Apr 30, 2025|News

NERC-CIP: Experiences Beyond North America – Latin America

By Hugo Perez

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.

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About the Author

Hugo Perez

Hugo F. Perez is a seasoned reliability professional with over 20 years of experience in regulatory matters, Bulk Electric System maintenance, planning, and operations. With deep expertise in the North American electric regulatory compliance landscape, Hugo has worked extensively with U.S., Canadian, and Mexican regulatory entities and registered organizations, playing a pivotal role in shaping and implementing policies that ensure power system reliability and security across North America.

Hugo provides leadership in developing and implementing program solutions, policies, and processes that support the safe and reliable operation of power systems. He has served as a key liaison between U.S. and non-U.S. stakeholders, including Canadian provincial and Mexican federal governments, as well as international energy organizations. Hugo has represented key energy initiatives at global energy forums, including IEEE PES meetings in Latin America and various CIGRE events worldwide.

Throughout his career, Hugo has demonstrated leadership at all levels, managing cross-functional teams and collaborating with international energy stakeholders to advance reliability standards and regulatory processes. His background includes a strong technical foundation in power system operations and planning, as well as extensive experience in compliance investigations and evaluations.

Hugo has worked closely with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and other agencies to ensure compliance with reliability standards and address compliance issues across the electric reliability organization (ERO) enterprise. His ability to integrate technical expertise with strategic oversight has allowed him to drive successful projects that enhance the overall reliability of North America’s power grid.

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