The SERC Reliability Corporation (SERC) is the regional entity responsible for promoting, coordinating and ensuring the reliability and adequacy of the bulk power supply systems in the area served by the Member Systems. SERC promotes the development of reliability and adequacy arrangements among the systems; participates in the establishment of reliability standards; administers a regional compliance and enforcement program; and provides a mechanism to resolve disputes on reliability issues.
In 1969, discussions among representatives of the CARVA Pool, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Southern Company, and the Florida Electric Power Coordinating Group indicated that the interest of reliability of the bulk power system in the southeast would be better served by the creation of a regional reliability council with broad membership. This led to the signing of the SERC Agreement on January 14, 1970, by twenty-two (22) electric systems and the formation of the SERC Region.
Because of the geographic size of the region and the diversity among its parts, the region was divided into subregions for data reporting purposes. These were the CARVA Pool subregion (replaced by systems signatory to the Virginia - Carolinas Reliability Agreement (VACAR)), the TVA subregion (Tennessee and adjacent portions of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and Mississippi), the Southern subregion (Georgia, Alabama, part of Mississippi, and panhandle of Florida), and the Florida Peninsula subregion.
In September 1996, the Florida Peninsula became a separate NERC region.
Effective January 1, 1998, the Operating Companies of Entergy, Associated Electric Cooperative and Louisiana Generating, LLC ( formerly CAJUN Electric Power Cooperative) became official members of SERC, adding a fourth subregion (Entergy subregion) to SERC.
Effective January 1, 2006, SERC membership expanded to include several members in the central part of the country, resulting in the creation of a fifth sub-region (Gateway subregion) in SERC.
SERC membership is comprised of investor-owned, municipal, cooperative, state and federal systems, RTOs/ISOs, merchant electricity generators, and power marketers.
SERC’s current subregions are Central (formerly the TVA Subregion), Delta (formerly the Entergy Subregion), Gateway, Southeastern (formerly Southern Subregion) and VACAR.
Click here for Sub-regional boundaries map