The process of securing Europe’s electricity substations

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ISJ hears from Nikitas Koutsourais, Pre-Sales and Support Consultant, Western Europe, OPTEX.

Protecting Europe’s energy infrastructure is vital for the functioning of the region’s economy. It ensures that industries, homes and businesses have a reliable power supply.

Since the beginning of the Ukraine-Russia war, concerns over cyber-attacks have increased; there is also a need to protect infrastructure, such as electricity substations, from physical threats of theft, vandalism and sabotage.

In recent years, one cause for an increased number of physical attacks on energy infrastructure is copper theft. Between 2022 and 2023, various energy providers and law enforcement agencies across Europe have reported a rising number of thefts, and in some regions, the rate has more than doubled.

These incidents cause disruption, power outages as well as substantial financial losses for the energy companies. For the intruders, it can result in significant injury and even loss of life.

The European Commission recommends security systems for the energy network are regularly reviewed and is introducing regulations about the level of security needed at sites.

And yet, as the UK National Infrastructure Commission found, investment in security often happens only after an incident occurs. Much of the infrastructure’s current systems are ageing whilst budgets are shrinking. 

The vulnerability of substations

Electricity substations transform and transmit high-voltage electricity safely and securely across the whole network, from power plants to consumers.

The UK network, for example, has two types of substations; one connects the high-voltage transmission network, which operates at voltages of 275kV or more, to the distribution network, typically operating at 132kV.

There are two main security issues: First, an intruder manages to shut down the electricity substation either by design or by stealing copper and other components, which causes electricity blackouts for millions. The second risk is from those who enter the site getting electrocuted.

The energy companies must consider the health and safety of an intruder cutting through a copper cable carrying 100,000 volts.

The substation owner is liable for any resulting death or injury because it is deemed to have failed in its duty of care by not having security to stop the person.

The substations are often located in isolated areas, making them difficult to protect, and they produce electromagnetic fields which can interfere with security systems.

What is obvious is that the needs of each site are distinct and require different combinations of security technology.

Keeping our critical infrastructure safe today relies on the intelligent use of new technology in a layered approach, which is economical and easy to upgrade in the future.

Layered protection

Combining different technologies to form a multi-layered intrusion detection system is the best protection. Early detection of an intrusion starts at the perimeter fence.

Traditional equipment often suffers from interference from the electromagnetic fields generated at sites and becomes unreliable.

Many perimeter systems on the market use coaxial cables that require electricity and generate their own electromagnetic field, which triggers a false alarm due to the substation interference.

Modern fibre optic technologies, such as OPTEX’s Fiber Sensys, Fiber Defender and EchoPoint series, don’t have these issues and remain unaffected by the electromagnetic field of the substation.

They can reliably detect any unusual activity as intruders approach the site by vehicles or on foot.

Different layers of detection can be used depending on the operational and location requirements of each site.

At the fence line itself, LiDAR technology can detect someone climbing the fence or people crossing the site. These systems are also ideal for substations situated in remote, windswept or coastal areas of the country.

Detection systems such as LiDAR provide enhanced environmental resistance to ignore the effects of gale-force winds or the movement of wildlife.

Both the laser and fibre optics can remain permanently armed whilst regular activity continues inside the substation without the risk of false alarms caused by electrical interference.

An alarm is only triggered if someone tries to climb or cut the fence.

Inside the perimeter

Having secured the perimeter, the security personnel also have to monitor the inside of a substation.

Within the grounds, there is often a path which, if anyone doesn’t follow, significantly increases their risk of electrocution. 

The hardest part of protecting a substation from intrusion is safeguarding the interior.

The site is extremely crowded with heavy metallic infrastructure, and at ground level, lines of sight are obscured. Typical CCTV analytical software cannot cover the areas.

To track an intruder, the person needs to traverse several metres before the images can be analysed. If they only run between structures, the analytics struggle to capture and analyse the data images.

LiDAR doesn’t need such a wide view to perform the analysis and, unlike CCTV, can scan 100m by 100m or 50m at a 180° angle.

Yet even radar systems have challenges. For instance, the signals from the sensor can bounce off the metal infrastructure back to the sensor, a problem known as cluttering, which produces false alarms.

One solution is to point the radar downwards so the light beam cannot bounce off the metal structures to the sensor. But this limits the field of view to almost vertical, losing any horizontal view of the site.

Even if mounted far above the ground to produce a wide field of view, the radar technology cannot see through or past the metallic infrastructure inside the substation.

Many sites are already equipped with CCTV and thermal cameras with analytics running. Fibre optics are being installed as an additional layer of protection.

But, overcoming the shortcomings of CCTV and radar can mean using 50 cameras or 20 sensors, which isn’t economical. So now, some operators are installing LiDAR technologies as a third layer of protection.

The third layer

To overcome some of the complications of installing security systems which are reliable and fit for purpose at substations, OPTEX, in collaboration with a spin-out company of a European electricity distributor, has developed a safer solution.

Together, they have installed and tested a novel system, which is now being rolled out across Spain; multiple substations have already been installed with the new system and it is working well.

The system consists of OPTEX’s REDSCAN LiDAR sensors, installed horizontally and configured across different detection areas.

The REDSCAN provides reliable coverage and can track where an intruder goes, even between buildings and structures.

For the more dangerous areas on the site, detection triggers an automatic message played on a speaker, warning the intruder of the danger.

The system not only provides personnel with support for security but also the added benefit of safety monitoring. This is an important consideration because, almost every two months, maintenance work is needed on sites.

Maintenance crews will bring elevators with them so that they can work at height, but there are restrictions to how high they can go for safety reasons.

The REDSCAN enables a virtual roof for the on-site supervisor to monitor the maintenance crew easily and ensure they are complying with safety regulations.

A more secure solution

New regulations are coming in across Europe to increase the protection of the region’s energy infrastructure.

Some authorities are suggesting that there has to be a minimum of three technologies installed.

If an intruder knows how to get past a thermal imaging camera or can get over or through a fence, they can still be detected by LiDAR.

It has the added bonus of enhancing on-site safety by helping security personnel control the access or the presence of people in those areas where they are most at risk, ensuring critical protection where it is needed most.

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