Infrastructure Resilience Briefing — November 20, 2024

Executive briefing: NERC’s 2024–2025 Winter Reliability Assessment and FERC’s companion Winter Energy Market and Reliability Assessment (both released November 20, 2024) warn of elevated risk in MISO, SPP, ISO-NE, and Alberta due to gas deliverability constraints and extreme-weather uncertainty. Regulators mandate cold-weather readiness, fuel management, and coordination drills for generators and data-center operators relying on the bulk power system.

Key industry signals

Resource adequacy gaps. NERC identifies 5–8 GW reserve shortfalls during extreme cold snaps in MISO and SPP without load-shedding contingencies.
Gas supply strain. FERC flags pipeline maintenance and LNG exports as winter risk factors, urging firm transport contracts for critical load.
Operational mandates. NERC’s EOP-011-2 and cold-weather reliability standards become enforceable December 1, 2024, requiring documented winterization plans and performance testing.

Control alignment

NERC CIP/EOP. Update winterization procedures, generator fuel inventories, and black-start coordination to match the latest assessment findings.
Business continuity. Align ISO/IEC 22301 and ISO/IEC 27001 continuity clauses with NERC directives to evidence resilience posture during customer audits.

Detection and response priorities

Run joint exercises with utilities simulating fuel curtailment and system restoration; incorporate FERC-identified stress scenarios.
Monitor pipeline operator bulletins and natural gas balancing alerts daily during the winter peak season.

Enablement moves

Secure firm gas contracts or on-site storage for critical facilities located in highlighted risk zones.
Document compliance evidence for NERC’s cold-weather standards—testing records, staffing rosters, and communication protocols—for audit readiness.

Sources

Zeph Tech equips infrastructure leaders with regulator-sourced evidence to harden facilities before winter load peaks.