Space Weather Quarterly Volume 10, Issue 3, 2013

One of the reasons why electric power grids have become so vulnerable to severe geomagnetic storms has been their growth over decades without any design code requirements that took this threat into consideration.This growth unchecked by a relevant design code is now being brought to an end with recent regulatory and legislative actions both at the federal and state levels in the U.S.On 16 May 2013, the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved final regulations in a 5-0 vote (Order 779, http://www.ferc.gov/whats-new/comm-meet/2013/051613/E-5.pdf) that directs NERC (North American Electric Reliability Corporation, the designated industry Electric Reliability Organization, ERO) to develop and submit standards for FERC approval.Electric grid reliability is a relatively new federal authority granted to FERC by Congress in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (which was spurred by the August 2003 U.S./Canada Blackout).This action of requiring NERC and the industry to formally submit a standard is also an unprecedented use of the sua sponta authority of FERC rather than allowing industry to be the initiator of all prior standards.The final order, which takes effect 60 days following its approval, requires NERC to develop a two-part set of standards.In the first stage, the ERO must submit by January 2014 one or more reliability standards that require owners and operators of the bulk-power system to develop and implement operational procedures to mitigate geomagnetic storm effects consistent with the reliable operation of the grid.In the second stage, the ERO must submit by January 2015 reliability standards that require initial and ongoing assessments of the potential impact of benchmark geomagnetic disturbance (GMD) events on both the grid equipment and the grid as a whole.The standard will allow the ERO to identify benchmark GMD events.If the assessments identify potential impacts from benchmark GMD events, the reliability standards must require the development and imple-mentation of a plan to protect against instability, uncontrolled separation, or cascading failures caused by damage to critical or vulnerable equipment as a result of a benchmark GMD event.The development of this plan cannot be limited to considering operational procedures or enhanced training alone but must contain strategies for protecting against the potential impact of GMDs.As chief sponsor of the action, FERC Commissioner Cheryl LaFluer noted "Just as our society has over the centuries developed standards to protect elements of our infrastructure from high impact low frequency events like earthquakes and fires, I believe we must begin to address the challenge of making our electric grid resilient to geomagnetic disturbances."The FERC has only limited statutory authority in grid regulation.The most encompassing authority traditionally resides within each state regulatory agency.Efforts in this regard have also recently begun to emerge with the State of Maine taking the first legislative action.The Maine Legislature passed and the Governor signed into law on 6 June 2013 LD-131 which requires the Maine Public Utility Commission to review and report on GMD vulnerability.Earlier reports had identified the Maine grid as being highly vulnerable (http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/bills_126th/billtexts/HP010602.asp).As legislators learned of plans underway within Maine utility companies to double their extra high voltage power grid by 2015, they also recognized that this would double their levels of GMD vulnerability.

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