Should have done this 5 years ago. Bruce
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=reutersEdge&storyID=2005 -08-11T184858Z_01_N11355191_RTRIDST_0_PICKS-BIZUTILITIES-GRID-SECURITY-DC.XM L US utilities ready spare parts in event of attacks Thu Aug 11, 2005 2:48 PM ET By Leonard Anderson SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - U.S. electric utilities are working to build a computer database of spare equipment such as transformers and switches to replace critical parts that could be knocked out of service in an attack on the nation's power grid, industry officials say. The goal is to identify in advance available spare gear, domestic and overseas manufacturers of electrical equipment, and transportation options to quickly find and deliver needed replacement parts in the event of a crippling attack somewhere in the United States. A power industry security official likens the effort to the U.S. Department of Energy's strategic petroleum reserve, the nation's emergency oil stockpile stored in underground salt caverns along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. "The electric industry does not keep a pool of spare parts like the government has with the oil reserve," said Michael Lynch, manager of corporate security and investigations at DTE Energy Co. (DTE.N: Quote, Profile, Research), owner of two big utilities in Michigan. The Edison Electric Institute, a utility trade group, is overseeing the program to build a computer database of equipment, with more than 50 utilities involved so far, EEI spokesman Jim Owen said. The North American Electric Reliability Council, whose job is to ensure the reliability and security of the electric system in the U.S. and Canada, also is involved with a "critical spares task force." "There is a lot of sensitivity around this," NERC spokeswoman Joanne Callahan said. DTE Energy's Lynch said the utility industry must join with the federal Department of Homeland Security. "There has to be a joint venture. Our industry cannot be expected to finance a huge effort like this on its own. So perhaps the government has parts strategically placed that we can call on," he said. HELPING IN DISASTERS Gas and electric utilities have a long history of mutual aid agreements to help each other when natural disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes strike, causing heavy damage to power systems. Utility repair crews often will travel thousands of miles to erect new power poles and string new electric lines in storm-ravaged areas to get the lights back on or repair broken gas lines for a sister utility's customers. Finding and replacing a big piece of equipment like a damaged power plant transformer, however, can take months. A power plant in Iowa operated by a unit of Midwest utility Alliant Energy Corp. (LNT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) shut last Feb. 24 when a transformer broke down and the plant did not get back on the grid until early May after the utility located and shipped a replacement from Texas. The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, dramatically altered security planning for electric utilities, said Lynch. "Traditional utility security often was mainly a defense against vandalism and theft, like the theft of copper wire from substations. The new threat paradigm is the threat of terrorism and we have to be very conscious of that," he said. Since 9/11, DTE Energy has developed a "rapid response plan" that depends on constant two-way communication with local and Michigan state police, the FBI, U.S. Attorney, and other officials about potential threats and other problems. The top officers of DTE Energy wanted a robust security system that matched the risks, not "rent-a-cops," Lynch said. An alarm or "unexplained failure" at a substation can trigger a rapid response by armed law enforcement officials at other DTE Energy facilities, "another level of protection" for the company's power system and customers, he said. "We can't do it by ourselves." C Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> <font face=arial size=-1><a href="http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12h61g4qn/M=362329.6886306.7839369.3040540/D=groups/S=1705323667:TM/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1124111706/A=2894321/R=0/SIG=11dvsfulr/*http://youthnoise.com/page.php?page_id=1992 ">Fair play? Video games influencing politics. Click and talk back!</a>.</font> --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? 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