Producers, transmitters, distributors, and customers of electricity have a fundamental interest in the safety, performance, efficiency, power quality, reliability and compatibility of electrical operating systems. Standards are an essential tool which support and complement these interests. Standards are both technical blueprints necessary for interoperability and connectivity and are a means with significant public policy and economic importance. Further to this, technical standardization, though all too often underappreciated by the general public, has significant public interest implications with respect to safety, welfare, trade, economic growth, competitiveness, and cost. With the changing regulatory environment of the electric power industry in Canada, North America, and internationally, greater reliance has been placed on recognized international, regional and national standards related to electrical system safety, reliability, compatibility, efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and performance to ensure due diligence on the part of electric utilities.

 

The CEA Standards Program, managed by the CEA Standards Management Committee (SMC) continues to strategically manage standardization issues and activities related to standards development and conformity assessment that impact the electric utility industry and its customers, regionally, nationally and internationally to address and promote the national public interest by advancing the economy, supporting sustainable development, benefiting the health, safety and welfare of workers and the public, assisting and protecting consumers, and facilitating trade.

Since 1993, CEA has implemented an industry program on standardization that promotes the development and usage of consensus-based standards and guidelines among Canadian electrical utilities and coordinate member participation in international, national and regional standards development. The CEA standardization activities include providing funding support for the development and publishing of standards impacting the electricity industry and its customers in a global competitive market. As an example, CEA, for over a decade, has funded Underwriters Laboratories of Canada (ULC) to adopt and publish International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Technical Committee Live Working (TC 78) standards as National Standards of Canada, and further to this, CEA has contributed funding to hold the Canadian International Secretary of IEC TC 78 on Live Working. Likewise, CEA is currently 

 

CEA is working in partnership with its members and standardization organizations such as the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), Underwriters Laboratories of Canada (ULC), the Standards Council of Canada (SCC), the International Electroctechnical Commission (IEC), the International Standardisation Organization (ISO), and the Institute of Electric and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) to name more than a few, to support the standardization activities that effect the electricity industry in a number of areas, including:

• Conformity Assessment; 
• Distribution; 
• Generation; 
• Electrical Safety and Reliability; 
• Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) - Power Quality; 
• Environmental Management Systems; 
• Occupational Health and Safety; 
• Customer End-Use Equipment Performance and Energy Efficiency; 
• Quality Management Systems; and 
• Transmission 

CEA and Members Collaborate and Publish Smart Grid Standards Guiding Principles  


CEA and Members Takes a Leadership Role in the New Electrical Safety Standard

 

Standards and guidelines related to work practices, methods for live working, tools, equipment and devices for work on or near energized electrical systems are of great importance to CEA members and the electric utility industry. With significant contributions from CEA and its member utilities, the First Edition of CAN/ULC-S801-10, Standard for Electric Utility Workplace Electrical Safety for Generation, Transmission and Distribution, as a National Standard of Canada was published January 2010. It focuses on establishing more common and consistent development and use of utility related safe work designs, equipment, materials and procedures. This standard will facilitate and prove cost-effective and reliable in sustaining energy supply for Canadian consumers. 

 

The Standard applies to the construction, operation, maintenance and replacement of electric utility systems that are used to generate, transform, transmit, distribute and deliver electrical power or energy to consumer services or their equivalent, including: equipment located in easements, rights of way, or in other recognized agreements; equipment located on property owned or leased by the electric utility for the purpose of communication, metering and control of electrical power or energy; service drops or laterals, associated metering, and street lighting under the exclusive control of electric utilities; facilities used to generate electrical power or energy for electric utility systems; voltage levels up to 800 kV a.c. line-to-line and 600 kV d.c.

 

Lead in safety by implementing CAN/ULC-S801-10 for your electric utility.