BPA Definitions - NO

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nameplate rating

The full-load electrical quantities assigned by the designer to a generator and its prime mover or other piece of electrical equipment, such as transformers and circuit breakers, under standardized conditions, expressed in amperes, kilovoltamperes, kilowatts, volts, or other appropriate units. Usually indicated on a nameplate attached to the individual machine or device.

National Ambient Air Quality Standards

Federal health-based standards on allowable ambient air concentrations for a set of known pollutants.

National Electric Safety Code (NESC)

Written standards, providing basic requirements for the design, construction, maintenance, and operation of electric supply and communication lines, equipment, and supply stations in order to safeguard persons from hazards associated with those activities.

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

A 1969 Federal law that requires evaluation of the environmental impact of Federally funded projects and programs. Generally requires an environmental assessment and/or an environmental impact statement be submitted to the Federal government before a project can begin.

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)

An agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce that oversees ocean and river fish harvest limits and determines which stocks are to be listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)

A provision of the Clean Water Act that prohibits discharge of pollutants into waters of the U.S. unless a special permit is issued by the Environmental Protection Agency, a State, or (where delegated) a tribal government on an Indian reservation.

National Priorities List (NPL)

The Environmental Protection Agency’s annually updated list of the most serious uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the U.S. identified for possible long-term cleanup under the Superfund. The list is based primarily on the score a site receives from the Hazard Ranking System.

National Response Center

The Federal operations center, operated by the U.S. Coast Guard, that receives notice of all releases of oil and hazardous substances into the environment, and evaluates and notifies the appropriate agency.

natural convection

Heat transferred through a fluid medium, such as air or water, by currents that result from the rising of less dense, warm fluid and the sinking of heavier, cooler fluid.

navigable waters

Traditionally, waters sufficiently deep and wide for navigation by all, or specified sizes of vessels. Such waters in the United States come under Federal jurisdiction and are included in certain provisions of the Clean Water Act.

NEPA

See National Environmental Policy Act.

NESC

See National Electric Safety Code.

net-billed projects

Washington Public Power Supply System Nuclear Projects 1, 2, and 3 and the Trojan Nuclear Plant.

net billing

1) In general, offsetting payments due to one party against payments due the other party. 2) A method used by BPA to acquire its preference customers’ entitlement to shares of project capability for (power output from) Trojan and the Washington Public Power Supply System Projects 1, 2, and 3. Accomplished by crediting the preference customers’ costs in those projects against power sales revenues due BPA.

net energy

The amount of energy available to the ultimate user compared to all the energy inputs involved in producing that energy. The net energy of a coal-fired electrical system would be the ratio of the energy of the produced electricity to the sum of the energy inputs required, including energy for mining, transporting and processing the coal, energy for operating a power plant, and energy losses in the plant and transmission and distribution systems.

net present value (NPV)

See present value.

net revenues/net expenses

On BPA’s year-end financial statement. The amount by which total revenues exceeded total operating expenses, or vice versa. The bottom line.

network

1) A system of interconnected circuit components. 2) A system of transmission (or distribution) lines interconnected and operated so that any principal point has multiple sources of power supply.

network line

A transmission circuit connected at each end to other lines within the network or system. Also see radial line.

new large single load (NLSL)

Any load associated with a new facility, an existing facility, or an expansion of an existing facility that is not contracted for, or committed to, (as determined by the BPA administrator, by a public body, cooperative, investor-owned utility, or Federal agency customer prior to September 1, 1979), and that will result in an increase in power requirements of the customer by 10 average megawatts or more in any consecutive 12-month period. The costs of serving such loads are excluded from a utility’s average system cost under the residential exchange. Determined by section 3 (13) of the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act.

new resource firm power (NR) rate

See rates.

new source performance standards (NSPS)

Environmental Protection Agency emission standards for air and water that limit the amount of specified pollutants allowed from new or modified sources.

NF rate

Nonfirm energy rate. See rates.

NIMBY (Not In My Backyard)

A negative term used for problems arising when siting garbage dumps, radioactive dumps, or electric facilities.

nitric oxide (NO)

A gas formed in great part from atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen when combustion takes place under high temperature and high pressure. Not in itself a pollutant, in the ambient air NO converts to nitrogen dioxide, a major contributor to photochemical smog. Also see photochemical smog.

nitrogen dioxide (NO2)

A reddish-brown gas that forms during high temperatures of combustion. Is toxic at high concentrations and reacts with moisture in the air to form nitric acid, which is highly corrosive to metals. Is a key ingredient in the formation of photochemical smog and acid rain. Also see photochemical smog.

nitrogen oxides (NOx)

Compounds produced by combustion, particularly when there is an excess of air or when combustion temperatures are very high. NOx are primary air pollutants.

nitrogen supersaturation

A condition of water in which the concentration of dissolved nitrogen exceeds the saturation level of water. Excessive nitrogen can harm the circulatory systems of fish. Nitrogen supersaturation can be caused by turbulence as water is spilled over a dam.

NLSL

See new large single load.

NMFS

See National Marine Fisheries Service.

NOI

See notice of insufficiency.

nominal discount rate

See discount rate.

nominal dollars

Dollars spent that include inflation. Also known as current dollars. See real dollars.

nominal levelized cost

See levelized costs.

nominal system voltage

The voltage by which the system is designated and to which certain operating characteristics are related, and near the voltage level at which the system operates (generally is about 5 to 10 percent below the maximum system voltage for which system components are designed).

non- and small-generating public utilities (NSGPUs)

Those public utility customers of BPA who own or control little or no generation capability and who purchase all or almost all of the power required to serve their loads from BPA. Also referred to as full-requirement or metered-requirement customers.

non-attainment area

A geographic area that does not meet one or more national air quality standards.

non-ceramic insulator

See insulator.

non-coincidental demand

See demand.

non-dedicated resources

Resources brought into service after June 1980 by BPA customers who choose not to use them to serve their own firm loads.

non-discretionary costs

See costs.

nonfirm access

Access to an intertie for energy sales on a nonfirm basis.

nonfirm allocation procedure

A method used by BPA to allocate use of intertie transmission lines on an hourly basis for sales other than long-term firm power sales.

nonfirm energy

See energy.

nonfirm energy (NF) rate

See rates.

nonfirm energy sales

Sales of electricity that are not guaranteed, but are interruptible under specified conditions.

nonfirm power

See power types.

nonfirm sales

See sales.

non-generating utility

A utility that does not own or contract for generation to serve its loads but buys power from suppliers.

non-point source

source of pollutants, generally carried off the land by storms and runoff, that is spread out and has no single point of origin. Common categories include agriculture, forestry, urban areas, mining, construction, dams, and channels.

non-renewable resources

Natural resources, such as oil or minerals, that are present in finite supply and are not renewed by a natural system as quickly as they are used.

non-specular conductor

See conductor.

non-spinning reserve

See reserve.

non-Treaty storage

Refers to active water storage space in the Canadian portion of the Columbia River Basin that is in excess of storage specifically operated according to the Columbia River Treaty.

Non-Treaty Storage Agreement (NTSA)

A 1983 agreement between B.C. Hydro and BPA, and between BPA and non-Federal utilities, to cooperatively use active storage space in B.C. Hydro’s Columbia mainstem projects that is in excess of that outlined in the Columbia River Treaty. A new agreement was signed in 1990.

non-utility generator (NUG)

An entity that is not a utility that develops and operates a generating plant.

North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC)

A council consisting of nine Regional Reliability Councils, encompassing virtually all of the power systems in the U.S. and Canada. Formed by the electric utility industry in 1968 and incorporated in 1975 to promote reliable and adequate supplies of bulk electric power.

Northern Intertie

Those BPA facilities associated with interconnection with Canadian utilities. Specifically, two 500-kV lines from BPA’s Custer Substation to B.C. Hydro’s Ingledow Substation, and 230-kV ties at Boundary Substation to B.C. Hydro and West Kootenay Power and Light.

Northwest Conservation and Electric Power Plan

See Pacific Northwest Conservation and Electric Power Plan.

Northwest Power Planning Council

An eight-member council, established by the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act. Comprised of two voting members from the four Northwestern states—Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Helps guide BPA and the region with planning for conservation and generation resources and for protection, mitigation, and enhancement of fish and wildlife in the Columbia River Basin.

Northwest Power Pool (NWPP)

A regional cooperative power operating and planning group, formed in 1941 with representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, BPA, and the region’s public and private utilities with generating resources; coordinates river flows and operations to supply power in the most economical manner for combined load requirements.

notice of insufficiency (NOI)

A 1976 BPA letter notifying its customers of inadequate resources to meet in full its future estimated loads. Requirement of the current BPA power sales contracts.

notice of intent

A public notice that an environmental impact statement will be prepared and considered in the decision making for a proposed action.

NPDES

See National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System.

NPL

See National Priorities List.

NPV

Net present value. See present value.

NRC

See Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

NR rate

New resource firm power rate. See rates.

NSGPUs

See non- and small-generating public utilities.

NSPS

See new source performance standards.

NTSA

See Non-Treaty Storage Agreement.

nuclear fuel

See fuel.

nuclear power plant

An electric power plant that converts nuclear energy into electrical energy. Heat produced by a reactor is used to make steam to drive a turbine that in turn drives an electric generator.

nuclear reactor

A device in which a nuclear fission chain reaction can be initiated, maintained, and controlled.

boiling water reactor (BWR)

A nuclear reactor in which water is boiled in the core and the resulting steam drives a turbine to generate electricity.

breeder reactor

A nuclear reactor that produces fissionable material faster than it consumes it. The new fissionable material is created by neutron capture in fertile material by a process known as breeding.

high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HGCR)

A nuclear reactor in which helium gas is the coolant with graphite fuel elements containing coated particles of highly enriched uranium plus thorium. Offers greater thermal efficiency than light water reactors.

light water reactor (LWR)

A nuclear reactor that uses ordinary water as moderator in contrast to heavy water.

pressurized water reactor (PWR)

A nuclear reactor in which closed primary and secondary loops are used, with the water coolant in the primary system pumped through the reactor vessel, transporting the heat to a steam generator, and the separate secondary water system producing steam in the steam generator for the turbine generator.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)

The Federal agency that regulates, inspects, and oversees all activities involved with nuclear power plant generation to assure the safety of U.S. nuclear power plants.

NUG

See non-utility generator.

NWPP

See Northwest Power Pool.

obligation

1) A legal term expressing legal, moral, and governmental commitments to specific courses of action, such as BPA’s obligation to provide firm power to small- and non-generating public utility customers. 2) Capacity and energy BPA provides under contract to public agencies and private utilities.

observed load

Actual measurements of end-use consumption of electricity by metering.

occurrence

In risk management, an accident, including continuous or repeated exposure to conditions, that results in bodily injury or property damage neither expected nor intended from the standpoint of the damaged party.

official statement

A document published by a bond issuer which generally discloses material information on a new issue of municipal securities including the purposes of the issue, how the securities will be repaid, and the financial, economic, and social characteristics of the issuer. Investors may use this information to evaluate the credit of the securities.

offpeak

Refers to a period of relatively low demand on an electric system. Typical offpeak hours are in the middle of the night.

offpeak energy

See energy.

off-site facility

A hazardous waste treatment, storage, or disposal area that is located at a place away from the originating site.

ohm

The unit of resistance and impedance. One ohm is the resistance of a conductor such that a constant current of one ampere produces a voltage of one volt between the ends of the conductor.

Ohm’s Law

The relationship in a circuit between voltage, current, and resistance or impedance. The law states that the current in an electric circuit is inversely proportional to the resistance or impedance, and is directly proportional to the voltage.

onpeak

Refers to a period of relatively high demand on an electric system.

onpeak energy

See energy.

on-site facility

A hazardous waste treatment, storage, or disposal area that is located on the originating site.

open

In a circuit breaker or other switching device, the state when the switch contacts are apart, the switch is “off,” and current cannot flow. The opposite of closed.

operating constraints

See system operating constraints.

operating demand

The level (one of the four possible quartiles) in the direct-service industries power sales contracts that defines BPA restriction rights and the DSIs’ curtailment rights.

operating expenses

See expenses.

operating plan

1) A plan prepared each year, encompassing the August 1 through July 31 operating year, to determine how much load can be served with existing resources. 2) In the direct-service industries power sales contract, refers to BPA’s annual plans to serve DSI load.

operating requirements

The guidelines and limits within which a reservoir or generating project must be operated, originating in authorizing legislation, physical plant limitations, or operating experience.

operating revenues

All the revenues resulting from the ongoing operations of BPA. Net interest income is excluded, as it is netted with interest expense.

operating rule curve

A composite curve, derived from a family of curves, indicating how a reservoir is to be operated under specific conditions. Accounts for multiple operating objectives, including flood control, hydropower generating, releases for fish migration, and refilling reservoirs.

operating year (OY)

The 12-month period from August 1 through July 31 (OY 1994 is August 1, 1994 through July 31, 1995). Also see calendar year, fiscal year.

operational flexibility

The adjustment allowed to the monthly Firm Energy Load Carrying Capability during the operating year. Generically, the "slack" in a system that permits running the system at slightly higher or lower rates to achieve immediate or short-term goals.

operation in parallel

See synchronized operation.

opportunity cost

See cost.

opportunity sales

See sales.

option

1) In resource planning, the purchase of a right to acquire a resource within a particular time on specified terms. 2) In land acquisition, a written commitment for a specified time and specific conditions to sell property or a property right.

oscillograph

An instrument used to produce a record of the instantaneous values of one or more rapidly varying electrical quantities as a function of time. To analyze system troubles, automatic oscillographs at BPA substations provide a record of voltage and current variations on the transmission lines. Also see digital fault recorder.

outage

In a power system, a period, scheduled or unexpected, during which the transmission of power stops or a particular power-producing facility ceases to provide generation.

forced outage

Results when a component unexpectedly fails to perform its function or is shut down for emergency reasons.

scheduled outage

Results when a component is deliberately taken out of service at a selected time, usually for purposes of construction, maintenance, or testing.

outfall

The place where wastewater, treated or untreated, is discharged into receiving waters.

outlay

Payment on obligations. For a budget, this also includes non-cash transactions such as net-billing.

out-of-phase

1) An abnormal condition resulting when parts of a system (electrical or otherwise) do not operate together. 2) In an electrical system, an abnormal condition resulting from loss or lack of synchronism between parts. For example, when the phase angle representing voltages on two parts of a system exceeds the normal value.

outplantings

Fish hatched and initially reared in a hatchery, which are then transplanted to natural habitats to continue juvenile rearing.

output

The current, voltage, power, or driving force delivered by a circuit or device.

overcurrent relay

See relay.

overgeneration spill

See spill, inadvertant.

overhead ground wire

See ground wire.

overload

Operation of equipment in excess of its normal, full load rating or operation of a conductor in excess of ampacity, and if continued for a sufficient length of time, would cause damage or overheating.

overload capacity

The maximum load that a machine, apparatus, or device can carry when operating beyond its normal rating, within the limits of considered capability as determined by the manufacturer or user.

oxidant

Any chemical that increases the oxygen content of another compound or causes a compound to lose electrons. A compound that readily gives up its oxygen or removes hydrogen from another compound.

oxides of nitrogen (NOx)

See nitrogen oxide.

OY

See operating year.

ozone (O3)

1) A highly reactive form of oxygen naturally occurring in the stratosphere (atmospheric layer beginning 11 to 16 kilometers (7 to 10 miles) above the earth’s surface). Provides a protective layer shielding the earth from ultraviolet radiation’s harmful health effects on humans and the environment. 2) Associated with the corona discharge of high-voltage transmission lines. Rapidly recombines back to O2.

ozone depletion

Destruction of the naturally occurring layer of ozone by the breakdown of certain chlorine- and/or bromine-containing compounds, such as chlorofluorocarbons.

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