National Governors Association selects four states for assistance in GridEx V energy security exercise

The National Governors Association (NGA) recently announced that it competitively selected four states, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, and Maryland, to participate in a technical assistance project to improve their experiences in the GridEx V energy security exercise and support their energy security planning efforts.

GridEx is a biennial exercise conducted by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) that simulates a cyber and physical attack on the electric grid in North America. Participants include members of the electric sector, other critical infrastructure operators, law enforcement, and state, local, and federal officials. During the exercise, participants remotely respond to simulated cyber and physical events to determine how their organizations might respond to a real-world event. The GridEx V exercise will take place between Nov. 13-14.

NGA, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response, will work with the four states to prepare for, participate in, and share lessons learned and promising practices from the exercise via phone consultations and an in-person workshop planned for January 2020.

“As a national leader in cybersecurity and a pioneer in micro-grid development, Maryland is proud to partner with the National Governors Association and other states on the GridEx emergency preparedness exercise,” Maryland Governor and NGA Chair Larry Hogan said. “Our technology-driven infrastructure is increasingly vulnerable to cyberattack with the electric grid as a prime target, but we are committed to protecting our state against threats to our infrastructure with the best ideas and latest technologies.”