Procedure for Commissioning and Start-Up of Power Plants and Load Centers in the Wholesale Electric Market

This paper presents a procedure for commissioning and start-up of Power Plants and Load Centers in the National Transmission Network and General Distribution Network in the electrical power system. On February 9, 2018, the Ministry of Energy ("SENER") published in the Official Journal of the Federation, the “Manual for Interconnection of Power Plants and Connection of Load Centers" (Manual para la Interconexión de Centrales Eléctricas y Conexión de Centros de Carga). This Manual establishes the procedures applicable to the National Energy Control Center ("CENACE") for the interconnection and connection applications in different modalities, as well as the procedures for the interconnection of power plants and the connection of load centers to the National Transmission Network and the General Distribution Network. It also presents a procedure to determine the infrastructure studies and it finishes with the criteria and mechanisms to establish the refund of financial guaranties, as well as, the execution process for interconnection and connection agreements. However, this Manual does not mention activities for commissioning and startup of Power Plants and Load Centers. Therefore, this paper aims to cover this loophole in the legislation, by proposing a procedure that includes all activities needed to commission and start-up power plants and load centers in the electricity Market, from the assignation of the official code name to the reimbursement of the financial guarantees to the market participant candidate. Currently, CENACE is creating a Manual for commissioning and start-up for the interconnection of Power Plants and the connection of Load Centers in the National Electric System. Meanwhile, the information found in this paper will be a guideline for Market Participants.