Regional Infrastructure Protection Plan (RIPP)
Plan Updates:
- The RIPP for electric power restoration has been completed and approved by the RCPT.
- The Rolling Blackouts Report and the Rolling Blackouts Guide for Public Agencies (Annex H to the RIPP) have been finalized. The guide is available to public safety agencies that may face the task of managing the implementation of rotating power outages.
- The energy dependencies assessment being conducted by Los Alamos National Laboratory is examining the potential impacts of widespread power outages on water/wastewater systems, emergency communications systems, other critical infrastructure, and the economy.
- Site visits to water utilities are completed.
- Data collection and subject-matter expert interviews for water and economic impacts are nearing completion.
- Data collection has begun for the communications component.
- Study findings will provide the basis for collaborative strategy-building workshops with system owner/operators and public safety agencies.
About the RIPP:
Focusing on the electrical sector, the all-hazards RIPP will explore how damage to the regional network affects other critical infrastructure sectors. Government can play a vital role in facilitating electricity recovery and network restoration in a catastrophic event. As the responsibility for the operation, maintenance, and reliability of the electricity networks lies with the owner/operators of independent utilities, however, RIPP evaluates the best means of leveraging the close public-private collaboration that already exists in preparation for emergency events. Accordingly, the project has developed in close partnership with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation.
Essential considerations for RIPP include:
- Assessing current regional readiness and resilience in the electricity networks in response to a catastrophic event
- Reviewing guidelines for emergency communication and collaboration across organizations both public and private
- Identifying points at which the private sector would need government support and evaluating potential procedures to fill those gaps
- Working within established standards, existing plans, and statutory frameworks to develop coordinated emergency response strategies