Threat assessment and response for physical security of power substations

Power grid facilities can be vulnerable with respect to malicious physical attacks. Preventive and/or remedial actions are essential to maintain the system integrity. This paper is focused on the physical security of power substations. The proposed methodology consists of an intrusion classification method, dynamic and static threat assessment methods, and decision support for the system operator's response in a contingency scenario. An important feature of the proposed method is to build the linkage between substation physical security monitoring and power system analysis. In addition, industry experience from two Transmission System Operators (TSOs) is incorporated in the development of the methodology.