In response to the low-likelihood, high-consequence threat of a high-altitude EMP (HEMP) to the energy grid, the electric power industry is working with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and with our government partners to better understand the impacts of a HEMP. Protecting the energy grid from threats that could impact national security and public safety is a responsibility shared by both the government and the electric power sector. The ESCC serves as the principal liaison between the federal government and the electric power industry, with the mission of coordinating efforts to prepare for, and respond to, national-level disasters or threats to critical infrastructure. This section maps relevant standards and security frameworks to the operational risks and controls described in this guidance. The most important security domains are control rooms, substations, protection relays, supervisory communications and the identities used to operate them.

The modern-day electric grid system is capable of restoring equipment that is damaged by natural disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, ice storms, and earthquakes in a generally short period of time. For example, an attack that destroys a regional transmission tower would only have a temporary impact. The system includes systems necessary for operating the interconnected grid. Cybersecurity is also an issue for electric grid security in the United States with financially motivated crimes being https://www.montsec.info/practical-and-helpful-tips-15/ more common than terrorist ones. Her previous experience also includes supporting energy security programs for the U.S. While there she worked extensively on various efforts, including energy resilience exercises, energy project planning tools, government partnerships, defense critical electric infrastructure, and more.

The industry is expanding equipment sharing programs—like the Spare Transformer Equipment Program, SpareConnect, and Grid Assurance—to improve grid resiliency. The ESCC used the concept of traditional mutual assistance networks to develop the Cyber Mutual Assistance Program that can help electric and natural gas companies, public power utilities, and/or electric cooperatives restore critical computer systems following significant cyber incidents. As such, the electric power industry employs threat mitigation known as “defense-in-depth” that focuses on preparation, prevention, response, and recovery to “all hazard” threats to electric grid operations. Finally, CISA 2015 set up policies and procedures for voluntary sharing of cybersecurity threat information between and among the federal government and private entities (the definition of which includes public power utilities) and provides limited liability protection for these activities. The main exposure is not just data theft, but loss of visibility, loss of control, unsafe switching, service interruption or damage to equipment and downstream customers.

• The Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC) is the main liaison organization between the federal government and the electric power industry.
• Its mission is to coordinate efforts to prepare for, and respond to, national-level disasters or threats to critical infrastructure.
• Our story is one of collaboration and dedication, with a tight-knit team working together seamlessly to tackle the ever-evolving challenges of the energy grid.
• From the 2000s through to the 2020s, the security of the U.S. electrical grid has come into question.
• The North American electrical power grid is a highly connected system.

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The electric utility industry in the U.S. leads several initiatives to help protect the national electric grid from threats. Similar to other new technologies, the smart grid also introduces new security concerns. The smart grid allows energy customers and energy providers to more efficiently manage and generate electricity. Please try to keep recent events in historical perspective and add more content related to non-recent events. Beyond security, we are here to enhance your availability, providing effective managed services customized to meet your specific requirements.

In March and April 1975, a “closely guarded” Pacific Gas and Electric substation https://cognifyo.com/articles/solar-energy-initiatives-las-vegas/ was bombed twice in two separate incidents, knocking out power to more than 22,000 customers. Its federal government counterparts include senior administration officials from the White House, relevant cabinet agencies, federal law enforcement, and national security organizations. The threat of potential electrical grid cyberattacks by foreign states such as Russia has also been area of concern for electrical grid security. One of the key issues for electric grid security is that these ongoing improvements and modernizations have created more risk to the system. Electrical grid security in the United States involves the physical and cybersecurity of the United States electrical grid.

The program now includes 200 entities across all segments of the industry, serving more than 85 percent of all U.S. electric customers. In early 2026, APPA was awarded another $2 million to launch a new program, Response Beacon, to enhance the cyber incident response capabilities of its members. In 2024, APPA was awarded a $4 million grant to launch the Cyber Pathways Program to improve the cybersecurity posture of public power utilities with limited resources, serving military installations, or that are critical to the bulk-power system. Their counterparts include senior administration officials from the White House, relevant Cabinet agencies, federal law enforcement, and national security organizations. To facilitate managing cybersecurity supply chain https://britainrental.com/basic-information-about-the-features-of-the-construction-of-food-warehouses.html risks, a committee of representatives of EEI member companies developed this model to align cybersecurity requirements and to encourage adoption by the vendor community.

Concern over their ability to hack into U.S. power grid software and possibly disrupt the electrical supply system is growing because such an attack could be one of the quickest ways to destroy the U.S. economy. Such attacks come from a variety of different sources, including nation states and sub-national terrorist organizations. Jon Wellinghoff, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) at the time, called the attack “the most significant incident of domestic terrorism involving the U.S. power grid that has ever occurred.” Firing more than 100 shots altogether, they knocked out 17 transformers and, even though electric officials were able to avert a blackout, the damage took 27 days to repair. Devices capable of subjecting transformers and other critical infrastructure to localized, but destructive, levels of EMP can be built from readily available equipment from local electronics stores and instructions from the internet.

• Were such a solar storm to strike Earth today, the damage would be in the trillions of dollars, but worse yet, societies all over the world would be devastated.
• In May 2020, he issued an executive order that bans the use of grid equipment manufactured by a foreign adversary.
• In the 2010s and 2020s, attacks to the United States electrical grid have become more frequent, with 2022 being the year with the most attacks.
• SAFE’s Center for Grid Security provides policy analysis and recommendations to build out the national power grid – ensuring America’s energy and national security.

Its mission is to coordinate efforts to prepare for, and respond to, national-level disasters or threats to critical infrastructure. In May 2020, he issued an executive order that bans the use of grid equipment manufactured by a foreign adversary. The unit works closely with government emergency management and law enforcement. Baltimore Gas and Electric conducts regular drills with its employees. Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Russian hackers targeted the control room’s of American public utilities.

Powering Prosperity: Transmission & America’s Industrial Golden Age

A reliable grid delivering abundant, affordable electricity is necessary for economic development and national security – as the U.S. power grid underpins the entire spectrum of military operations. APPA is currently executing a grant of $20 million over six years from DOE’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response to facilitate the adoption and deployment of industrial control systems cybersecurity technologies for municipal utilities. The electric power industry works closely with the federal government, including NERC, FERC, DOE, and DHS, on matters of critical infrastructure protection. The energy grid’s complex, interconnected technologies may be impacted by bursts of electromagnetic energy, such as naturally occurring geomagnetic disturbances (GMDs) or malicious, man-made electromagnetic pulses (EMPs).

How Grid Attacks Become Operational Incidents

Today the utility industry is advancing cybersecurity with a series of initiatives. “It would be difficult for even a well-organized large group of terrorists to cause the physical damage of a small- to moderate-scale tornado.” This is due to the resiliency of the national grid to such events. As of 2006, over 200,000 miles of transmission lines that are 230 kV or higher existed in the United States. The growing “Internet of Things” world could make it so that every device could be a potential vulnerability.

Protecting the nation’s energy grid and ensuring a reliable and affordable supply of energy are top priorities for America’s electric companies. The ESCC facilitates and supports policy- and public affairs-related activities and initiatives designed to enhance the reliability and resilience of the energy grid. The Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC) serves as the principal liaison between leadership in the federal government and in the electric power sector, with the mission of coordinating efforts to prepare for national-level incidents or threats to critical infrastructure.