Safe and economical operation of a power system relies on the proper scheduling of spinning contingency reserve capacity.With the continuous development and progress in the power system，the existing standards for the spinning contingency reserve capacity need to be improved.Standards for spinning contingency reserve capacity in different countries are summarized and systematically analyzed.Proceeding from the system frequency response demand for the reserve capacity，three aspects for a proper suggestion regarding spinning contingency reserve capacity are proposed including the design principle，evaluation index and assessment methods.Some suggestions are made for the value range of the index.A case study based on a provincial power grid structure is presented with the effectiveness of the reference algorithm confirmed.The research results are expected to make a contribution to improving the scheduling of spinning contingency reserve and operation standards in the power system.