US renews focus on cybersecurity
n Storage roadmap released n EnBW heads to the West Coast
The US state of New York has made
further steps in its ambitious renewable
energy goals with the release of
a detailed energy storage roadmap and
approval of its offshore wind energy
plans.
NY Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
last month said that the comprehensive
energy storage roadmap would jumpstart
development of energy storage
projects in the state and help it to reach
its target of 1500 MW of installed capacity
by 2025.
He also announced that the New York
State Public Service Commission
(PSC) had accepted an environmental
review of policy options for the state’s
offshore wind programme.
Both technologies are a key part of
New York’s ‘Reforming the Energy
Vision’, which aims to stimulate investment
in clean energy technologies
so that renewables meet 50 per cent of
New York state’s electricity demand
by 2030.
The storage roadmap provides a set
of specific recommended actions to
accelerate the deployment of energy
storage projects in New York state and
position the state as a leading national
market for advanced energy storage
projects.
Peru’s government will implement a
series of reforms in the energy sector
to boost investment, it has said.
The country’s Ministry of Energy and
Mines says that renewables penetration,
electrification and investment in
the hydrocarbons sector are top priorities
for the government, which is
keen to stoke economic growth through
infrastructure investment.
According to the Energy and Mines
Minister, Francisco Ismodes, the reforms
would help renewable energy to
compete in the national market. Investments
of almost $600 million in grid
expansion projects are also planned to
bring electricity to around 420 000
customers not connected to the grid.
The rural electrification plan will also
involve the construction of solar photovoltaic
(PV) capacity in remote rural
areas, Ismodes said. There are also
plans for policies that would boost PV
uptake and attract $12 billion in hydrocarbons
investment by 2022.
In June, Italian energy firm Enel said
it had commissioned its 132 MW
Wayra 1 wind farm.
The project’s completion follows the
completion of Enel’s 180 MW Rubi
solar PV plant in Peru in March 2018,
and brings Enel’s renewable generating
capacity in Peru to 1.1 GW.
Both facilities are the largest of their
type in Peru.
Antonio Cammisecra, head of Enel
Green Power (EGP), said that the
company “has now completed and
connected to the grid around 94 per
cent of the capacity awarded in Peru’s
fourth public renewables tender”.
The 42-turbine Wayra I wind farm,
located in Marcona, in the Ica Region,
has a 20-year energy supply contract
with the Ministry of Energy and Mines.
It was built in about one year.
In addition to the Rubi solar plant
and Wayra I wind farm, Enel operates
seven hydro plants totalling about 790
MW in Peru. Its overall installed capacity
in the country is 2.3 GW.
Enel has gained control of a major
Brazilian power distributor after raising
its offer to beat that of rival bidder
Neoenergia.
The Italian firm agreed to pay around
$2 billion (BRL45.22 per share) for a
100 per cent stake in Eletropaulo Metropolitana
Eletricidade de São Paulo
SA, enabling it to emerge as the winner
in the final round of bidding for
the firm.
Acquisition of Eletropaulo will give
Enel an additional 7 million customers
in Brazil, adding to its existing 10
million and making it Brazil’s largest
electricity distributor.
Enel has pledged to inject BRL1.5
billion ($388 million) of capital into
Eletropaulo. The company’s final
price for the Brazilian company represents
a 164 per cent premium over
the value of its shares in March, when
the Italian company first expressed
interest.
4
THE ENERGY INDUSTRY TIMES - JULY 2018
Americas News
Experts say that solutions are available to improve cyber security in the US electricity sector, but more needs to be
done to improve sector skills and collaboration.
NY steps up on wind, batteries
Peru plans energy reforms
Enel wins in Brazil race
Siân Crampsie
The US government has launched a
new initiative to improve cyber security
in the energy sector following the
release of a White House report last
month.
The report, written by the US Departments
of Homeland Security (DHS)
and Energy (DOE), reviews the state
of preparedness by the country’s electricity
sector and its ability to manage
cyber security attacks, and raises a
number of concerns.
These concerns include gaps in the
assets and capabilities of the electricity
sector, as well as the impact that a
severe attack would have on the economy
and on security. It cites a cyber
attack on Ukraine’s electricity system
in 2016 as an example of the risks
faced.
The report from the White House has
prompted a new effort by the DOE and
DHS to boost the preparedness of the
industry and reduce the risks to the
wider economy. The DOE has created
a new Office of Cybersecurity, Energy
Security, and Emergency Response
(CESER), and has also drawn up a
multi-year plan for energy sector cyber
security.
The report highlights the high-risk
nature of the electricity sector. Although
its notes that the US grid is
inherently reliable, there are “capability
gaps” in key areas such as supply
chain and trusted partners, cyber security
workforce and expertise, cyber
security integration into planning, and
cyber situational awareness.
“Over the last year, we have seen a
significant rise in the number of cyber
attacks in the energy space, with cyber
threats like Triton, Industroyer and
WannaCry, so it’s not surprising to see
the energy sector as a high-risk target
for malicious actors,” says Edgard
Capdevielle, CEO, Nozomi Networks.
“However, due to the critical role that
the energy sectors play in the functioning
of today’s economy and the rise of
digitalisation of those sectors leaving
them exposed is not an option.”
One of the most pressing areas of
concern is the digitalisation of industrial
control systems (ICS), a move
that allows plant operators to improve
asset management, but may increase
vulnerability to cyber attacks. This is
compounded by a lack of cyber security
skills in the sector and a reluctance
to share information on attacks and
strategies.
Recommendations made by the report
include collaboration between
DOE and DHS to support research into
and development of system architectures
and components that will “help
minimise cyber attack surfaces, prioritise
key elements of electricity generation
and delivery to isolate from
internal and public networks, and enable
system recovery”.
DOE also wants to develop a national
laboratory testing programme to
consider grid components, assess cyber
security supply chain posture and
examine cyber malware impacts in a
simulated environment.
Under its multi-year plan on cyber
security, the DOE has pledged to engage
with critical infrastructure owners
and operators and improve
public-private sector partnerships.
This will enhance cyber security preparedness
as well as incident response
and recovery, DOE said. Meanwhile,
the new CESER will take on the existing
reliability and cyber programmes
of the DOE, including the Cybersecurity
for Energy Delivery Systems
(CEDS) programme and the Infrastructure
Security and Energy Restoration
(ISER) programme.
According to cyber experts, solutions
are available now that can help organisations
reduce the risk of attacks.
“As attackers continue to employ innovative
tactics and create even more
sophisticated cyber attacks, defenders
must be equally resourceful,” says Edgard
Capdevielle, CEO, Nozomi Networks.
“Solutions are available now
that can help IT and OT teams work
effectively to see and secure their industrial
networks.
“The key to mitigation is achieving
real-time visibility and rich integrations
with existing cyber security infrastructure.
Critical infrastructure
threats are real and for organisations to
successfully mitigate the risks they
need to speed up the collaboration between
IT and OT.”
Global
Latin America ‘18
3-4 October, Santiago, Chile
Supported by
Chile’s Ministry
of Energy
events@vostockcapital.com
Latinamericahydrocongress.com
International Congress
and Exhibition
Organised by:
2 days
of networking
Participation in congress:
550+
participants
Dariya Kvasnitsyna
Project director
+44 207 394 30 90 (London)
DKvasnitsyna@vostockcapital.com
200+
investment projects
The recommended actions include
$350 million to speed up development
in the state, regulatory changes
to utility rates to reflect benefits of
energy storage and adding incentives
to the New York State Energy Research
and Development’s NY-Sun
programme for solar plus storage
projects.
The NY Green Bank will look to
invest at least $200 million in storage
projects, Cuomo said.
“This roadmap is the next step to not
only grow our clean energy economy
and create jobs, but to improve the
resiliency of the grid to keep our power
running in the face of extreme
weather and other emergency situations,”
Cuomo said.
Earlier in June Cuomo announced
that New York’s PSC had found a number
of positive outcomes associated
with the development of offshore
wind, including public health benefits,
climate change benefits, and economic
development benefits. The environmental
review also raised potential
impacts, such as the need to consider
sensitive biological resources, and
mitigation measures to lessen these
impacts.
New York has set a goal of procuring
at least 800 MW of offshore wind
power through competitive solicitations
in 2018 and 2019, and 2.4 GW
by 2030.
New York is one of several states in
the US that are actively developing
an offshore wind industry.
Last month German group EnBW
announced the creation of a joint venture
with Trident Winds Inc. to develop
an offshore wind project off the
coast of central California.
The move is EnBW’s first step into
the North American offshore wind
market. The new joint venture is aiming
to develop a floating offshore wind
farm with a capacity of 650-1000 MW
at Morro Bay.
The initial focus of the joint venture
will be to obtain the site lease from the
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
and to secure the grid connection,
which became available following the
shutdown of an existing conventional
power plant at Morro Bay.
/Latinamericahydrocongress.com
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