The New York legislature on June 2 passed a bill aimed to stop cryptocurrency mining operations that use fossil fuels to power their facilities. The bill would amend the existing Environment Conservation Law to ban operations that use “proof-of-work authentication” methods to validate blockchain transactions. Proof-of-work authentication methods refer to consensus algorithm in a block-chain…...
The swift advancement of sophisticated cyber threats alongside the increase in advanced energy system control technologies has called for stronger measures to secure critical infrastructure and energy sector resilience.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Energy Department on March 24 outlined numerous intrusion campaigns conducted by indicted Russian state-sponsored cyber actors against energy sector organizations in the U.S. and abroad between 2011 and 2018. The agencies recommended actions for executives and leaders to take, urging the U.S. and international…...
Russia’s attack on Ukraine has roiled global markets, causing oil prices to soar at a time when the world is recovering from the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. The conflict, entangled with the global energy crisis, has been met with heavy economic sanctions from the U.S. and most European countries. Companies across the oil and gas value chain have also announced plans to abandon investments in Russia.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Feb.26 published a co-operative cybersecurity advisory providing a summary of damaging malware that has been used to target Ukrainian organizations, along with direction on how organizations can detect and ensure privacy, protection, and safety of their networks. Organizations, following the…...
The Federal Energy Regulation Commission (FERC) on Jan. 20 proposed to reinforce its Critical Infrastructure Protection reliability standards by demanding internal network security monitoring, or INSM, for high- and medium-impact bulk electric system cyber systems. Inclusion of INSM requirements in the reliability standards would complement current perimeter requirements for high- and medium-impact systems by enhancing…...
The Virginia State Corporations Commission on Jan. 7 approved the second phase of the Grid Transformation Plan proposed by Dominion Energy Inc. for the years 2022 and 2023. The approved phase II is focused on a set of projects aimed at accommodating the growing participation of distributed energy resources promoted by recent policy developments. Virginia’s Clean…...
U.S. President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law on Nov.15, unlocking $62 billion for U.S. Energy Department initiatives, including revitalizing domestic manufacturing, expanding access to energy efficiency and clean energy, modernizing the power grid, and advancing next-generation technologies. Among the major provisions, the legislation allocates $6 billion for a Civilian…...
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission on Aug 4 approved new rules for advanced meter infrastructure, following a two-year rulemaking process. The regulations require investor-owned utilities employing residential smart meters to focus on customer data privacy and service continuity. Customers are allowed to opt-out of smart meters. Smart meters are critical to grid modernization as…...