-Spinning Reserve Imports12/11/2023, 10:55 AM
- 5330E Request for Testing Imports of Regulation12/11/2023, 10:55 AM
- 5340 Pre-Market Testing and Certification Procedures - RMR Units01/02/2024, 11:24 AM
- 5340B CAISO RMR Availability Notice12/17/2021, 11:38 AM
- 5340F CAISO RMR Availability Test Request Form12/17/2021, 11:38 AM
- 5340G RMR Availability Test Request Form Ambient Temperature Supplement12/17/2021, 11:38 AM
- 5360 Black Start Resource Testing 07/13/2023, 8:45 AM
- 5360A Black Start Resource Test Request Form07/13/2023, 8:45 AM
- 5360B Black Start Resource Test Report Form07/13/2023, 8:45 AM
- 5360C Black Start Resource Test Plan Template07/13/2023, 8:45 AM
- 5370 Resource Performance Verification10/22/2024, 8:59 AM
5500 - Procedure maintenance
- 5510 Procedure Development, Maintenance and Distribution04/09/2024, 12:02 PM
5700 - Metering process
- 5710 Certification of Metering Facilities02/01/2023, 9:18 AM
- 5720 CAISO Authorized Inspector Application and Renewal Procedure02/01/2023, 9:18 AM
- 5730 Metering Exemptions from Compliance01/18/2024, 11:07 AM
- 5740 Meter Data Acquisition and Processing Procedure 01/18/2024, 11:07 AM
- 5750 Settlement Quality Meter Data (SQMD) Plan - Submission & Approval Process (External)02/16/2023, 7:46 AM
6000-7000 series procedures
6000 series - bulk/ TOP007 reportable paths
7000 series - regional operations
Reliability coordinator procedures
For a complete list of operating procedures, view the RC West Operating Procedures Index List.
- RC0100 Reliability Coordinator Authority10/18/2023, 9:05 AM
- RC0110 Communications Protocols08/15/2024, 10:30 AM
- RC0120 Guidelines for RC West IRO-010 Data Specification and Collection11/05/2024, 9:43 AM
- RC0120A RC West IRO-010 Data Specification05/30/2024, 11:27 AM
- RC0120B RC West IRO-010 Data Specification for Adjacent RCs04/01/2024, 9:31 AM
- RC0120C ICCP or PMU Data Request Procedure04/01/2024, 9:31 AM
- RC0130 Notification Requirements for Real-Time Events04/01/2024, 9:30 AM
- RC0140 Guidelines for Sending Messages Across RC Seams06/15/2023, 2:34 PM
- RC0210 Monitoring Frequency and Balancing Authority Performance07/13/2023, 8:45 AM
- RC0220 Time Error Correction11/28/2022, 9:34 AM
- RC0310 Mitigating SOL and IROL Exceedances10/01/2024, 11:10 AM
- RC0320 Outage Review and Coordination06/14/2024, 8:43 AM
- RC0330 Coordination with Neighboring Reliability Coordinators05/30/2024, 11:27 AM
- RC0410 System Emergencies06/14/2024, 8:43 AM
- RC0410A EOP-011 Plan Review Checklist10/01/2024, 11:10 AM
- RC0420 Event Reporting10/31/2024, 2:58 PM
- RC0430 GMD Operating Plan10/31/2024, 2:58 PM
- RC0430A EOP-010 Plan Review Checklist10/01/2024, 11:10 AM
- RC0460 Reliability Coordinator Area Restoration Plan05/30/2024, 11:27 AM
- RC0460F EOP-005 Plan Review Checklist10/01/2024, 11:10 AM
- RC0540 WIT Administration03/24/2022, 9:38 AM
- RC0540A RC West WIT Schedule Change Process08/24/2022, 8:24 AM
- RC0550 Reliability Coordinator Procedure Development, Maintenance and Distribution04/01/2024, 9:30 AM
- RC0600 RC West Implementation of Common Interconnection-wide Methodology12/13/2023, 8:14 AM
- RC0600A Western Interconnection Modeling and Monitoring Common Methodology12/13/2023, 8:14 AM
- RC0610 System Operating Limits Methodology for the Operations Horizon04/16/2024, 8:23 AM
- RC0610A Criteria for Determining Facilities Critical to Derivation of IROL04/01/2024, 9:30 AM
- RC0620 Operations Planning Analysis (Next Day)12/13/2023, 8:14 AM
- RC0630 Outage Coordination Process01/18/2024, 11:07 AM
- RC0640 Transmission Near-Term Planning Assessments: NERC-IRO-01704/01/2024, 9:30 AM
- RC0650 Steady-State and Dynamic System Model Validation - NERC MOD-03311/14/2024, 9:07 AM
- RC0660 Transmission Relay Loadability: NERC PRC-02304/01/2024, 9:30 AM
- RC0670 NERC PRC-002 Disturbance Monitoring and Reporting Requirements Process10/10/2024, 9:32 AM
- RC0680 RC Guidelines for Seasonal Assessment and Coordination Process08/24/2022, 8:24 AM
- RC0690 PRC-012 Remedial Action Schemes01/18/2024, 11:07 AM
- RC0690A PRC-012 Remedial Action Schemes - RAS Review Checklist01/18/2024, 11:07 AM
- RC0690B PRC-012 Process - RAS Design Review01/18/2024, 11:07 AM
- RC0690C PRC-012 Remedial Action Schemes - Corrective Action Plan (CAP) and Results01/18/2024, 11:07 AM
- RC West Operating Procedures Index List11/14/2024, 9:08 AM