The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission took action on an important item related to reliability at its open meeting today.
FERC issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) proposing to approve Reliability Standard CIP-012-1 – Cyber Security – Communications between Control Centers. The proposed Reliability Standard addresses FERC's directive from Order No. 822 to modify the Critical Infrastructure Protection Reliability Standards to require Responsible Entities to implement controls to protect communication links and sensitive Bulk Electric System data communicated between Bulk Electric System Control Centers. In addition to proposing to approve the standard, the NOPR proposes to direct NERC to develop and submit modifications to: (1) require protections regarding the availability of communication links and data communicated between Bulk Electric System Control Centers; and (2) clearly identify the types of data that must be protected.
NERC staff will continue to work with FERC and stakeholders toward assuring the reliability of the North American bulk power system.
