NERC: Grid Resilience Getting Better, Cyber Threats Advancing

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), in its State of Reliability 2018 report issued last month, found growing grid resilience in spite of natural disasters and burgeoning cybersecurity dangers. However, planning reserve margins have emerged as an area of concern as a generation shortfall in Texas could occur this summer, in part due to 5,000 MW of power plant retirements over the last year.

Based in Atlanta, Georgia, NERC—the organization charged with overseeing reliability of the electric grid covering the United States, most of Canada, and the Mexican state of Baja California Norte—noted the bulk power system was hit by two Category 5 storms last year: hurricanes Harvey and Irma. “The affected areas recovered in record time, which demonstrates improved resilience,” says NERC Vice President James Merlo.

Cybersecurity Risk Is Expanding

Among NERC’s findings, transmission outages caused by failed protection system equipment, substation equipment or human error have decreased over the last five years. “These three areas have historically been major causes of transmission outages,” Merlo comments. “They remain major contributors to outage severity and areas of focus.”

In addition, NERC warns cybersecurity vulnerabilities are expanding and recommends increasing input from cross-sector public and private resources. The grid watchdog also called for its Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center to include other data sources, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, “as inputs for raising awareness of the broader security landscape surrounding critical infrastructures.”

NERC recommended efforts to “create, maintain, and support additional collaborative efforts to strengthen situational awareness for cyber and physical security,” and urged utilities to review planning and operational practices related to the same.