NERC-CIP: Experiences Beyond North America – Latin America    

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) standards are a set of requirements designed to secure the assets required for operating North America's bulk electric system, providing the necessary parameters for our industry to remain secure.  While NERC- CIP primarily applies to entities in North America, its principles and practices are increasingly relevant to Latin America as the region seeks to bolster its cybersecurity posture in the electricity sub-sector with countries like Colombia, Peru and Chile advancing in this area. The Chilean government, under the leadership of the Coordinador Eléctrico Nacional (CEN, Chile’s national electric system operator) has been moving forward in recent years with the adoption of NERC-CIP Standards across the country’s territory, with the intent of prioritizing cybersecurity in its electricity sub-sector. In the past few years, the Colombian and Peruvian system operators (XM and COES respectively) have made advancement in their cybersecurity operations as well by incorporating the NERC-CIP standards as best practices in their operations.  

NERC-CIP standards help to set a foundation for the reliability and security of the electric grid. They cover a wide range of areas, including: 

Cybersecurity: protecting networks, connected assets, and digital data from unauthorized or criminal access 

Physical security: safeguarding physical infrastructure from unauthorized access and physical threats 

Incident response: establishing protocols for responding to security incidents. 

Recovery plans: protocol plans to mitigate and quickly recover from disruptions. 

Latin America is experiencing rapid growth in its energy sector, with increasing investments in renewable energy, smart grid technologies, digitalization, data centers, among others. As these systems become more interconnected, the risk of cyber threats grows. Adopting established standards like NERC-CIP can help Latin American countries enhance their cybersecurity frameworks and protect their critical infrastructure.  

Our team at EPE has expertise in NERC- CIP matters across North America and can help you navigate this topic as a trusted partner.  

Contact us below to explore opportunities for collaboration to address your power system reliability and security needs.