Updates
September 29, 2017
NATF Posts CIP and Resiliency Documents for Industry Use
To benefit the industry and inform regulators of ongoing work, the NATF has posted the following documents on its public website:
- NATF Practices Document for NERC Reliability Standard CIP-014-2 Requirement R4
- Guidance for conducting evaluations of potential threats and vulnerabilities of a physical security attack against a Transmission station, Transmission substation, and/or a primary control center
- NATF Practices Document for NERC Reliability Standard CIP-014-2 Requirement R5
- Guidance for a physical security plan—includes a template to help with CIP-014 R5 documentation
- NATF Document for Implementation and Use of Transient Cyber Assets (TCAs) – NERC Reliability Standard CIP-010-2 Requirement R4, Attachment 1, Sections 1 and 2
- Implementation guidance for members and industry related to TCAs; developed on a template conducive to NERC’s compliance guidance initiative
- Transmission System Resiliency – An Overview
- An update to the NATF resiliency summary created in 2015
September 25, 2017
NERC Endorses NATF Modeling Reference as Implementation Guidance
NERC recently endorsed the “NATF MOD-033-1 Methodology Reference Document” as Implementation Guidance. The document, which provides guidance on model validation, is posted on the NATF public documents and NERC compliance guidance pages.
September 05, 2017
NATF Training Workshop
The NATF held its annual Operator Training Practices Group train-the-trainer workshop in August. Topics included productivity, innovative training ideas, presentation methods for communication topics, training center technology, training OJT instructors, job performance evaluations, micro learning, and training multiple generations.
July 14, 2017
NATF Posts Supplemental Resiliency Document: “Bulk Electric Systems Operations absent Energy Management System and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition Capabilities—a Spare Tire Approach”
Earlier this year, the North American Transmission Forum (NATF) posted “NATF BES Monitoring and Control—an Overview of Backup Capabilities,” which provides an overview of the key capabilities for the reliable operation of the bulk electric system (BES), along with a description of the various approaches used within the industry to ensure redundancy for critical capabilities so that System Operators are able to continuously monitor and control the BES in the event of the loss of primary control center capabilities.
As a follow-up to that effort, a team of subject-matter experts from NATF member organizations drafted “Bulk Electric Systems Operations absent Energy Management System and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition Capabilities—a Spare Tire Approach” to assess how electric utilities could continue to operate during an event that disables both primary and backup controls systems (e.g., EMS/SCADA) and identify future areas of industry work and research to better enable operations during scenarios where there is a total loss of EMS/SCADA capability.
For the benefit of regulators and the industry at large, the NATF has posted the document to the Documents section of its public website (www.natf.net).
July 03, 2017
NATF-NERC Joint Modeling Workshop
In coordination with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), the NATF held a modeling workshop in June. Topics included dynamic load modeling, power plant modeling, system model validation (MOD-033), integrating renewables at the transmission level, distributed energy resources modeling, and emerging modeling issues.
June 15, 2017
NATF External Newsletter
The NATF’s new external newsletter is intended to inform those outside our membership about some of the reliability and resilience work underway at the NATF. Please visit our newsletter page to learn more.
June 15, 2017
NATF Posts EMS External Modeling Reference Document for Industry Use
Proper modeling of external systems is key to providing system operators with situational awareness of both their own and adjacent systems. External modeling also informs operators how changes on adjacent systems can impact their systems.
NATF members recently developed the “NATF EMS External Modeling Reference Document” to provide guidance to those working to improve performance of their EMS external models. The intended audience is personnel responsible for developing and maintaining EMS models for real-time state estimator and real-time contingency analysis.
We believe sharing this document with the industry will enhance external system modeling for all system operators, thus enhancing reliable operations for the entire Bulk Electric System. Accordingly, the NATF has posted the document to the Documents section of its public website (www.natf.net).May 18, 2017
Joint Compliance-Security Workshop
The NATF held a joint compliance and security workshop in May. Topics included internal controls, document management, confidential information protection, compliance best practices, transient cyber assets, cyber security supply chain risk management, data warehousing, CIP-014, security operations centers, and physical security.
April 03, 2017
NATF Participates in NERC Reliability Leadership Summit
NATF President and CEO Tom Galloway, along with a number of NATF members, recently participated in NERC’s Reliability Leadership Summit. The goal of the summit was to discuss “challenges in operating the bulk power system; resiliency and security; and emerging risks to reliability,” and inputs will influence reliability risk profiles developed by the Reliability Issues Steering Committee (RISC). The NATF is currently reviewing RISC Priorities to identify where and how it can offer support and leadership.
March 28, 2017
Joint NATF-NERC Human Performance Conference and Workshops Underway
The NATF and North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) are co-hosting a human performance conference and associated workshops this week in Atlanta, Georgia. Topics include a human performance 101 course, root-cause analysis training, advanced techniques for coaching and observing behavior, and a course on deviation analysis.
March 24, 2017
NATF Posts CIP-014-2 and MOD-033-1 Reference Documents for Industry Use
To promote excellence in transmission reliability and resiliency, North American Transmission Forum (NATF) members share ideas, experiences, and practices on a range of topics, including modeling and physical security. A subset of this work includes helping position members for successful implementation of North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Reliability Standards, as appropriate. We do this by forming teams of subject-matter experts to document insights on certain requirements and terminology in the standards. The NATF recently completed reference documents for NERC standards CIP-014-2 and MOD-033-1.
The “NATF CIP-014-2 Requirement R1 Guideline” provides information on performing initial and subsequent risk assessments of transmission stations and substations that if rendered inoperable or damaged could result in instability, uncontrolled separation, or cascading within an interconnection. The document is an update to the previous NATF document designed for CIP-014-1, which was considered ERO enterprise-endorsed implementation guidance; the only changes are references to the new version of the standard (CIP-014-2).
The “NATF MOD-033-1 Methodology Reference Document” is intended to provide guidance, examples, and approaches for performing system model validation as described in the requirements in NERC Reliability Standard MOD-033-1. The intended audience is Planning Coordinator (PC) personnel with responsibility for conducting the various studies called for under MOD-033-1.
For the benefit of the industry at large, the NATF has posted these documents to the Documents section of its public website (www.natf.net). The NATF plans to submit both documents for consideration as NERC compliance implementation guidance.
March 24, 2017
March Board and Members Meetings
The NATF held its quarterly board and members meetings in March. Members approved the NATF’s 2017-2021 Strategic Plan and ratified a new member. Discussion topics included equipment, process improvement, human performance, safety, transformers, resiliency, storm and event restoration, and asset management.
February 21, 2017
February Member Newsletter
The NATF’s February newsletter has been posted to the member site. Article topics include joint NATF-EPRI Transmission Resiliency Summit highlights, workshop schedule, resiliency “spare tire” operations, environmental conditions affecting tree health, human performance roadmap, operating experience, and surveys.
December 19, 2016
December Board and Members Meetings
The NATF recently held its December board and members meetings. Members ratified a new NATF member and discussed key industry topics, including resiliency, misoperations, distributed energy, risk, safety, line siting and construction, vegetation management, metrics, operating experience, and regulatory initiatives.
December 15, 2016
NATF Posts “NATF BES Monitoring and Control – An Overview of Backup Capabilities” Document
Given the importance of control centers that continuously monitor and control the generation and transmission power flows on the bulk electric system (BES), their infrastructures, and the tools utilized therein, a variety of methods are employed to ensure these critical capabilities remain available and operational during both normal and emergency situations. Due to the significance and complexity of these systems and their configurations, operating entities have documented plans to address loss of critical capabilities and to facilitate coordinated operations, even during extreme conditions.
The North American Transmission Forum (NATF) formed a team of subject-matter experts from NATF member organizations to document the industry’s current capabilities and potential needs if an area’s control center capabilities were lost due to a catastrophic event. The “NATF BES Monitoring and Control – An Overview of Backup Capabilities” document is the initial product of the effort. It provides an overview of the key capabilities for the reliable operation of the BES, along with a description of the various approaches used within the industry to ensure redundancy for critical capabilities so that System Operators are able to continuously monitor and control the BES in the event of the loss of primary control center capabilities. The project team is now at work on a related document regarding current and needed capabilities for non-traditional hazards.
For the benefit of regulators and the industry at large, the NATF has posted the overview document to the Documents section of its public website (www.natf.net).
November 23, 2016
November Member Newsletter Posted
The NATF’s November newsletter has been posted to the member site. Article topics include misoperations, resiliency, training, cold-weather preparation, risk and controls, metrics, operating experience, and surveys.
November 04, 2016
2016 Vegetation Management Workshop
The NATF held its annual vegetation management workshop in October. Topics included environmental compliance, public communication and outreach, software for managing contractor data, helicopter side pruning, notification practices, unmanned aerial vehicle patrols, OSHA 1910.269 Update, herbicides, and implementing GIS and LiDAR programs.
October 10, 2016
NATF Posts TPL-001-4 Reference Documents for Industry Use
NERC’s TPL-001-4 Planning Standard was created to “Establish Transmission system planning performance requirements within the planning horizon to develop a Bulk Electric System (BES) that will operate reliably over a broad spectrum of System conditions and following a wide range of probable Contingencies.” Transmission Planners involved in the development of the standard have stated that TPL-001-4 “raises the bar” on what Transmission Planners and Planning Coordinators must consider when conducting their annual transmission planning assessments.
To help position members for successful implementation, teams of subject-matter experts from NATF member organizations developed reference documents to provide insight on certain requirements and terminology in the standard.
For the benefit of Transmission Planners and Planning Coordinators who are not NATF members, as well as the industry at large, the NATF has posted versions of these documents (“NATF Transient Voltage Criteria Reference Document” and “NATF TPL 001-4 Reference Document”) to the Documents section of its public website (www.natf.net).
September 30, 2016
September Board and Annual Members Meetings
The NATF recently held its September board and annual members meetings. Members approved the NATF’s 2017 business plan and budget, elected new board members and officers, and ratified a new NATF member. Focus topics included security, peer reviews, metrics, operating experience, equipment, resiliency, control centers, and human performance.
August 30, 2016
Training Workshop
The NATF held its annual Operator Training Practices Group train-the-trainer workshop in August. Topics included implementing the new PER-005-2 standard, training techniques to engage operators, maintaining a secure training environment, gamification in training, training OJT mentors, and NERC Personnel Subcommittee activities.