PRC-024-3 vs PRC-029-1

What Changes for IBR Generator Owners and How Keentel Engineering Helps You Navigate the 2026 Cutover

The retirement of PRC-024-3 and implementation of PRC-029-1 represents one of the most significant compliance shifts for Generator Owners that own Inverter-Based Resources (IBRs).

This is not a routine revision.

It is a structural shift from relay setting compliance to plant performance compliance.

And that changes everything.

Executive Overview: The IBR Compliance Shift

Under PRC-024-3, compliance largely centered around:

• Setting frequency and voltage protection properly
• Ensuring no trip / no cease injection within defined “No-Trip Zones”
• Documenting equipment limitations
• Providing settings upon request

Starting October 1, 2026, IBR resources move into PRC-029-1, which requires:

• Demonstrating Must Ride-Through performance
• Validating plant-level control logic
• Producing dynamic simulation evidence
• Providing disturbance monitoring records proving correct operation during real events

In simple terms:

PRC-024-3 asked:

• “Are your protection settings correct?”

PRC-029-1 asks:

• “Did your plant actually perform correctly during real grid disturbances?”
• That is a major compliance transformation.
  

Why This Matters for IBR Generator Owners

IBRs (solar, Type 3/4 wind, BESS, hybrid plants) do not behave like synchronous generators.

Events across North America revealed:

• IBR tripping during low-voltage events
• Momentary cessation logic activating too aggressively
• Plant controllers blocking reactive support
• Protection settings coordinated at inverter terminals but misaligned with POI voltage conditions

PRC-029-1 directly addresses these issues.

And it increases accountability at the Generator Owner level.

PRC-024-3 vs PRC-029-1  Technical Comparison

Table 1 — Core Compliance Difference

What Changes for IBR Generator Owners  Step-by-Step

Below is the real-world transition roadmap.

And after each step, you’ll see how Keentel Engineering supports you.

Step 1 — Asset Classification & Applicability Determination

Before doing anything technical, you must clearly determine:

• Which facilities are BES vs applicable non-BES
• Which inverters and plant controllers are installed
• Which firmware versions are in use
• What protective functions can cause tripping or cessation
• What monitoring equipment exists at each site

Risk:

• Many IBR owners underestimate applicability nuances.

How Keentel Engineering Helps:

• Full PRC-029 Applicability Assessment
• Asset inventory matrix creation
• Gap identification by facility
• BES/non-BES classification support
• Compliance roadmap tailored to your portfolio

Deliverable: IBR Fleet PRC-029 Readiness Register

Step 2 — PRC-024-3 Closeout (Through 9/30/2026)

Even though PRC-024-3 is retiring, you must maintain clean compliance until retirement.

Key actions:

• Validate frequency/voltage protection settings
• Confirm no improper cease-injection logic within no-trip zones
• Update documented limitations
• Confirm settings-sharing processes

How Keentel Engineering Helps:

• Protection setting review
• Voltage/frequency coordination analysis
  
• No-Trip Zone boundary verification
  
• Limitation documentation preparation
  
• Audit-ready compliance evidence package



Deliverable: PRC-024-3 Final Compliance Binder

Step 3 — Functional Mapping of Trip & Cessation Logic

PRC-029 requires understanding not just relays, but:

• Inverter embedded protections
• Plant controller logic
• PPC blocking logic
• BESS control logic (if hybrid)
• Reactive control interlocks
• Ramp rate restrictions

Risk:

• IBR trips often occur due to internal control interactions, not relay missettings.

How Keentel Engineering Helps:

• Protection & Controls Logic Mapping
• Inverter + PPC coordination review
• Control sequence diagram documentation
• Trip path vulnerability analysis

Deliverable: Plant Functional Protection & Control Map

Step 4 — PRC-029 Design Capability Study (Critical Engineering Phase)

This is the heart of compliance.

Required technical validation typically includes:

• Dynamic simulations of voltage ride-through envelopes
• Frequency ride-through validation
• Momentary cessation evaluation
• Reactive current injection validation
• Recovery timing validation
• HVRT and LVRT envelope compliance
• Sensitivity analysis at POI vs inverter terminal

Risk:

• Passing a relay boundary check is no longer enough.

How Keentel Engineering Helps:

• PSSE / PSCAD / PowerFactory dynamic studies
• Model validation and parameter review
  
• POI voltage transformation analysis
• Inverter control logic verification
• Ride-through envelope compliance certification
• OEM coordination support

Deliverable: PRC-029 Design Capability Report

Step 5 — Monitoring & Event Response Program Development

PRC-029 introduces operational proof requirements.

You must:

• Capture disturbance events
• Validate plant response vs ride-through zones
• Document exceptions properly
• Maintain organized evidence

Risk:

• Without structured event workflows, compliance exposure increases dramatically.
• How Keentel Engineering Helps:
• Disturbance Monitoring Equipment (DME) assessment
• Event capture SOP development
• Ride-through event analysis templates
• Compliance documentation framework
• Post-event forensic analysis services

Deliverable: PRC-029 Event Response & Evidence Program

Step 6 — Gap Mitigation & Retrofit Strategy

Common PRC-029 gaps include:

• Overly sensitive inverter HV protections
• LVRT recovery timing mismatches
• Excessive momentary cessation duration
• Poor coordination between inverter and PPC
• Insufficient DFR coverage

How Keentel Engineering Helps:

• Settings adjustment strategy
• Firmware update advisory
• Retrofit prioritization roadmap
• Budget-level cost estimation
• Engineering change implementation support



Deliverable: PRC-029 Mitigation & Capital Planning Roadmap

Step 7 — Training & Ongoing Compliance Governance

PRC-029 compliance is ongoing.

Operations, engineering, and compliance must align.

How Keentel Engineering Helps:

• Compliance training workshops
• Technical operator training
• Annual PRC-029 health check audits
• Mock NERC audit preparation
• Ongoing retainer-based compliance advisory



Deliverable: IBR Ride-Through Governance Framework

The Biggest Strategic Shift

Under PRC-024-3:

• You could be compliant if your settings were correct.

Under PRC-029-1:

• You are compliant only if your plant behaves correctly during real disturbances.

This elevates:

• Controls engineering
• Monitoring quality
• Simulation validation
• Cross-department coordination
  

25 FAQs — PRC-024-3 vs PRC-029-1 for IBR Generator Owners

(Expanded for clarity and audit readiness)

Final Message to IBR Generator Owners

The PRC-024-3 → PRC-029-1 transition is not a paperwork change.

It is a performance accountability shift.

If your plant misbehaves during a disturbance, compliance exposure is immediate.

The safest strategy is proactive:

• Study your fleet
• Validate your controls
• Test your monitoring
• Document everything

Close gaps before enforcement begins

About Keentel Engineering

Keentel Engineering specializes in:

• NERC PRC compliance programs
• IBR dynamic modeling & EMT studies
• Protection coordination & ride-through validation
• Event forensic analysis
• Disturbance monitoring program development
• Retrofit & mitigation strategy engineering

We help Generator Owners move from uncertainty to audit-ready confidence.