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NERC Reliability Standards

Managing risk through compliance strategies

Mandatory North American Reliability Corporation (NERC) reliability standards include substantial financial penalties for non-compliance. Managing the risks associated with NERC audits involves undertaking a thorough pre-audit assessment, preparing action plans to address potential audit problems, implementing the action plans and compliance programs. Utilities also need to implement processes to ensure continuing compliance assurance.

KEMA helps utilities prepare for audits and develop the processes needed to support continued standards compliance. For over 80 years we have focused on serving the global utility industry—and we are experienced in all aspects of power system operations, operational excellence gap analysis, system and process audits and industry-accepted practices including the ANSI-accredited standards process.

Preparing for NERC audits and on-going compliance
KEMA’s reliability compliance services are designed to ensure that a client not only understands its responsibility for compliance to the NERC Reliability Standards today, but achieves and maintains compliance to the Reliability Standards on a sustainable basis. Given that the development of the Reliability Standards is certified by ANSI, the Standards must be reviewed and revised as needed every five years. This requirement, coupled with the continuing addition and deletion of Standards, requires Responsible Entities to achieve a state of Sustainable Compliance.

We offer a holistic approach to achieving and maintaining Sustainable Compliance. KEMA supplies most compliance services directly and teams with vendors who supply certain products or services to satisfy unique Standard requirements.

Since 2007, KEMA has been involved in assisting clients develop and assess compliance programs, assess the evidence clients will show to prove compliance to the NERC reliability standards, develop the processes and procedures that will satisfy the requirements of the applicable standards, develop mitigation plans, develop evidence tracking systems, develop a methodology to identify critical assets, identify critical cyber assets, and perform vulnerability assessments and penetration tests. In addition, KEMA has developed a subscription service to notify clients of changes to the standards to which they must comply and KEMA has developed awareness training for the standards. KEMA has provided compliance services to over 100 projects.

KEMA NERC reliability compliance services
Our services are designed to help clients identify the utility’s current state, its required future state, and the steps needed to bridge the gap. The goal: to identify and mitigate potential risks to achieving a positive NERC compliance audit outcome. Our services include: