Updates
November 19, 2021
2021 EPRI-NERC-NATF Planning and Modeling Virtual Seminar
In November, the NATF partnered with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to host a planning and modeling seminar focused on planning for a decarbonized grid. Subject-matter experts from across the industry presented on topics such as planning aspects of hybrid plants and bulk electric system storage, use of climate information for assessing the impacts of extreme weather events, and technology impacting the industry.
Presentations from the seminar are posted on our Documents page under the “Presentation/Updates” section.
October 04, 2021
October 2021 Newsletter Posted
The NATF's latest external newsletter, now available on our newsletters page, includes the following articles:
- NATF Posts Guidance for Entities Working with Solution Providers
- 2021 EPRI-NERC-NATF Planning and Modeling Virtual Seminar
- New Product for NATF Members
- Redacted Operating Experience Reports
October 01, 2021
NATF Posts Guidance for Entities Working with Solution Providers
The NATF has posted the “NATF Industry Collaboration: Using Solution Providers for Third-Party Risk Management” guide for industry use. The document clarifies the role of a solution provider and provides guidance for entities that are considering a solution provider’s services to assist with evaluations of suppliers’ cyber security practices. These services, such as gathering supplier information and providing analysis, can provide significant support for an entity’s ongoing supply cyber security risk management.
The Industry Organization Team suppliers and solution providers jointly developed the document. They have provided entities with items to consider based on insights from both perspectives and, through the development of this document, strengthened the relationships between the two industries.July 20, 2021
July 2021 Newsletter Posted
The NATF's latest external newsletter, now available on our newsletters page, includes the following articles:
- NATF Posts Updated Supply Chain Documents for Industry
- Response to U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Request for Information (RFI)
- Facility Ratings Practices Implementation
June 09, 2021
NATF Supply Chain Model, Criteria, and Risk Questionnaire Version 2.0 Posted for Industry Use
The “Supply Chain Security Assessment Model,” “NATF Supply Chain Security Criteria,” and “Energy Sector Supply Chain Risk Questionnaire” version 2.0 documents have been posted for industry use on the Supply Chain Cyber Security Industry Coordination page of the NATF public website.
Supported by the Industry Organizations Team, the model and complementary products provide a streamlined, effective, and efficient industry-accepted approach for entities to evaluate supplier supply chain security practices.
The five-step model provides a solid foundation for identifying, assessing, and mitigating supply chain risks; provides for inclusion of suppliers and solution providers depending upon each entity’s needs; and provides for flexibility of each entity’s implementation.
The criteria includes mapping to existing security frameworks and is categorized into two areas: (1) supplier’s organizational information and (2) supplier’s level of adherence to supply chain security practices.
A formatted and unformatted version of the questionnaire is provided. The formatted version includes guidance based upon answers to a series of “qualifier” questions that identifies optional questions for utilities to consider in a risk assessment. The unformatted version is text-only for easy incorporation into various toolsets or existing company spreadsheets.April 05, 2021
April 2021 Newsletter Posted
The NATF's latest external newsletter, now available on our newsletters page, includes the following articles:
- NATF and NERC Host Webinar on Pandemic Planning and Response Activities
- NATF Hosting Virtual Seminars for Members
- Facility Ratings Practices Implementation
- NATF Continues Work on Supply Chain Risk Management
- Redacted Operating Experience Reports
March 05, 2021
NATF Questionnaire and Criteria Revisions Posted for Industry-Wide Comment through April 2
The NATF Questionnaire and Criteria revision team has reviewed suggestions for modifications to the Questionnaire and Criteria, and adopted changes have been posted for industry-wide comments through April 2.
Please review the Questionnaire and Criteria for:
- changes in the Questionnaire (formatted version) and Criteria
- the questions and criteria in general for alignment to the information you collect from suppliers
- the mapping to the security frameworks
Changes are indicated by red text and a summary of changes is available on the “Confidentiality” tab of each document. The redlines for the Questionnaire are provided in the formatted version only. Conforming final changes will be made to the unformatted version.
A webinar will be provided on March 19 from 11:30 am - 12:30 pm eastern. This webinar is open to industry. Register here.
The review team will review comments in April and will provide a summary for their determinations. The final changes will be provided to the NATF board for approval in May, and upon approval the revised Questionnaire and Criteria will be posted.
Main points to note:
- The Questionnaire and Criteria have been reviewed by the E-ISAC and NERC for sufficiency in regards to the Solar Winds hack, and it was determined that no additional changes were needed.
- The Questionnaire and Criteria were both reviewed to determine if they would obtain sufficient information regarding countries of origin.
- In the Questionnaire, mapping was added to the new supplier criteria
- In the Criteria, three questions from the “Organizational Information” section were moved into the “Supplier Criteria” tab
- The changes to the Questionnaire are denoted in the formatted version for comments; final changes will be included in the unformatted after approval.
March 05, 2021
NATF and NERC to Host Webinar on Pandemic Planning and Response Activities
On March 17, the North American Transmission Forum (NATF) and North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) will host a webinar about pandemic planning and response activities as well as resources available to industry. Opening remarks will be provided by Commissioner Neil Chatterjee, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC); Tom Galloway, president and CEO of NATF; and Manny Cancel, senior vice president of NERC and CEO of the Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (E-ISAC). The webinar will feature presentations on pandemic activities from the following organizations:
- NATF
- NERC
- E-ISAC
- Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC)
- Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
- European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E)
- European Commission (Directorate-General for Energy)
The webinar will be held from 9:00–11:00 a.m. eastern. For more information or assistance, please contact Ted Franks at tfranks@natf.net or 704-945-1949.
January 11, 2021
January 2021 Newsletter Posted
The NATF's latest external newsletter, now available on our newsletters page, highlights the following topics:
- Epidemic/Pandemic Resource Supplemented with Safety and Work-Environment Considerations
- NATF-SERC-RF Pilot Collaborations on Supply Chain Risk Mitigation and Facility Ratings
- NATF Begins Annual Revision Process for Supply Chain Criteria and Questionnaire
- Protection System Misoperations Analysis Annual Report
- Redacted Operating Experience Reports
January 11, 2021
Epidemic/Pandemic Resource Supplemented with Safety and Work-Environment Considerations
The Epidemic/Pandemic Response Plan Resource has recently been updated to include information on personal protective equipment use, a tertiary control center strategy, and configuration options for control centers and office space.
The resource—which focuses on planning/preparedness, response, and recovery activities for a severe epidemic/pandemic—was jointly developed by the NATF, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to help utilities create, update, or formalize their epidemic/pandemic plans in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
October 30, 2020
NATF is hosting an Industry Organizations webinar for suppliers!
This webinar will be provided twice, on December 1 and January 12, to help suppliers understand the requests they are receiving from entities and how they can be prepared to provide entities will responses. The webinar will cover the NATF Criteria and Questionnaire, as well as how suppliers can work directly with entities and with solution providers. Just as the IO Team is working to converge industry on what information is necessary to obtain from suppliers, the Team is also working with suppliers so they will have the information you need readily available. The invitation to attend this webinar is provided on the Industry Organizations webpage. Click HERE for the Supplier Communication Webinar Invitation.
Many entities and solution providers involved in the Industry Organizations collaboration effort have agreed to distribute the letter invitation to their suppliers. We are also asking that you, as you are able, distribute the letter invitation to your organization’s suppliers.
You are also welcome to attend these webinars. Registration is required to join this event. If you plan to attend and have not registered, please do so now.
Click HERE to register for the December 1, 2020 webinar
Click HERE to register for the January 12, 2021 webinar
October 08, 2020
October 2020 Newsletter Posted
The NATF's latest external newsletter, now available on our newsletters page, highlights the following topics:
- Transmission Resilience Maturity Model: Helps Utilities Improve Resilience
- Virtual Peer Reviews
- NATF Posts Revision Process for Supply Chain Criteria and Questionnaire
- Coordination and Support Aspects Added to Epidemic/Pandemic Resource
- Redacted Operating Experience Reports
October 08, 2020
Transmission Resilience Maturity Model Developed to Help Utilities Improve Resilience
The inaugural version (1.0) of the Transmission Resilience Maturity Model (TRMM) was released publicly this week on the TRMM website. In addition to access to the TRMM tool, the website provides overview and background information, FAQs, a suite of supporting documentation, and more.
The TRMM (developed jointly by the NATF, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the Electric Power Research Institute, and the Department of Energy) is a free, easy-to-use tool, with supporting documentation, designed for electric transmission system utilities to evaluate and benchmark the relative maturity of their transmission resilience programs. The model can help identify gaps and prioritize actions and investments to improve the resilience of transmission systems.
The draft model was piloted by five NATF member companies in 2020, and improvements based on lessons learned were incorporated into version 1.0. The NATF envisions incorporating aspects of the TRMM as additional service offerings for members, including facilitated self-assessments, metrics, and targeted assistance.
To obtain a passphrase for the tool, please register here. Contact us at trmm@natf.net with any questions.
September 23, 2020
NATF Posts Revision Process for Supply Chain Criteria and Questionnaire
The NATF has posted the "Revision Process for the Energy Sector Supply Chain Risk Questionnaire and NATF Cyber Security Criteria for Suppliers" for industry use.
The purpose of this process is to facilitate periodic reviews and modifications of the NATF “Energy Sector Supply Chain Risk Questionnaire” (Questionnaire) and the “NATF Cyber Security Criteria for Suppliers” (Criteria), which were developed for industry-wide use to drive consistency of information obtained from suppliers of bulk power system hardware, software, and services.
Consistent with the NATF’s open, collaborative, and consensus-based approach, modifications via this process will be made with consideration of input from across industry and will include adding, deleting, or modifying individual questions in the Questionnaire or individual criterion in the Criteria as well as adding, deleting, or modifying mappings to security frameworks (e.g., SOC2, ISO27001, etc.).
The process is available on the NATF Supply Chain Cyber Security Industry Coordination page.
August 14, 2020
Epidemic/Pandemic Response Plan Resource Updated to Include Coordination and Support Aspects
The Epidemic/Pandemic Response Plan Resource has been updated to include details on cross-sector coordination, prioritized requests for government support, and misinformation.
The resource—which focuses on planning/preparedness, response, and recovery activities for a severe epidemic/pandemic—was jointly developed by the North American Transmission Forum, North American Electric Reliability Corporation, U.S. Department of Energy, and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to help utilities create, update, or formalize their epidemic/pandemic-response plans in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
July 02, 2020
July 2020 Newsletter Posted
The NATF's latest external newsletter, now available on our newsletters page, highlights the following topics:
- Resource Developed to Help Organizations Update Pandemic Response Plans
- NATF Continues Monitoring COVID-19 and Implementing Virtual Activities
- Energy Sector Supply Chain Risk Questionnaire
- Transmission Resilience Maturity Model (TRMM)
- Redacted Operating Experience Reports
June 19, 2020
Testing and Contact Tracing Information Added to Epidemic/Pandemic Response Plan Resource
The Epidemic/Pandemic Response Plan Resource has been updated to include more information on testing and an overview of contact tracing.
The resource—which focuses on planning/preparedness, response, and recovery activities for a severe epidemic/pandemic—was jointly developed by the North American Transmission Forum, North American Electric Reliability Corporation, U.S. Department of Energy, and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to help utilities create, update, or formalize their epidemic/pandemic-response plans in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
May 18, 2020
NATF Posts Energy Sector Supply Chain Risk Questionnaire
The NATF has posted the "Energy Sector Supply Chain Risk Questionnaire" for industry use.
This questionnaire, developed by a group of more than 20 U.S. energy companies, is designed to provide utilities with a set of supplier- and equipment-focused questions to obtain better information on a supplier’s security posture. The questionnaire works in conjunction with the "NATF Criteria," and together these complementary tools can help our industry drive convergence on information that is needed from suppliers.
The questionnaire denotes where questions directly align or will provide key supporting information regarding a supplier’s adherence to each of the NATF Criteria, and the information obtained through other questions will provide additional insight. Further, in light of the May 1 Executive Order, both the questionnaire and the NATF Criteria gather information regarding a supplier’s sourcing, activities, and staffing in other countries.
Two versions of the questionnaire are available on the Supply Chain Cyber Security Industry Coordination page of the NATF public website. The first includes a series of macros to provide a self-contained tool that can be used by utilities and suppliers. The second version provides a text-only version for easy incorporation into various toolsets or existing company spreadsheets.
May 14, 2020
Resource Developed to Help Organizations Update Pandemic Response Plans
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in unprecedented challenges for utility planning, operations, and response, prompting organizations to review existing or create epidemic/pandemic-response plans. To assist in these efforts, the North American Transmission Forum, North American Electric Reliability Corporation, U.S. Department of Energy, and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission jointly developed a resource to help utilities create, update, or formalize their plans.
The Epidemic/Pandemic Response Plan Resource focuses on planning/preparedness, response, and recovery activities for a severe epidemic/pandemic.
News Release | Resource DocumentApril 27, 2020
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Web Page
The NATF has organized information regarding its response to the pandemic on a
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) page under the “Industry Initiatives” section of the site.