A new report from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) highlights the threat to critical infrastructure from uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) and says U.S. and Canadian federal government partners should work with industry partners to identify legally accessible technology and clarify government support.
NERC conducted a tabletop exercise scenario where multiple UAS attacks targeted a nuclear generating station and a transformer station, resulting in extensive load shed. Exercise participants noted that there is a variety of guidance from different government agencies regarding UAS and that efforts should be made to consolidate this guidance for consistency and clarity.
NERC notes that while the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has published its UAS Detection Technology Guidance for Critical Infrastructure, there is still a need to provide greater clarity on what laws and regulations apply to detection and what technologies can be legally deployed. In addition to understanding legal detection capabilities, NERC says clear guidance for restricting UAS flight over critical infrastructure is also warranted. “Collaboration between industry and government partners would allow for a better understanding of the concerns that [grid operators] maintain related to UAS and how the government can support them during impending and active threats,” the report notes.
NERC is recommending that guidance from different agencies regarding UAS mitigation and drone detection is consolidated and clarified. It also wants to see clarification on the governmental support for UAS threats that is available to industry in the event of an incident or attack.
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Lessons learned from GridEx VIII report at NERC
Image: New York Power Authority
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