Solar-generated attacks on the unprotected U.S. electric grid cost $10 billion a year, and they are escalating, making the system vulnerable to a catastrophic failure that could cut off electricity for months, federal officials and energy experts warned Wednesday.
In what was the most blunt assessment of security for the grid that feeds and fuels virtually every element of life in the country, the officials said the system is an easy target for solar, nuclear, and even small arms attacks from terrorists.
“We are still incredibly vulnerable,” Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Operations Committee Chairman Ron Johnson said after hosting a two-hour roundtable to address poor grid security.
The potential for a grid meltdown from a nuclear-sparked electromagnetic pulse attack or a solar-triggered geomagnetic disturbance, or GMD, has become a hot topic in Washington, and the Defense Department is already working to protect its own systems.
Johnson compared it to the debate on global warming and said that he wants the same attention on protecting the electric grid. He said that efforts to curb climate change are “just in case” scenarios, and “I think we ought to do something just in case here.”
Recent reports have indicated that Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea have developed nuclear EMP weapons that would target the grid.
The government experts said that there is no imminent threat, but others said the grid is already being attacked by the sun. And it’s costly.
“Smaller but more frequent GMDs are estimated to cause an average of $10 billion in damage each year,” said Justin Kasper, associate professor of space, science, and engineering and the University of Michigan.
Still, Energy and Homeland Security officials told Johnson’s roundtable, the threat from EMP must be addressed. “The consequences of a successful nuclear EMP attack using a nuclear weapon detonated at high altitude are potentially severe, and may include long-term damage to significant portions of the nation’s electric grid and communications infrastructure,” said Brian Harrell, the assistant homeland director for infrastructure security.
Some energy companies are already working to protect their system. In the Washington area, for example, Virginia’s Dominion Energy said it was implementing protections, noting that it has responsibility for feeding the government and major Internet facilities in the area.
Johnson is hoping for even more urgent attention on the issue, saying that it is “not if, but when” that a catastrophe will occur.
“Let’s at least start doing the low-hanging fruit,” he said. “I’d like to solve this problem now,” he added, offering to push for federal spending that could be recovered with fees.
