NERC and Regional Entities Submit Joint Comments in Response to NOI

On November 23, 2020, in Docket No. RM20-19-000, NERC and the six Regional Entities (collectively, the Electric Reliability Organization (or ERO)) submitted Joint Comments in response to FERC's Notice of Inquiry regarding Equipment and Services Produced or Provided by Certain Entities Identified as Risks to National Security. The ERO recognizes that there is a risk that certain bad actors could leverage the supply chain of equipment and services to exploit potential vulnerabilities and carry out cyber-attacks to disrupt the operation of the Bulk-Power System (BPS). As a result, the ERO has developed a “defense-in-depth” that utilizes a combination of mandatory and voluntary safeguard activities. The comments to the NOI are organized into the following sections: (1) Section I.A describes ERO activities focused on equipment and device identification; (2) Section I.B provides detail on Reliability Standards that address the risk of compromised or misused equipment; (3) Section I.C describes other activities that help mitigate the risk of United States adversaries leveraging potential vulnerabilities; and (4) Section II provides a conclusion to these comments.

To view the comments, click here.