Best practice in hard times: How to safeguard the hundreds and thousands of substations

Substations Security

Like it or not, hard times are in front of us, by all means. I won’t deal the hard times now, but instead, I’ll shortly say that it’s all about the energy resources and who owns them. It’s also not a secret that hard times make people do unimaginable things. This technical article deals with protecting power substations from unimaginable things.

However, no matter how hard times are coming, substations must always be properly secured and ready to prevent intruders. Especially in cities.

Almost every neighborhood and city has an electric substation. All small towns have them, either just next to or inside the town itself. They are found in more rural, out-of-the-way places. Nearly every large business and factory in the nation has one of these. From small substations spanning a few acres to massive substations spanning hundreds of acres, their sizes vary greatly – at AC voltages up to 1000 kV (UHV) and DC voltages within 1100 kV (HVDC).

Also, we can’t live without them. Substations are the backbone of our electrical distribution system and must be safeguarded against any and all dangers, both physical and digital, because they are integral to the system’s dependable operation.

However, safeguarding the nation’s thousands of substations is a significant challenge. Who poses a danger? What must be safeguarded? How can you keep it safe? What is the price? Is someone accountable?

Any danger could have natural or man-made origins. In order to safeguard the electric system, it is imperative that an operator or owner employ a methodical and all-encompassing strategy while creating and designing a physical substation security system.

With hopes that this technical article will help clear up some of the confusion around substation physical security and provide some answers to some of the most frequently asked issues. Its purpose is to serve as a starting point for creating and implementing a physical security program, rather than to address every possible concern or offer final conclusions.

Discussion about cyber network security and preventing infiltration into a substation using electronic methods (hacking) is not covered in this article. However, you can find fresh information on these topics here.

Ok, let’s dive into the details!

Table of Contents:

1. Power Grid Present Day:
   1. Grid Size Matters
   2. Key Essential Service: It Must Never Fail
   3. The Structure of Electric Utility System
   4. Substations Need Security
2. Thorough Evaluation of Potential Threats:
   1. Presence, Capability, and Intent
   2. Who are Substation Intruders?
      1. General Public (Potential)
      2. Thieves and Burglars
      3. Vandals
      4. Displeased or Dissatisfied Workers
      5. Radical Rebels
3. Substation Protection Implementation:
   1. Physical Methods:
      1. High Fences and Walls
      2. Gates and Locks
      3. Landscaping
      4. Barriers
      5. Grounding and Ground Mats
      6. Substation Lighting
      7. Design of Control Building
      8. Security Patrols
      9. Warning Signs
      10. Clear Areas and Safety Zones
      11. Site Maintenance
      12. Intrusion Detection Systems
      13. Video Motion Detection Systems
      14. Redundancy in Substation Service Supply
      15. Substation Personnel Access
      16. Substation Drawings and Sensitive Information
      17. SCADA/Communication Equipment
      18. Relay and Control Equipment
4. BONUS (PDF) 🔗 Download Study “Upgrading Existing Power Supply for 33/11/6.6 kV Substations”

1. Power Grid Present Day

To fully comprehend the significance of physical security, it is imperative to grasp the scale and significance of the electrical system in our present-day lifestyle.

1.1 Grid Size Matters

The current electric grid is experiencing substantial growth. In the year 2022, the total amount of energy produced around the globe was close to 29,000 TWh. It was noted that the global demand for energy increased by 2.2% in 2023, which was lower than the growth of 2.4% that was seen in 2022.

While China, India, and a number of nations in Southeast Asia enjoyed rapid increase in power demand in 2023, advanced economies posted substantial declines due to a weak macroeconomic environment and high inflation, which hampered manufacturing and industrial output. China, India, and numerous other countries in Southeast Asia witnessed this growth.

Given the significant anticipated growth rates, utilities will need to augment their investment in the electric system in the upcoming years to accommodate customer demand. This will involve the establishment of new substation facilities.

Table 1 – World electricity consumption in 2022 (first 20 countries)

Rank Data 2022	Country	Final consumption (TWh)	Population (millions)	Per capita consumption (MWh)
1	China	7,214	1,443	5
2	US	4,272	336	12.71
3	India	1,403	1,401	1
4	Japan	1,132	126	8.98
5	Russia	934	146	6.4
6	Canada	595	38.1	15.62
7	South Korea	553	51.2	10.8
8	Brazil	550	215	2.56
9	Germany	539	82.2	6.55
10	France	463	67.7	6.84
11	Saudi Arabia	317	36	8.81
12	UK	312	68.4	4.56
13	Indonesia	308	276	1.17
14	Italy	300	60	5
15	Mexico	296	127	2.33
16	Iran	280	83.3	3.36
17	Turkey	264	84	3.14
18	Taiwan	257	23.8	10.8
19	Spain	246	46.8	5.26
20	South Africa	233	60	3.88
—	WORLD	24,398	7,960	3.07

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1.2 Key Essential Service: It Must Never Fail

The size and rate of growth of the system are strongly correlated with its demand in modern society. Electricity is essential for every aspect of our lives and our economy. It is a crucial and indispensable service. Being a crucial necessary function, our electric system is burdened with an intimidating demand: it must never experience any failures.

Availability is a metric that indicates the growing demand for system reliability. In the last ten years, the annual allowable downtime for the system has decreased from hours to mere fractions of a minute.

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1.3 The Structure of Electric Utility System

The electric utility system has undergone significant structural changes over the past 80 years. The electric system has transitioned from the vertically structured system of public and privately owned utilities that existed after World War II. During that period, these companies possessed their own generation, transmission, and distribution networks.

It consists of owner/operators that include both public and private bodies, independent power producers, and industrial businesses. In order to provide equitable access to the electrical grid, independent system operators have been established to coordinate and oversee the distribution of power throughout the system.

Figure 1 – Single-line diagram of 220/400 kV/33kV power grid (click to zoom)

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1.4 Substations Need Security

Many feel that the size of the system, the rate of growth, the lack of investment in recent years, the demand on dependability, and the changes in corporate structure make the system more prone to failure than in the past. These weaknesses together with the function of the electric system as the fundamental necessary service mean our way of life cannot withstand the loss of the system due to natural disasters, human-made disasters, or radical rebel acts.

Protection of these facilities is therefore more crucial than ever.

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2. Thorough Evaluation of Potential Threats

The initial stage of a comprehensive security plan involves doing a thorough evaluation of potential threats. The threat assessment detects external factors that have the potential to cause damage to a substation or its individual equipment components. A threat refers to any occurrence, situation, or series of actions that result in the theft, harm, or destruction of valuable goods.

A danger can manifest as a singular act, such as firing a gunshot at the equipment within a substation, or as a sequence of actions, such as an intruder breaching a fence to gain access to a substation, traversing the premises, forcibly entering the control building, and then manipulating circuit breakers.

The motives of the individual or collective responsible for posing a danger to the system may vary. A gunshot might either be an expression of frustration during hunting season or a premeditated endeavor to impair or annihilate the substation or its equipment.

Irrespective of intention, the owner/operator must select the suitable physical security measures to safeguard the substation from a wide range of potential threats. In order to conduct a threat assessment, the owner/operator must possess the ability to recognize potential risks and weaknesses.

However, the process of selecting individuals or organizations with the capacity to cause harm is not arbitrary and is not based on mere speculation. A meticulous examination of the possible trespassers currently operating in the vicinity and the specific actions they are likely to undertake is necessary.

The substation of the Bonneville Power Administration in Oregon City, depicted in Figure 2, on 5th of January, 2023. As of late, substations have been targeted by assailants utilizing weapons, hand tools, fire, and chains.

Figure 2 – Warning sign in the power substation

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2.1 Analyzing Presence, Capability, and Intent

Any individual or group to be watched should meet each of these three criteria. They should have:

1. Presence: Although nationally or internationally active, has the group or individual exhibited local activity?
2. Capability: Does the group or individual have the ability to attack the substation?
3. Intent: Does the group or individual have the interest and desire, that is, the intent, to attack or harm the substation in any way?

Stay vigilant about the actions of the groups that have been specifically identified as operating in your vicinity. Search and be watchful for indications of activity and implement further measures, if necessary. This encompasses potential risks to the electric industry, its clientele, or certain interest groups that have been subjected to threats.

An all-encompassing threat assessment necessitates an examination of past data, encompassing both the encountered risks and the potential threats. Both physical techniques must be taken into consideration. However, it is crucial to assess the presence, capability, and intent of potential threats in order to select physical security measures that prioritize the likelihood of a threat to your substations, rather than relying on speculative possibilities related to national or international events.

Good Reading – The life of a power substation project: Design, construction, erection and commissioning

The life of a power substation project: Design, construction, erection and commissioning

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2.2 Who are Substation Intruders?

In the context of this technical article, all possible risks to a substation are related to unauthorized entry. They are instigated by external sources or factors. To clarify, intrusion refers to the act of gaining illegal access to a substation property. Although no one entered the yard, the gunshot in the above incident is nevertheless considered an intrusion. The second example can be more readily comprehended as an incursion due to the explicit involvement of a someone physically accessing the substation.

Nevertheless, in all scenarios, the actions are considered equivalent according to the concept of incursion. Intrusion can occur either unintentionally, intentionally but without a defined target (vandalism), or intentionally with a planned objective (malicious destruction or a radical rebel act).

There are different classifications for intruders:

1. General public
2. Thieves
3. Vandals
4. Disgruntled employees
5. Radical rebels

Let’s get into detail for each intruder classifications.