Power Pool Marks Anniversary, Preps For Threats To Network
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- As the regional electric transmission organization marks its 90th anniversary this week, one top official says stopping the growing threats to the system are a high priority.
The PJM Interconnection, based in the Valley Forge area, is responsible for overseeing a networked electricity distribution system that serves 13 states and the District of Columbia.
Stu Bresler, PJM's senior vice president of operations, says the organization works closely with homeland security and other federal agencies to protect the grid from physical as well as cyber threats.
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"You're not going to necessarily be able to stop everything," Bresler said, "and you want to make sure that if something happens you can, at first, minimize the impact of any given event and then also recover as quickly as possible."
Bressler says the electric transmission network is monitored around the clock. He says employees engage in regular exercises simulating attacks and how to respond to them.