Assault on California Power Station Raises Alarm on Potential for Terrorism

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17. Grid Terror Attacks: U.S. Government Is Urged to Take Steps for Protection

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Grid Terror Attacks: U.S. Government Is Urged to Take Steps for Protection

Business
Groups Say Industry Response to Potential Threats Is Insufficient

By Rebecca Smith
July 6, 2014 2:53 p.m. ET

Two research groups urged the federal government to take action to protect the electric grid from physical attacks, rather than leave security decisions in the hands of the utility industry. ... The Congressional Research Service recommended that Congress examine whether a national-level analysis of the grid's vulnerabilities is needed or if individual power companies' internal security assessments are sufficient.

Separately, a nonprofit research group said efforts proposed by utilities to harden the grid fall short because they don't account for how one region might depend on others. The report from the Battelle Memorial Institute, which operates six of the U.S. Energy Department's laboratories, said attacks could occur across more than one electric system, destabilizing large areas.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is considering new safety regulations proposed by an industry-dominated electric power organization. FERC, which regulates the nation's high-voltage transmission system, told the industry in March that it must act to fortify the grid, after a series of articles appeared in The Wall Street Journal detailing how susceptible the electric system is to attack.

The first article described an April 2013 armed attack on a substation near San Jose, Calif., which threatened electricity supplies to Silicon Valley. Other articles pointed out that transformers are especially vulnerable to damage and that an analysis by federal experts said an attack on as few as nine critical substations could result in a nationwide blackout.
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Write to Rebecca Smith at [e-mail]

An attack on a PG&E substation near San Jose, Calif., in April knocked out 17 transformers like this one. Talia Herman for The Wall Street Journal