Federal Agencies Investigate North American Electric Grid’s Resilience During Winter Storm Elliott

National Grid technicians work in Buffalo, N.Y, on Dec. 26, 2022. (Joed Viera/AFP via Getty Images)

Federal regulatory agencies are investigating the North American electric grid’s resilience during Winter Storm Elliott’s arctic weather conditions over the Christmas holiday.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) announced a joint inquiry on Wednesday into how bulk-power-system (BPS) operations held up through sub-freezing temperatures brought by the extratropical cyclone estimated to have led to over 60 people dead and caused $5.5 billion in insured losses across the country.

The BPS encompasses four major electric system networks that serve the United States and Canada, divided into Western, Texas, Eastern, and Quebec.

FERC and NERC share the responsibility of overseeing the reliability of the BPS.

System Under Stress

FERC said the power outages caused by the weather and rolling blackouts implemented by utility companies that occurred at local state-level substations significantly stressed the BPS.

“The effects of Winter Storm Elliott demonstrate yet again that our bulk-power system is critical to public safety and health,” FERC Chairman Rich Glick said in a press release.

“The joint inquiry with NERC we are announcing today will allow us to dig deeper into exactly what happened so we can further protect the reliability of the grid.”

A man tries to dig his truck out of deep snow in Buffalo, N.Y. on Dec. 26, 2022. (John Normile/Getty Images)

The joint inquiry will work with state and federal agencies to troubleshoot the BPS and provide solutions where needed, FERC said.

“There will be multiple lessons learned from last week’s polar vortex that will inform future winter preparations," NERC CEO and President Jim Robb said.

“In addition to the load shedding in Tennessee and the Carolinas, multiple energy emergencies were declared and new demand records were set across the continent. And this was in the early weeks of a projected ‘mild’ winter,” Robb said.

“This storm underscores the increasing frequency of significant extreme weather events (the fifth major winter event in the last 11 years) and underscores the need for the electric sector to change its planning scenarios and preparations for extreme events.”

Physical Security of Infrastructure

Last week before the joint inquiry was announced, FERC had tasked NERC with evaluating the physical security of the BPS and state-level substations in the wake of gunfire damage to two substations in North Carolina that led to widespread outages.

“The security and reliability of the nation’s electric grid is one of FERC’s top priorities,” Glick said in a press release.

“In light of the increasing number of recent reports of physical attacks on our nation’s infrastructure, it is important that we fully and clearly review the effectiveness of our existing physical security standard to determine whether additional improvements are necessary to safeguard the Bulk Power System.”

The order directed NERC to submit a report to FERC within 120 days of the order being issued on Dec. 15.

“We need to work with our state colleagues as well to make sure we’re prepared and they’re prepared and that we all do as much as we can to make sure the grid is as secure as possible,” Glick said.