Protocol_LSEEmissions_20220714

OMB Control Number: 1905-0186

Expiration Date: 9/30/2025

OES-2 Exploratory Interviews – LSE Interview Guide

Introduction

Thank you for agreeing to meet with us today. Before we get started, let me give you a little background on this project.

In the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Energy Information Administration was tasked with measuring carbon emissions from Load-Serving Entities (LSEs). To achieve this, EIA is exploring the feasibility of collecting the delivered generation resource mix from LSEs as a proxy measure of carbon emissions. EIA already collects data from your LSE on the fuel sources used to generate electricity. In this study, we are exploring whether LSEs are able and willing to provide EIA information on the fuel sources of electricity purchased from other entities for distribution to your loads. Additionally, we would like to know if LSEs can separate electricity purchased from other LSEs and generated by your LSE when it’s delivered to end-use customers, and the feasibility of collecting this information annually, monthly or hourly.

First, we’re going to talk briefly about electricity generated, then we’ll discuss electricity purchases, next we’ll go over electricity sales, and we’ll close with a chat about customer demand.

Your responses will be protected as confidential information. According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1905-0186. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 60 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information.

[Introduce observers]. Do you have any questions before we get started?

Questions

1. Can you briefly describe your job title and function? Are you the person who normally responds to EIA surveys? When you respond to our surveys do you normally complete the survey by yourself or with the help of others? [if someone else is involved] what is that person’s role in your organization? Do you need to receive approval before submitting your responses to EIA? Can you tell me more about this?

2. Company Background. Present data from EIA-861 back to respondent on role as LSE (e.g., electricity generation, purchasing, selling to other LSEs (both generated and purchased) and confirm still accurate.

   1. Who do you purchase electricity from? Do you sell the electricity you generate to other LSEs? Do you sell electricity that you purchased from another electricity generator?

Electricity Generation

3. Next, I would like to ask you about the electricity you generate. Present data from EIA-923 back to respondent. In the EIA-923, you reported to us that you purchased [enter quantities] of [fuel source] to produce [insert MWh] of electricity. Can you tell me more about how this information is stored in your records (e.g. is it stored in the format we ask for it? Do you ever have issues reporting this?)

   1. Can you separate sources of electricity allocated to your load from electricity sold to other LSEs? Can you separate it by fuel type used to produce that electricity?

   2. Can you describe how this information is tracked in records? What is the unit of measurement (e.g., MWh?) Is it tracked annually, monthly, hourly, etc.? Is it tracked for all electricity plants operated by your LSE? Is this information stored in a one database or is it stored in multiple databases? Can you tell me more about that? How accurate do you think this information is (ask for each interval)?

Electricity Purchases

4. Now we’re going to switch topics to electricity purchases. When purchasing electricity from another electricity generator, do you know the fuel source/resource used to generate that electricity?

   1. Do you have records of the fuel/resource used to generate electricity that you purchased?

   2. Do you track the amount of electricity purchased by fuel type/resource?

   3. Is it tracked for all energy generators that you purchase electricity from? Does the amount of information you have vary by the seller (i.e., wholesalers, brokers, balancing authorities)? Can you tell me more about that?

   4. Can you separate electricity purchased from other LSEs and generated by your LSE when it’s delivered to end-use customers?

   5. Can you describe how this information is tracked in records? What is the unit of measurement (e.g., MWh?) Is it tracked annually, monthly, hourly, etc? Is this information stored in a one database or is it stored in multiple databases? Can you tell me more about that? How accurate do you think this information is (ask for each interval)?

   6. Can you describe how you as the person responding to the survey would go about accessing this information? What steps would you need to take to report this information to EIA? Do you have access or would you need to the assistance of another person? [if someone else] what is that person’s title and what is their function in your organization? Would this be an easy or difficult data request? Please explain.

   7. [If not tracked] In order to report electricity production by fuel type/resource for the electricity purchased by your LSE, what steps would need to be taken? Could you provide an estimate of the type and amount of fuel/resources used to generate electricity you purchased? How would you go about constructing that estimate? Would you provide that estimate or would someone else in your organization? [if someone else] what is that person’s title and what is their function in your organization? Does this individual normally respond to EIA surveys?

   8. Do you know if the entity your purchase electricity from has records on the fuel source used to produce that electricity?

   9. Do you have any concerns about sharing this information with EIA?

   10. Would you need to get permission to release this kind of information to EIA?

   11. How do renewable energy credits fit into tracking of your electricity purchases? Can you separate out the RECs? How do green pricing programs fit into your tracking of electricity purchases by source?

Electricity Sales

5. Now we’re going to switch topics to electricity sales. Can you tell me more about who you sell to? Are you selling electricity you produce, electricity purchased from other entities, or both? When selling electricity to other LSEs do you track sales by the fuel source used to produce that electricity? Do you track it for both electricity you produced vs electricity purchased? Do your records differ based on who you are selling electricity to (wholesale, broker, balancing authority, another LSEs)?

   1. Can you describe how this information is tracked in records? What is the unit of measurement (e.g., MWh?) Is it tracked annually, monthly, hourly, etc? Is this information stored in a one database or is it stored in multiple databases? Can you tell me more about that? How accurate do you think this information is (ask for each interval)?

   2. Can you describe how you as the person responding to the survey would go about accessing this information? What steps would you need to take to report this information to EIA? Do you have access or would you need to the assistance of another person? [if someone else] what is that person’s title and what is their function in your organization? Would this be an easy or difficult data request? Please explain.

   3. [If not tracked] In order to report electricity sold to other LSEs by fuel type/resource, what steps would need to be taken? Could you provide an estimate of the type and amount of fuel/resources used to generate electricity you sold? How would you go about constructing that estimate? Would you provide that estimate or would someone else in your organization? [if someone else] what is that person’s title and what is their function in your organization? Does this individual normally respond to EIA surveys?

   4. Do you have any concerns about sharing this information with EIA?

   5. Would you need to get permission to release this kind of information to EIA?

   6. How do renewable energy credits fit into tracking of your electricity sales? Can you separate out the RECs? How do green pricing programs fit into your tracking of electricity sales by source?

Customer Demand

6. Can you tell us a bit about how you store your customer demand data?

   1. What time step is the data stored (note it is currently reported to EIA at a monthly level)?

   2. What level of locational granularity is the customer data available (for example, could you provide the hourly load at a substation level)?

   3. Can you describe how this information is tracked in records? What is the unit of measurement (e.g., MWh?) Is it tracked annually, monthly, hourly, etc? Is this information stored in a one database or is it stored in multiple databases? Can you tell me more about that?

   4. Can you describe how you as the person responding to the survey would go about accessing this information? What steps would you need to take to report this information to EIA? Do you have access or would you need to the assistance of another person? [if someone else] what is that person’s title and what is their function in your organization? Would this be an easy or difficult data request? Please explain.

   5. [If not tracked] In order to report electricity demand served by your LSE, what steps would need to be taken? Could you provide an estimate of the hourly demand data you served? How would you go about constructing that estimate? Would you provide that estimate or would someone else in your organization? [if someone else] what is that person’s title and what is their function in your organization? Does this individual normally respond to EIA surveys?

   6. Do you have any concerns about sharing this information with EIA?

   7. Would you need to get permission to release this kind of information to EIA?