Power grid overseer steps up cybersecurity

The organization that oversees reliability for the nation’s electrical power grid is stepping up its cybersecurity efforts by setting up a new program office and creating a task force to review cybersecurity standards for the power industry.

The North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC), a quasi-governmental coalition that operates under the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), said it will establish a Critical Infrastructure Program, which includes cybersecurity, as its fourth program focus area. One of the program’s initiatives will be hiring a chief security officer to be a single point of contact for cyber and infrastructure issues related to the national electric power grid.