Standardization

Issue Summary | Industry Response | Issue Management |  Resource Library | Calendar

Issue Summary

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 provide economic and social benefits to the electric utilities and equipment manufacturers in the areas of system design, equipment design, electrical safety, operating performance, energy efficiency, power quality and reliability, and standardization of products and services. This results in the delivery of lower cost electric energy and customer satisfaction.

The CEA Standards Management Committee (SMC) continues to strategically manage "standards development" and "conformity assessment" issues with an increasing focus on both electrical safety and system interoperability.  Recently, there has been an increase in the level of provincial electrical safety legislation and/or regulations for electric utilities – the standards process encourages utilities and manufacturers to work together to address these changes. Furthermore, as we move towards a smarter gird, system automation requires much better communication across the various components. Standards development provides the universal rules that helps make this a reality.

In addition, the regulatory environment has shifted towards greater reliance on referencing international, regional and/or national standards in regulations and increasing regulatory compliance pressures for 3rd party conformity assessment of equipment as well as management systems and audits. CEA’s work reflects that, with increased participation in international jurisdictions, most notably the United States. 

Industry Response

Since 1993, CEA has implemented an industry program on standardization that promotes the development and usage of common standards and guidelines among Canadian electrical utilities and coordinate member participation in international, national and regional standards development projects. 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. For example, CEA is funding ULC to adopt and publish the IEC TC78 Live Working standards as National Standards of Canada. These are important live line work safety standards related to protective clothing, gloves, tools and equipment used by linemen and power industry workers.  CEA also sponsors participation of CEA representatives on strategic and technical committees involved with the development of international, national and regional standards and conformity assessment guidelines relevant to the electric utility industry and its customers. As well, for many years, CEA and/or its members continue to fund the majority of the IEC Technical Committee (TC) Secretariats held by Canada (4 out of 5) that are responsible for the development of international standards such as:

• IEC TC 4  on Hydraulic Turbines;
• IEC TC 42 on High-Voltage Testing Techniques;
• IEC TC 78 on Live Working; and
• IEC TC106 on Methods for the Assessment of Electric, Magnetic and Electromagnetic Fields Associated With Human Exposure.

CEA is working in partnership with its members and standardization organizations such as SCC, CSA, ULC, IEC, and the IEEE, to support standardization for the electricity industry in the following areas:

• Conformity Assessment
• Distribution
• Generation
• Electrical Safety and Reliability
• Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) - Power Quality
• Environmental Management Systems - ISO 14000 Series
• Occupational Health and Safety
• Customer End-Use Equipment Performance and Energy Efficiency
• Quality Management Systems - ISO 9000 series
• Transmission

Issue Management

Standardization issues are managed by the CEA Standards Management Committee (SMC).

Key Contact
Keith Jansa
Manager, Standards and Occupational Health and Safety
Tel:  613-688-2063
jansa@electricity.ca

Resource Library

Relevant Links

Canadian Standardization Organizations

• Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ)
• Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB)
• Canadian Standards Association (CSA)
• Information and Communications Technology Standards Advisory Council of Canada (ISACC)
• Quality Management Institute (QMI), a division of CSA Group
• Standards Council of Canada (SCC)
• Underwriters' Laboratories of Canada (ULC)

 

International Standardization Organizations

• International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
• Institute of Electric and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)
• International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
• ISO 9000 Quality Management Standards
• ISO 14000 Environmental Management Standards
• International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
• World Trade Organization (WTO)

Regional Standardization Organizations

• ASEAN Consultative Committee for Standards and Quality (ACCSQ)
• European Committee for Standardization (CEN)
• European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC)
• Pan American Standard Commission (COPANT)
• European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)

 

US Standardization Organizations

• The Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions ATIS
• American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
• American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
• American Society of Quality Control (ASQC)
• American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
• Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Institute (ARI - ARI Coolnet)
• American Society of Heating, Refrigerating & Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)
• Data Interchange Standards Association, Inc. (DISA)
• Information Infrastructure Standards Panel (IISP)
• National Information Standards Organization (NISO)
• National Standards System Network (NSSN)
• Underwriters Laboratories Inc.

US Federal Government

• Defense Information Systems Agency - Centre for Standards (DISA )
• Defense Standardization Program (DSP)
• Department of Energy (DOE) Standards Committee (DSC)
• Department of Energy (DOE) Technical Standards Program  
• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
• NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnerships
• Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA)
• National Standardization Bodies of Other Countries

Calendar

• Standardization Calendar 2004 (pdf)
• Standardization Calendar 2003 (pdf)
• Standardization Calendar 2002 (pdf)