Electricity Infrastructure Reliability and Vulnerabilities

The U.S. electric power system has historically operated at such a high level of reliability that any major outage, either caused by sabotage, weather, or operational errors, makes new headlines. The transmission system is extensive, consisting mainly of transformers, switches, transmission towers and lines, control centers, and computer controls. A spectrum of threats exists to the electric system ranging from weather-related to terrorist attacks. The main risk from weather-related damage or terrorist attack against the electric power industry is a widespread power outage that lasts for an extended period of time. This book explores the infrastructure reliability and vulnerabilities in the electric system; who should be responsible for implementing appropriate actions; who should pay; and should reliability guidelines or standards be implemented by the federal government or industry groups.