As expected, federal regulators have approved a new physical security standard for the high-voltage electricity grid.

On November 20, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved Reliability Standard CIP-014-1 (Physical Security). The standard, proposed by Commission-certified Electric Reliability Organization North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), is designed to enhance physical security measures for the most critical parts of the nation’s “bulk-power system,” the high-voltage backbone of the nation’s electric grid.