Responding to a North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Level 2 alert, the majority of grid operators are working on a written pandemic response plan to deal with COVID-19 or already have one in place, a NERC report shows.

Acknowledging these unique times for the nation, and its bulk power system operators, grid operators seem to be moving fast to adapt and course correct, and review the supply chains to develop ways of responding to potential equipment shortages.

At this point, the majority of registered entities have reviewed pandemic staffing requirements, identified risks -- such as staffing shortages, material shortages, and the ability to complete major projects and maintenance -- and indicated they would support mutual aid requests.

"The good news during this public health emergency is the fact that industry is prepared and has done its due diligence toward contingency planning in order to keep the lights on," NERC President and CEO Jim Robb said. "Industry has come together to protect the health and well-being of their workforce while still being focused on providing customers with the electricity they rely on. Importantly, the majority responded that they will be able to support mutual aid, a key consideration as we move into the spring and summer storm season."

Utilities did identify that there could be some constraints over the summer resulting from the staffing and material shortages.

Still, with proper planning, these effects may be mitigated.

NERC continues to conduct weekly situational awareness calls with North American reliability coordinators and is working on a more comprehensive analysis of potential reliability risks and the unusual operating conditions caused by the ongoing pandemic.

That assessment should be released in April and will include lessons learned from system operators around the world.

Source: NERC