Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioner Neil Chatterjee said officials are studying how to bolster the nation’s power grid to withstand cyberattacks.
His comments came in a column posted by the Washington Examiner.
"Though often taken for granted, reliable affordable electricity is at the core of modern society,” he said. “But as reliance upon electricity has increased over the past several decades, so have the quantity and complexity of threats to the nation’s grid.
"From changes in the generation mix, to the effects of climate change, to physical and cybersecurity risks, the grid faces a growing number of challenges. In particular, cyberthreats pose a particularly alarming concern to the reliability of our electric grid and, therefore, the security and prosperity of our nation.
"It’s no secret that America’s critical infrastructure is under increasing attack by foreign nations."
He noted both the Department of Homeland Security and FBI have issued public reports detailing intrusion campaigns by Russian government cyber actors against the U.S. infrastructure. But he pointed out that none of the campaigns have resulted in power outages.
However, he said they represent "an unsettling uptick in attempts to undermine America’s critical infrastructure systems."
He said FERC already has taken some steps to reduce the risks of attack on the nation’s power grid, including setting mandatory reliability standards and sharing threat information.
"While these efforts are important, comprehensively addressing emerging threats requires both strengthening our defenses and bolstering the grid to withstand and recover quickly from extreme events," he said. "To this end, FERC is currently evaluating grid resilience, including the ability to withstand cyberattacks, as a continuation of the important conversation that Department of Energy Secretary Rick Perry initiated in 2017."
He conceded, however, it may not be possible to stop "every single cyberattack every single time."
"FERC faces a historic opportunity to holistically examine the array of new challenges confronting America’s electric grid, including those posed by cyberthreats. Though it may not be possible to fully prevent all attacks, this discussion is critical in determining how the grid can be designed to cost-effectively withstand or recover from future events."
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