Winter 2024 | Edition 31
Enhancing Resilience in Electric Utilities
CONDUCT A VULNERABILITY AND RISK ASSESSMENT
In today's rapidly changing environment, rural electric utilities must prioritize their resilience against potential threats. The first step in this process is conducting a thorough vulnerability and risk assessment (VRA). According to the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (ECFR) Section 1730.27, RUS borrowers need to identify vulnerabilities in their systems that could jeopardize reliable electric service delivery.
A VRA involves an evaluation of critical assets, external system interdependencies, and the impact of loss due to physical, cyber, and operational threats. A thorough assessment provides unique insights for utilities to better understand potential impacts on their electric infrastructure and service continuity. Key elements of this assessment include analyzing historical data on service interruptions, reviewing the condition of equipment, and assessing the likelihood, economic impact, and concern level for potential threats.
Utilities should involve key personnel across various departments. This creates opportunities for collaboration and diverse perspectives. Engaging with local emergency management can also provide insights into specific vulnerabilities that may not be apparent.
For some utilities, federal regulations require maintaining detailed documentation of the assessment process. Updates to the VRA may be required when significant changes are made to the electrical system. Utilities must ensure their findings are integrated into their overall risk management strategies. This documentation serves as a critical resource for stakeholders and regulatory bodies, showcasing the utility's commitment to maintaining operations.
DEVELOP AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN
An Emergency Response Plan (ERP) is rooted in the findings of the VRA. The ERP should prioritize critical infrastructure and outline specific response strategies for the highest-risk potential threats. According to the USDA Rural Development Bulletin (Bulletin 1730B-2), an effective ERP should be comprehensive, outlining clear procedures for various scenarios. The plan should include roles and responsibilities for staff, communication strategies, and consideration for coordinating with local emergency services. Engaging stakeholders is essential and ensures all parties are aligned in their efforts.
The plan should also incorporate mechanisms for continuous evaluation and improvement. A tabletop exercise is an excellent method to test response strategies, practice roles and responsibilities, and review and update the ERP. Employee discussion and collaboration during the exercise will help identify areas for improvement and spotlight aspects of the ERP that need review or updates.
EXERCISE YOUR EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN
Where federal regulations mandate an ERP, utilities must exercise the plan annually. However, best practices suggest exercising the ERP more frequently through a combination of drills, tabletop exercises, and reviews of both the ERP document and actual event restorations. Here are some tips for conducting a tabletop exercise, along with common lessons learned.
Best Practices
Schedule exercise dates at the start of the year.
Be inventive and diversify your approach.
Develop a variety of scenarios that challenge your response plans for different threats.
Create scenarios that test levels of responsibility, such as higher-level decision-making versus specific support roles or areas of the plan.
Reach out to local emergency management coordinators to participate in regional or community response exercises.
Update roles and responsibilities as your team evolves.
Incorporate new response strategies, tools, and update contacts for key vendors, emergency services, and community resources.
Ensure that key takeaways are put into action.
Common Lessons Learned
Enhanced confidence among team members in their roles and the responsibilities of others.
Recognition of new high-risk potential threats and the need for corresponding response strategies.
Misalignment of employee ERP roles and responsibilities resulting from promotions, turnover, or changes in the organizational chart.
Recognizing resources that are either outdated or newly available.
Specific areas for improving communications within the utility and with the broader community.
The necessity for key employees to reduce their span of control during certain phases of emergency response.
Span of control refers to the number of individuals who report directly to a supervisor, and it may fluctuate over time in direct relation to the complexity of the situation.
Recognition of new underlying system interdependencies, for example:
Developing a charging plan to ensure essential secondary resources with 24-hour battery backup remain operational during a multi-day outage.
Key vendors lacking a backup energy plan.
Training Needs
Employee turnover has resulted in a lack of expertise in critical roles such as bird dogging, identifying Mayday locations on digital maps, dispatching, and completing work orders on electronic OMS.
The shift to greater reliance on cell phone communication and employee turnover has led to staff being unfamiliar with the proper use of the radio system.
Shared recognition of the exercise's value and a collective desire to conduct them more frequently.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON ENHANCING RESILIENCE
Completing a thorough VRA and developing and exercising a comprehensive ERP is a valuable investment in the resiliency of the utility. Now is the time to make sure plans are in place, practiced, and familiar. When your resilience is tested, ensure your utility has a strong ERP foundation and a cohesive team prepared to weather the storm and to navigate the aftermath.
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*Special thanks to Lisa Tickhill, CLCP, Safety Compliance Coordinator, for her expertise and contributions to this article.
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https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/subtitle-B/chapter-XVII/part-1730/subpart-B/
https://www.rd.usda.gov/sites/default/files/UEP_Bulletin_1730B-2.pdf
Happy Holidays from STAR Energy Services!
May the holidays shine upon you like a star so bright, bringing you joy, happiness, and dreams that take flight.
Message from the CEO
BY: LOIS CROONQUIST, CEO
As I write this message, we are still learning more about the destruction and loss of life caused by this year's hurricane season. What was left behind in the wake of these storms is heartbreaking. But despite the devastation, emerged stories of survival, recovery, rebuilding, and community. Across the nation, people and organizations were (and still are) rushing to help. Many of the utilities we serve here in the Midwest jumped into action. I continue to be in awe of the cooperative spirit our industry exemplifies. We are grateful for the lineworkers and all their families, as well as the support staff who worked behind the scenes by providing technical, mechanical, and logistical support so these men and women could provide mutual aid in a time of crisis.
As utilities face increasing challenges, it’s essential to build resilience within operations. Events like Helene and Milton shine a light on the importance of being ready. In this edition of the LodeSTAR, Lisa Tickhill shares her thoughts on the importance of reviewing your Vulnerability and Risk Assessment and Emergency Restoration Plan, as well as conducting a tabletop exercise that puts that plan into action. Together, these steps help utilities fortify their systems and prepare them to react effectively when an event occurs.