Electric power system cyber-physical risk mitigation: lessons learnt through fundamental research and stakeholder interaction

This article proposes recommendations regarding the mitigation of cyber-physical risks of the bulk electric energy supply system. The paper is structured into two main parts: the first part presents outcomes from recent fundamental academic research spanning different timescales (preventive vs corrective risk mitigation, look-ahead planning, real-time operation), while the second part synthesizes some expert knowledge from stakeholders (Administration, TSOs, DSO, technology and service providers). For both sources of information, we extract high level, non-technical recommendations, and the paper finally discusses points of convergence between the different sources, and in this respect, identifies among others the question of the interplay between the use of new technologies and the human factor. This includes, for instance, the development of decision support tools for human operators to help mitigate cyber-physical risks, or the design of real-time simulation tools to train operators, who remain the last line of defense against cyber-physical attacks.