Power Substation Site Security: Safeguarding Critical Infrastructure

Homes, offices, schools, and everything in between are powered by the same power grid. Each point along this precious and vital system by which we obtain our electricity—including the ever-essential substation—is extremely important to the continued function of our society. As threats mount, we must remain vigilant in safeguarding our plants, substations, and other energy hubs from physical threats. 

Read on to discover how perimeter security, advanced surveillance systems, and other tools can elevate your physical security and protect the power of your town, community, and nation. 

Defining Critical Infrastructure 

Critical infrastructures are the networks of assets and facilities that are essential to a community or nation’s economy, safety, health, and function. You can find critical infrastructure in sectors such as power, transportation, water, communications, and agriculture. 

It’s because of their highly valuable nature, however, that these critical infrastructures are especially vulnerable to crime, including vandalism, theft, and terrorism. If critical infrastructure is damaged or compromised by criminal activity, it could have devastating consequences for the community at large. In interconnected systems especially, such as water and power systems, crime and disaster could have ripple effects that impact other sites, elements, and sectors—cutting homes and families off from essential resources on a potentially devastating scale. 

What is Physical Security?

With the stakes so high, we have to hammer out comprehensive security plans and actionable methods to carry them out. These plans should include layered measures that improve your sites’ physical security. 

Physical security refers to the protection of people, places, and digital and physical assets from damage and danger. Threats to physical security can include unauthorized site access, vandalism, arson, sabotage, theft, and more. 

Potential physical security measures that can combat these threats include access control systems, surveillance cameras, human security guards, and physical barriers.

The Importance of Critical Infrastructure Physical Security 

Our society rests on crucial networks of facilities, assets, and processes that make the world (metaphorically) go ‘round. Critical infrastructure physical security is absolutely essential in helping our communities and nations to continue to thrive, and in building resilient systems that minimize impact when something does go awry. 

What Is a Power Substation?

To understand the role of power substations, let’s break down the elements of the power grid. Power plants turn fossil fuels, wind, sunlight, water, or nuclear reactions into electricity. This power is then passed on to a substation, a sort of “middle man” that transforms the voltage of the electricity and switches the circuits in order to distribute power safely to the consumer. Substations also act as a safeguard for the grid as a whole, as they can detect problems with circuit breakers and clear them automatically. 

Power substations are a key part of critical infrastructure; they ensure reliable electricity for everyone who utilizes the power grid. 

Threats Facing Power Substations 

There are plenty of dangers that can befall a power substation. Creating a physical security plan starts with understanding the potential threats and preparing accordingly. 

There are a myriad of potential dangers to a power substation site, including:

• Trespassing
• Vandalism 
• Theft (of high-value materials like copper, etc.)
• Sabotage
• Extreme weather and natural disasters 
• Domestic terrorism 

In addition to causing immediate damage and power outages, these threats can have other crippling effects on the grid. The energy sector is heavily regulated, requiring a certain standard of safety and resilience. Your company and its standing may be put in jeopardy in the event that crime is ineffectively deterred or handled. 

Substations and other grid sites are often remote and dispersed, making it difficult for limited staff to respond before damage escalates. Downtime from crime or disaster can be extremely costly—both in repairs and liability—and may ripple through the wider power system. Outages also create serious public safety risks: hospitals can lose power, businesses become vulnerable to looting, equipment malfunctions can spark fires, and other dangerous situations may arise.

Power in Layers: Elements of a Strong Security Approach 

Protecting a power substation requires more than a single line of defense. While fences or surveillance cameras are valuable, they aren’t enough on their own. An effective security plan layers multiple measures—such as perimeter protection, remote monitoring, and advanced surveillance—so that vulnerabilities are covered from every angle.

Perimeter Security 

A strong perimeter is a tried-and-true physical security standby. A classic fence can go a long way in keeping those with nefarious intentions off the premises, and its protection will be even greater when it features motion-detecting vibration sensors. For an even more fortified perimeter, you can strategically aim surveillance cameras equipped with AI-assisted analytics at your perimeter, which can notify you of suspicious behavior and reduce false alarms.

Remote Control & Monitoring 

Power sites are most secure when you and your security team can monitor them from anywhere. Select a security system that enables you to access and view your surveillance feeds remotely, with a cloud-based command center and real-time alerts. LVT’s surveillance systems, for example, close the distance between you and your site, keeping you clued in to every potential threat, even when you’re not on-site. 

Smart Security Tech

In the twenty-first century, threats against power systems and other critical infrastructure are evolving and necessitate more advanced security equipment. Below are some examples of cutting-edge, intelligent technology that will elevate your security efforts:

• High-resolution, PTZ cameras
• AI-powered analytics, including license plate recognition 
• Thermal imaging 
• Electronic access control
• Real-time notifications 

Key Features to Look For 

Combing through the many security systems on the market and their laundry lists of features can be overwhelming, so we’ve made it simple. Here are three of the most important features to look for in a critical infrastructure security solution.

1. Adaptability 

Be sure to choose physical security measures that can be adjusted and adapted to your site’s unique and changing needs and circumstances. Security systems should be scalable and easy to install, move, and maintain. 

2. Integration 

For comprehensive protection, choose security technology that will integrate easily. Surveillance, access control, alarms, and cybersecurity software should connect and leave no gaps in coverage. 

3. Data Protection 

Though it may seem paradoxical, a key part of physical security is defending your site and data from digital threats. Choose a surveillance system that safeguards video feeds with encryption.

The Payoff: What Investing in Power Substation Security Will Look Like 

So, is investing in substation security really that important? The answer is a resounding yes. When you plan effectively and employ layers of physical security measures to protect the power grid, you’ll see better response times, more seamless integration with law enforcement, more effective crime deterrence, and stronger security for your sites and the power they help provide.

Supercharge Your Security with LVT

Power substations are some of our society’s most critical infrastructures. As the means by which our homes, businesses, airports, hospitals, and plenty of other institutions are powered, these crucial nodes on the power grid require the highest standard of protection available. 

LVT is an industry leader in critical infrastructure physical security. Our scalable, mobile security solutions are perfectly suited to protecting a power substation site, and harness renewable solar energy, artificial intelligence, and real-time, remote monitoring to help you detect and respond to threats.

We have the cutting-edge tech and ever-evolving industry knowledge to protect power substations, as well as the precious power they channel, against increasingly complex threats. Schedule your demo today, and discover a stronger, more intelligent defense for your critical infrastructure.