Dive Brief:
- Pacific Gas & Electric Co. has hired a new security firm to guard its Metcalf substation (not pictured) following a sniper attack in 2013 that did $15 million in damage and break in this year that resulted in the loss of almost $40,000 in equipment.
- Federal regulators recently adopted new rules requiring operators of bulk power systems to evaluate potential threats and vulnerabilities to key facilities and to develop security plans to protect against attacks on those facilities.
- The new rules come after federal regulators determined a low-tech physical grid attack could result in instability, uncontrolled separation, or cascading failures.
Dive Insight:
Grid security - both physical and online - is increasingly a concern as the nation's bulk power system appears to be vulnerable to both types of attacks. There is increasing awareness that foreign hackers could disable the U.S. power system, and low-tech attacks with firearms have shown the ability to inflict millions in damage to infrastructure.
FERC recently adopted rules to beef up the physical security at energy infrastructure, requiring system managers to identify and better protect critical infrastructure. The commission required the North American Electric Reliability Corp. to submit an informational filing that addresses whether the physical security reliability standard should be applicable to additional control centers, but gives NERC two years to do so.
The Wall Street Journal reported PG&E will change security firms guarding the Metcalf station; in addition to the sniper attack in 2013 the facility was targeted by thieves this year. The utility has previously announced plans to spend $100 million over the next three years on substation security upgrades.
