Protecting the U.S. Power Grid From Cyber Attacks

Guest

Marcus Sachs

Senior Vice President and Chief Security Officer, North American Electric Reliability Corporation

From a cyber attack this summer against at least a dozen power companies including the Wolf Creek Nuclear plant in Kansas, to continued assaults on Ukraine’s power grid by hackers, the need for increased cybersecurity measures to protect the grid and related components, like power generation, transition and distribution, has never been more real. Just this month the Trump Administration announced it is giving awards worth as as much as US$50 million to national laboratories for energy infrastructure resilience and cybersecurity projects.

To learn what these growing threats mean to the security of U.S. energy infrastructure, how well prepared private and public entities are for such attacks, and the role of public policy to prevent them, host Bill Loveless speaks with Marcus Sachs, Senior Vice President and Chief Security Officer for the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, a not for profit regulatory authority responsible for assuring the reliability and security of the power system in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Marc was a White House appointee in the George W. Bush administration, Vice President for National Security at Verizon, and he is a retired U.S. Army Officer and author of several books on information security.

Our Work

Relevant
Publications

Nuclear Energy

Lessons from the Nuclear Waste Negotiator Era of the 1990s for Today’s Consent-Based Siting Efforts

Nuclear power is being weighed in energy transition plans around the world, as countries seek to replace fossil fuels with low-carbon alternatives while also meeting growing energy demand and maintaining reliability and affordability.

Reports by Matt Bowen • September 11, 2024

Lessons from the Nuclear Waste Negotiator Era of the 1990s for Today’s Consent-Based Siting Efforts

Energy Justice

Utility Policies and Practices to Alleviate US Energy Insecurity

Millions of US households struggle to meet their energy needs due to low wages, rising living costs, and other historical and structural drivers of poverty.

Commentary by Qëndresa Krasniqi, Vivek Shastry, Alexandra Peek + 1 more • July 01, 2024

Utility Policies and Practices to Alleviate US Energy Insecurity

Geopolitics

The Future of the Power of Siberia 2 Pipeline

As Russian President Vladimir Putin prepares to visit China, the proposed Power of Siberia 2 natural gas pipeline is likely high on his agenda.

Commentary by Erica Downs, Akos Losz & Tatiana Mitrova • May 15, 2024

The Future of the Power of Siberia 2 Pipeline

Energy Security

Europe’s energy security: From Russian dependence to renewable reliance

This paper examines the impact of EU energy policies, namely the National Energy and Climate Plans (NECP19) and REPowerEU (2022), on the European natural gas security of supply.

External Publications by Kong Chyong • Science Direct | Energy Policy • November 08, 2023

See All Work

Morningside Campus Access and Status Updates

By Topics

By Regions

By Type

Initiatives

Programs

Partnerships

About

MIssion

People