Electric Utility Infrastructure Vulnerabilities: Transformers, Towers, and Terrorism
Book Details
PublisherCongressional Research Service
ISBN / ASINB00AW0MYXY
ISBN-13978B00AW0MYX2
MarketplaceFrance 🇫🇷
Description
The U.S. electric power system has historically operated at such a high level of reliability that any major outage, either caused by sabotage, weather, or operational errors, makes news headlines. The transmission system is extensive, consisting mainly of transformers, switches, transmission towers and lines, control centers, and computer controls. A spectrum of threats exists to the electric system ranging from weather-related to terrorist attacks, including physical attacks, as well as attacks on computer systems, or cyber attacks. The main risk from weather-related damage or a terrorist attack against the electric power industry is a widespread power outage that lasts for an extended period of time.
Of the transmission system’s physical infrastructure, the high-voltage (HV) transformers are arguably the most critical component. Utilities rarely experience loss of an individual HV transformer, but recovery from such a loss takes months if no spare is available. Conversely, utilities regularly experience damage to transmission towers due to both weather and malicious activities, and are able to recover from this damage fairly rapidly. While occasionally causing blackouts, outages resulting from these attacks generally have not been widespread or long- lasting.
Several options exist to mitigate vulnerabilities. Several groups have long proposed the stockpiling equipment as emergency replacements for critical units that do not currently have secure spares. However, some argue that a stockpile would be costly. Another option is to standardize the designs of permanent HV transformers to facilitate emergency recovery. Some have proposed revitalizing domestic manufacturing of HV transformers arguing that a reliance on foreign manufacturers would increase recovery time due to shipping time. However, others argue that the additional shipping time is not significant compared to overall manufacturing time.
Threats against control systems may come from several different directions, such as state- sponsored attack, terrorist group attack, computer hacking, and worm or viral infection. However, the risk posed to industrial control systems from Internet-based attack is difficult to assess. Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system vulnerability reduction may be achieved through several routes, including an increase in corporate and overall cyber-security, implementation of best-practices to bolster existing security functions in control system networks, stronger oversight and enforcement of security guidelines, and new technologies for secure control systems.
Issues facing Congress include: What should be done to address vulnerabilities in the electric system? Who should be responsible for implementing appropriate actions? Who should pay? Should reliability guidelines or standards be implemented by the federal government or industry groups? And, who should be responsible for carrying out research and development to reduce vulnerabilities?
Of the transmission system’s physical infrastructure, the high-voltage (HV) transformers are arguably the most critical component. Utilities rarely experience loss of an individual HV transformer, but recovery from such a loss takes months if no spare is available. Conversely, utilities regularly experience damage to transmission towers due to both weather and malicious activities, and are able to recover from this damage fairly rapidly. While occasionally causing blackouts, outages resulting from these attacks generally have not been widespread or long- lasting.
Several options exist to mitigate vulnerabilities. Several groups have long proposed the stockpiling equipment as emergency replacements for critical units that do not currently have secure spares. However, some argue that a stockpile would be costly. Another option is to standardize the designs of permanent HV transformers to facilitate emergency recovery. Some have proposed revitalizing domestic manufacturing of HV transformers arguing that a reliance on foreign manufacturers would increase recovery time due to shipping time. However, others argue that the additional shipping time is not significant compared to overall manufacturing time.
Threats against control systems may come from several different directions, such as state- sponsored attack, terrorist group attack, computer hacking, and worm or viral infection. However, the risk posed to industrial control systems from Internet-based attack is difficult to assess. Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system vulnerability reduction may be achieved through several routes, including an increase in corporate and overall cyber-security, implementation of best-practices to bolster existing security functions in control system networks, stronger oversight and enforcement of security guidelines, and new technologies for secure control systems.
Issues facing Congress include: What should be done to address vulnerabilities in the electric system? Who should be responsible for implementing appropriate actions? Who should pay? Should reliability guidelines or standards be implemented by the federal government or industry groups? And, who should be responsible for carrying out research and development to reduce vulnerabilities?
