Mutual assistance has long been part of the electric power industry’s DNA.

As electric companies, our strength is collective, and our culture of continuous improvement means we are constantly looking to improve safety, reliability, and service to customers.

While our mutual assistance work is commonly associated with storm response, our companies support one another in several other areas, including physical and cybersecurity initiatives. Amid a backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty, these collaborative resilience efforts are especially important today as our industry works to strengthen and safeguard America’s critical energy infrastructure.

Twenty years ago, we broadened our mutual assistance footprint by launching the Spare Transformer Equipment Program (STEP), ensuring we could coordinate and respond quickly following a direct attack on critical American infrastructure.

The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, changed so much for so many. As an industry central to the safety and security of the nation, we knew we needed to be part of the solution and, as we always do, have plans in place for worst-case scenarios.

In the years that followed the attacks, I was proud to be part of an industrywide effort to safeguard our grid against bad actors through the founding of STEP. The program provides participating companies with access to a large pool of hard-to-replace assets when, for example, a terrorist attack destroys a substation with large power transformers and causes a significant transmission outage. Members—consisting of investor-owned electric companies, public power utilities, and federal power marketing administrations—maintain a supply of spare transformers and other hard-to-replace assets that fellow members can readily access—and are required to share—in the event of an attack.

Unfortunately, electric companies know too well the long lead times associated with purchasing new transformers and new grid equipment in the event that existing assets are damaged—which is magnified during an attack or crisis event when every moment without power counts. STEP mitigates these lead times and helps ensure its members can respond quickly and efficiently.

Thankfully, in its 20 years, STEP has never seen a terrorist event cause a significant transmission outage. Even so, its members collaborate regularly and have used the STEP framework to support one another in other emergency situations. The continued strength of the program, and the robust, trusted community of industry peers that it has fostered, speaks to one of our superpowers as an industry: our commitment to preparation and collaboration.

We know that our companies and our industry power our customers’ lives and the broader U.S. economy. And, we know that, time and again, bad actors are targeting the grid to inflict maximum impact on the American people.

That means we must constantly remain on the front foot. What secures the grid and keeps our customers safe today will not remain static, and it is through programs like STEP that we plan and prepare for evolving threats to our grid and our national security.

I am proud that, 20 years after its founding, STEP remains a critical tool in our industry’s emergency response toolbox—a tool that, while we hope to never need it, is sharp and ready if we do.

Mike Innocenzo is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Exelon and Interim President and CEO, PECO

As the new leader of the Electricity Information Sharing Analysis Center (E-ISAC), I come into the role with a sense of enthusiasm and energy. Not only do I get to continue the mission, vision, and focus I had in my previous role at Berkshire Hathaway Energy (BHE), I also get to work with another exceptional and highly respected team. I see nothing but potential as we build on the E-ISAC’s historic successes—one of which is GridEx, the largest grid security exercise in North America.

Hosted every two years by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation and the E-ISAC, GridEx was launched in 2011. Hundreds of organizations and thousands of individuals have participated. GridEx simulates the response and recovery from a coordinated attack on critical infrastructure and is designed as a decentralized, distributed play exercise. Organizations that take part can scale their own participation up or down to meet their unique objectives while coordinating their response with external partners. This year, GridEx VIII (to be held November 18-19) promises to be another major step forward in advancing industry-wide preparedness and resilience against evolving cyber and physical security threats.

Although I have been with the E-ISAC for a relatively short time, I already am struck by the scale and scope of the exercise and the level of industry and government planning, collaboration, and coordination that goes into staging this important event.

In my previous role, I participated in all seven exercises. I always saw them as an opportunity to exercise at scale and to test and continually strengthen our resilience. While GridEx is only one of many exercises that entities take part in, its unique flexibility is an asset and provides a broader view across industry, government, and stakeholder perspectives.

And, importantly, it serves as a call to action to engage and build relationships across those groups before a real event occurs. Planning and engagement include working with federal government partners, such as the U.S. Department of Energy, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the Canadian Centre for Cybersecurity—organizations that would be instrumental in responding to a national-level crisis.

Of course, the real impacts of any attack are realized in local communities, making strong relationships among the investor-owned electric companies, electric cooperatives, public power entities and municipalities, local government, and emergency services vital to recovery efforts. GridEx promotes bringing these organizations together to build and strengthen relationships, as participants work together to enhance our collective resilience.

I firmly believe that the E-ISAC’s role in building and coordinating this exercise is about continuously advancing the resilience of our industry. Every exercise should move the needle forward, challenging our plans and capabilities and identifying opportunities to strengthen and improve, because that is the real benefit. At the end of the day, we cannot prevent everything, but we can reduce the likelihood and impact of physical and cyber attacks—and we can ensure that the partnerships and processes are in place to effectively respond and recover.

Participating with BHE in the past provided a valuable perspective and shaped my thinking on how participants should approach the exercise. I believe the aim should be to challenge existing plans, degrade resources, and test assumptions to the point of failure—it is at the point of failure where the lessons are really learned. Effective exercises using challenging scenarios and the resulting lessons learned are what lead to measurable improvement for each participating organization.

The E-ISAC publishes its own Lessons Learned Report following each GridEx, which is posted on the E-ISAC website. A major outcome of the 2023 exercise was the need for the electric sector to improve the resilience of its communications systems. Through document reviews and interviews with subject matter experts, the E-ISAC developed a full report with extensive recommendations for the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council.

The E-ISAC also developed two communications references: an in-depth case study on the unique communications challenges encountered during Hurricane Helene in North Carolina; and a Resilient Communications Technical Crosswalk document, which serves as a quick reference for comparing different resilient communications technologies currently in use across the grid. These references, which are available on the E-ISAC website, are provided to help members as they improve their crisis communications plans and elevate their communications technologies.

Enhanced accessibility was another recommendation identified during GridEx 2023. As a direct result, the E-ISAC has expanded participation options for the upcoming exercise to make it even easier for smaller organizations and first-time participants to get involved. To facilitate their participation, two new formats have been introduced this year:

• GridEx in a Box: A streamlined version designed as a functional exercise, ideal for smaller planning teams or organizations with limited resources.
• GridEx Tabletop: A flexible, discussion-based format designed to be “plug and play” with a slide deck and a facilitator guide.

With more than 300 organizations already registered, GridEx VIII is an opportunity to strengthen internal response capabilities, build relationships across the industry and with other sectors, and help enhance the overall resilience of the bulk power system. More information and registration details are available on the E-ISAC website.

Michael Ball is senior vice president at the North American Electric Reliability Corporation and CEO of the Electricity Information Sharing Analysis Center.

Collaboration and coordination between government stakeholders and the electric power industry are vital following weather-related events and natural disasters that cause significant power outages. These partnerships help ensure an efficient response, using the strengths and resources of both industry and government to restore power quickly and to support storm-affected communities and customers. By working together, we can mitigate the impact of disasters, enhance resilience, and expedite recovery efforts.

One of the hallmarks of this industry is its collaborative nature, embodied by the mutual assistance process that brings resources and support to communities that need it most. We are fortunate to be part of a critical industry that keeps the lights on and energy flowing, and we are proud to be there so customers and communities know they can depend on us to reliably deliver the energy they need when and where they need it. That’s true on blue-sky days and in recovering and rebuilding in the wake of storms.

More than power, even, we have the privilege of restoring hope. Nowhere was this more evident than in the recent responses to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, which made landfall within two weeks of one another. More than 200 lives were lost during these devastating storms, which also disrupted power and paralyzed local economies for millions of Americans.

The Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC)—the principal liaison between the federal government and the electric power sector—was pivotal in preparing for and responding to these hurricanes. The ESCC brings together industry CEOs and leaders with key federal partners, including officials from the White House, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the U.S. Departments of Energy and Homeland Security, among others.

During Helene and Milton, the ESCC convened numerous national calls structured to facilitate unity of effort and message. Working through the council ensured that information was shared with all relevant parties and that challenges were promptly addressed to help communities recover safely and as swiftly as possible.

We are incredibly grateful for the involvement and leadership of senior government officials who connected directly with our industry throughout the response to these storms. Especially encouraging was direct engagement from President Joe Biden; Vice President Kamala Harris; Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm; FEMA Director Deanne Criswell; and Deputy Homeland Security Advisor Caitlin Durkovich, among others.

In the days leading up to and following Helene’s landfall, Southern Company system responders joined tens of thousands of mutual assistance workers deployed from all over the country before pivoting to assist with the response to Milton. In the responses to Helene and Milton, our industry mobilized more than 50,000 mutual assistance workers from at least 41 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada—highlighting the strength and importance of industry partnerships in storm restoration.

The coordination across companies and state lines, and the unity of effort to move crews and materials where work needed to be done, was a marvel to see.

Customers and communities are at the heart of everything we do. We know that energy is a necessity, not a commodity. It is a critical asset to our nation and to our economy that powers everyday life. That’s why we also know how incredibly essential energy resilience is.

Southern Company, like so many of our peers, has been focused on resilience planning for years. We prepare for extreme weather events and worst-case scenarios so that we can deliver for our customers when they need us most. Since 2015, we’ve invested around $21 billion in our energy grid. And much of our future investment is expected to go toward things that make our grid more resilient, like hardening our infrastructure and enhancing the resilience of our generation facilities. 

Investments in resilience pay off. Even with the magnitude of Helene and Milton, areas in Florida and Georgia that had significantly invested in resilience experienced less damage to the grid and saw faster restoration times. We are working closely with customers, communities, government officials, and regulators to help everyone understand the importance of these investments and the tangible benefits they provide.

I am proud of the team at Southern Company—and of EEI and our peers across the industry—for learning new lessons every year and after every storm. We are always looking for ways to get better. Helene and Milton brought extraordinary challenges. Their lessons will help us to better serve our customers and to be even more prepared for the next storm.

Stan Connally is the executive vice president of operations at Southern Company and chairman, president, and CEO of Southern Company Services. He also serves as the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council’s emergency response lead.

The range of challenges facing the energy sector has grown exponentially in complexity and significance in recent years. Risks to our operations and the communities we serve—from supply chain shortages and intense wildfires to cyber and physical attacks—have received increased national attention. At the same time, we are pursuing once-in-a-lifetime investments to build a cleaner and more resilient grid of the future.

The scope and significance of our role as grid owners and operators cannot be overstated. The work we do is essential to our national security and the economy. As I look back on our industry’s unique record of partnership and collaboration among peer companies and our federal, state, and local government partners, I have confidence in the future. Ensuring the security and reliability of the grid is a shared priority between industry and government. We must continue the good work being done today and continually look for opportunities to improve and expand our collective efforts.

This period of transformation and heightened risk also requires that we balance our need to move quickly. Adoption of clean energy technologies—such as rooftop solar, battery storage, micro-grids, and inverter-based resources—is critical for grid operators to meet these challenges.

However, as grid infrastructure grows increasingly connected and as distributed energy resources are deployed, we must recognize we are creating an expanded attack surface with a larger number of critical suppliers that must be protected. The key to effectively managing this new attack surface will be to hold tight to our culture of collaboration and our trusted networks of mutual assistance, partnership, and support while we maintain our mission of delivering affordable, reliable electricity and work to meet our infrastructure and carbon emissions goals.

I am encouraged by the attention federal, state, and local partners are giving to these issues. Our distribution grid is on the front lines of the clean energy transition. It also is important to move past traditional partnerships that can sometimes be too slow to respond. Industry and government are working together to find a responsible, flexible, and affordable framework to secure these systems and manage the rapidly changing risk landscape.

Our top priority is and will continue to be our customers. We believe that a risk-based approach to new distribution security standards that combines the best of our knowledge in a flexible and non-duplicative manner is the best way to serve them. Persistent engagement between and among our industry and government partners in support of these goals is critical to ensuring that customer access to affordable, reliable electricity is not disrupted.

As always, we are committed to adhering to existing standards and best practices. Our industry recognizes the importance of maintaining robust security measures and strives to maintain effective monitoring and preparedness against potential threats. I am confident that we have a bright future ahead in our collaboration.

We face unprecedented challenges as we work to transform the energy grid to securely meet the evolving needs of our customers, and we play a more significant role in our nation’s security than ever before. I encourage all corners of our community to recall the culture and principles that have brought us so much success and ensure they remain at the forefront of our collaboration. As we come to face new challenges, our unity of effort and message must remain a core priority.

Brian Barrios is vice president and chief information security officer at Southern California Edison.