IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - July/August 2018 - 103

with the increased threat of terrorism, nerC has a set
of cyber and physical security standards that include a wide
array of requirements (more than 30) aimed at ensuring that
entities implement security processes and controls and train
their personnel (including system operators) to follow those
processes. These security standards are ever-evolving: some
have been through six revisions as the industry tries to keep
pace with changes in cybersecurity.
Patrick everly has been chair of wgoT for more than
15 years and holds a workshop for system operator trainers
every year. everly is in a unique position to reflect on changes
he has seen in system restoration training and drills because,
in addition to serving as the chair of wgoT, he heads a
company, oesna, that provides system-specific restoration
training and drills for system operators.
During the 2016 wgoT workshop for system operator
trainers, he collected data from the participants on the current status of system restoration training throughout north
america. The participants represented the following nerC
functional entities:
✔ rC
✔ ToP
✔ Ba
✔ transmission owner
✔ distribution provider
✔ goP
✔ generator owner.
The results of the 2016 survey show that system restoration training and the plans supporting that training have
improved significantly over the past 25 years (see figure 2).
in 2016, all responding entities indicated they had a restoration plan based on technical analyses. for entities serving as
an rC or ToP, all restoration plans included actions of system operators in other companies, supported by a formal restoration training program. all entities had a system-specific
simulator and used the simulator both to test their restoration
plans and to train system operators. all represented system
operators participated in restoration training every year, and
drills were an important part of this training. nerC requires
all entities operating as a ToP or rC to "verify through analysis of actual events, steady-state and dynamic simulations,
or testing that its restoration plan accomplishes its intended
function." not surprisingly, all respondents used drill results
to modify their restoration plans. Most drills take about
8 h; however, some entities have conducted drills that last
for several days.

present real staffing challenges. Most entities are hardpressed to staff their control rooms fully while also staffing for an 8-h drill.
Drills have become an intricate part of a restoration training program. The scope and complexity associated with system restoration drills and the objectives of those drills involve
huge variations: some drills involve entities from throughout
north america, while others involve only a region, subregion,
or single entity. some focus on a series of events with multiple
objectives; others involve only a single objective.
The most comprehensive drills are the grid security exercise (gridex) drills that nerC has been sponsoring every
other year since 2011 (see figure 4). The drill conducted in
2015 involved over 4,000 people from more than 300 entities
throughout north america and included the following:
✔ specific objectives
✔ a dedicated coordinator with the support of numerous
technical volunteers from throughout north america
having sufficient time and resources to develop detailed plans
✔ involvement not only of numerous departments within
utilities but also of numerous government entities representing different local, state, and federal agencies
✔ realistic, complex scenarios to test response to widespread, coordinated physical and cyberthreats
✔ tools for system operators that closely represent those
used in real time

Implementation of Restoration Drills
entities have implemented most of the recommendations
made in the 1996 ieee paper on system restoration drills.
The only recommendation they have been unlikely to implement is the one suggesting that accelerating time be
avoided. This recommendation would be particularly challenging to implement because an actual widespread restoration may take several days to achieve, and this would
july/august 2018

figure 4. The 2016 GridEx III Report.
ieee power & energy magazine

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - July/August 2018