Resilience Framework

Mark Lauby, Senior Vice President and Chief Reliability Officer

Energy Information Administration Energy Conference 

June 4, 2018
2 RELIABILITY | ACCOUNTABILITY

About NERC: Mission

• Develop and enforce reliability standards

• Assess current and future reliability

• Analyze system events and recommend improved practices

• Encourage active participation by all stakeholders

• Accountable as Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) to 

regulators in the United States (Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission) and Canada (National Energy Board and provincial 

governments)

To assure the effective and efficient reduction of risks 

to the reliability and security of the grid
3 RELIABILITY | ACCOUNTABILITY

• NERC work and NERC/DOE collaboration recognized in Grid study 

• NERC’s Reliability Issues Steering Committee tasked to develop 

framework for resilience

• Develop common framework, understanding, and definition of the 

key elements of bulk power system (BPS) resilience

 National Infrastructure Advisory Council’s (NIAC) resilience framework

o Robustness, Resourcefulness, Rapid Recovery, Adaptability

 Adequate Level of Reliability definition and technical report

Framework
4 RELIABILITY | ACCOUNTABILITY

• Understand how key elements of bulk power system resilience 

fit in the existing ERO framework

• Identified current NERC activities within the NIAC framework 

• Evaluate whether additional steps are needed to address key 

elements of bulk power system resilience within the ERO 

• Discussed at NERC’s February 2018 Member Representatives 

Committee meeting

• Regional Transmission Organization/Independent Service 

Operator FERC filing

• Standing Committees (i.e. Planning, Operating, Critical 

Infrastructure, Standards, etc.)

Inputs
5 RELIABILITY | ACCOUNTABILITY

• NIAC’s resilience framework with adjustments in red:

 Robustness – to absorb shocks and continue operating

 Resourcefulness – detect and manage a crisis as it unfolds

 Rapid Recovery – get services back as quickly as possible in a coordinated 

and controlled manner

 Adaptability – incorporate lessons learned from past events to improve 

resilience

Understanding and Defining Resilience
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• Robustness 

 Risk, event, and performance monitoring

 Reliability and emerging risk assessments 

 Technical committee work, including special projects

 System operator training, certification, and credential maintenance

 Reliability Standards and Reliability Guidelines

 E-ISAC information-sharing programs

• Resourcefulness 

 Situational awareness and industry coordination

 Government coordination

 Cross-sector information sharing

 Reliability Standards Functional Model and Reliability Guidelines

 System operator training, certification, and credential maintenance

Activities Supporting Framework
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• Rapid Recovery 

 Situational awareness and industry coordination

 Government coordination 

 Cross-sector information sharing

 Reliability Guidelines

 System operator training, certification, and credential maintenance

• Adaptability 

 Reliability and emerging risk assessments

 Event analysis, forensics, and lessons learned

 Reliability Guidelines 

 System operator training, certification, and credential maintenance

 Periodic reviews

Activities Supporting Framework
8 RELIABILITY | ACCOUNTABILITY

• Revisions to standards process templates and training materials

• Increased communication of NERC’s ongoing resilience and risk 

mitigation efforts

• Compliance monitoring focus on standards supporting resilience

• Recommend additional focus on:

 Operational impacts of distributed energy resources

 Fuel assurance and security to promote resilience

 Quality of emergency preparedness

Additional Activities Suggested by 

Standing Committees
9 RELIABILITY | ACCOUNTABILITY

NERC’s Definition of Reliability

• NERC’s view of reliability for the bulk power system consists of 

two fundamental and aspirational concepts: 

 Adequacy, the ability of the electric system to supply the aggregate electric 

power and energy requirements of electricity consumers at all times, taking 

into account scheduled and reasonably expected unscheduled outages of 

system components. 

 Operating reliability, the ability of the electric system to withstand sudden 

disturbances such as electric short circuits or unanticipated loss of system 

components.
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Bulk Power 

System Reliability 

and Security

Resilience is a Characteristic of a 

Reliable System

*Solely the Bulk 

Power System. Does 

not include local 

distribution systems.

NERC Reliability Assessments 

and Performance Analysis

• Reliability Assessments

• System Analysis

• Events Analysis

• Performance Analysis

• Situational Awareness

Operator Training

E-ISAC
11 RELIABILITY | ACCOUNTABILITY

Bulk Power 

System Reliability 

and Security

Bulk Power System 

Resilience*

Resilience is a Characteristic of a 

Reliable System

*Solely the Bulk 

Power System. Does 

not include local 

distribution systems.

NERC Reliability Assessments 

and Performance Analysis

• Reliability Assessments

• System Analysis

• Events Analysis

• Performance Analysis

• Situational Awareness

Operator Training

E-ISAC
12 RELIABILITY | ACCOUNTABILITY

Bulk Power 

System Reliability 

and Security

Bulk Power System 

Resilience*

Bulk Electric System 

Reliability

Resilience is a Characteristic of a 

Reliable System

*Solely the Bulk 

Power System. Does 

not include local 

distribution systems.

NERC Reliability Assurance 

• Standards

• Compliance

• Enforcement

• Registration

• Certification

NERC Reliability Assessments 

and Performance Analysis

• Reliability Assessments

• System Analysis

• Events Analysis

• Performance Analysis

• Situational Awareness

Operator Training

E-ISAC
13 RELIABILITY | ACCOUNTABILITY

Adequate Level of Reliability

R(t)

Tdisruption

Reliability

RALR-Nadir

RTarget

Trebound

R100% 

Reliable

Trecovered

Adequate Level of Reliability:

• No instability, uncontrolled separation, cascading, or voltage collapse

• Frequency is maintained within defined parameters 

• Voltage is maintained within defined parameters 

• Adverse Reliability Impacts beyond design criteria are managed

• Restoration after major system disturbances is coordinated and controlled

Low-Risk/High-Cost

Risk Tolerance

Reliable 

Operation

t
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Disruption on BPS

R(t)

Tdisruption

RALR-Nadir

Trebound

R100% 

Reliable

Trecovered

Disruptive 

Event

Reliability

RTarget

t

If Detectable, 

Pre-Position

Recovered 

SteadyState

Reliable 

Operation
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Resilience Framework

R(t)

Tdisruption

RALR-Nadir

Trebound

R100% 

Reliable

Trecovered

Disruptive 

Event

Reliability

RTarget

If Detectable, 

Pre-Position

Robustness

Disaster Prevention 

and Maintenance 

Period

Resourcefulness

Resistance Period

Coordinated & 

Controlled Recovery 

Recovery Period

Adaptability

Lessons Learned and 

Implementation Period

Reliable 

Operation

Recovered 

SteadyState

t
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Resilience Indicators

R(t)

Tdisruption

RALR-Nadir

Trebound

R100% 

Reliable

Trecovered

Disruptive 

Event

Reliability

RTarget

Degradation Recovery Recovery State

Improved

Deteriorated

Robustness

t

If Detectable, 

Pre-Position

Amplitude

Stable
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Ensuring Adequate Level of Reliability

R(t)

Tdisruption

RALR-Nadir

Trebound

R100% 

Reliable

Disruptive 

Event

Reliable 

Operation

Avoid & Control 

(e.g. serve critical load)

Reliability

RTarget

Recovered 

SteadyState

If Detectable, 

Pre-Position

Trecovered t
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• Await reply comments from industry on FERC’s resilience 

proceedings 

• Monitor FERC’s response to comments

• Discuss suggested additional activities

• Present recommendations to NERC’s Board of Trustees in August 

and discuss additional work

Next Steps
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20 RELIABILITY | ACCOUNTABILITY

• Robustness: the measured ability to withstand certain threats

• Amplitude: a measure of the impact on BPS performance

• Degradation: a measure of a change in system response with 

respect to an impact of varying amplitude

• Recovery: a measure of the rate at which the system returns 

(rebounds) to a normal or stable state after the disruptive 

event, including any preparation time

• Recovery state: the state of BPS performance following the 

recovery period. 

 Stable

 Improved

 Deteriorated

Resilience Indicators
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A Reliable System is a Resilient System

• The 2005 Federal Power Act requires NERC to develop and 

enforce Reliability Standards that:

 Support reliable operations.

 Provide for an adequate level of reliability. 

• System with an adequate level of reliability is resilient 

 Industry has designed a reliable bulk power system that is robust, 

resourcefully operated, and rapidly recovers

 Lessons learned are actively considered during and after an event