eFORT

The eFORT project aims to transform current Electrical Power and Energy Systems (EPES) into more resilient, reliable and secure systems along their entire value chain. Prompted by environmental and societal concerns, EPES are undergoing an unprecedented transformation that demands urgent upgrades, so as to reduce the frequency and duration of blackouts, diminish the impact of disruptive events and restore service faster when outages occur. eFORT puts in place a set of solutions at the cyber and physical layers for detecting, preventing and mitigating vulnerabilities and threats, such as extreme weather events, man-made hazards and equipment failures. Among them, an interoperable eFORT Intelligent Platform sets a common foundation for grid characterisation and vulnerability overseeing, gathering information from smart grid components and applying advanced algorithms, while asset management developments strengthen the robustness of the grid infrastructure. All solutions are validated in four demo cases covering the whole grid value chain: (i) a transmission network (The Netherlands); (ii) a remote distribution grid (Italy); (iii) a digital substation (Ukraine); and (iv) a micro-grid (Spain). Horizontal actions further empower EPES players through a common regulatory and standardisation framework, technical and cost-benefit analysis, and the evaluation of new business models and replication potential.

ITI-CERTH coordinates the project activities on the analysis and tools for vulnerability, failure, risk and privacy assessment of EPES. In this context, ITI designs eFORT’s secure and private data infrastructures, specifying the ICT infrastructure and the secure network (data collection, analysis and networking devices) that allow the Intelligent Platform to manage the confidentiality of incoming and outgoing data and to monitor heterogeneous security components (antivirus software, firewalls, operating systems, SCADA systems, smart devices). In parallel, ITI develops the vulnerabilities database and visualisation tool, which monitors the EPES security state in real time using static and dynamic information, localises detected threats and offers control functionalities such as cyber assessment reports and IP blocking, complemented by a Hypothesis Testing tool. In addition, ITI develops the Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system, which gathers and harmonises logs from heterogeneous sources into homogeneous events and notifications, and applies it in the project pilots in Ukraine (digital substation) and Spain (micro-grid).

Consortium

Fundacion CIRCE Centro de Investigacion de Recursos y Consumos Energeticos, Spain
European Network for Cyber Security Cooperatief UA, Netherlands
TenneT TSO BV, Netherlands
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek TNO, Netherlands
Technische Universiteit Delft, Netherlands
DNV Netherlands BV, Netherlands
RINA Consulting SpA, Italy
Digitalplatforms S.p.A., Italy
Edyna Srl, Italy
Fondazione LINKS – Leading Innovation & Knowledge for Society, Italy
Fraunhofer Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Angewandten Forschung eV, Germany
Montajes Electricos Cuerva S.L., Spain
Sistemas Informaticos Abiertos SA, Spain
Universidad Pontificia Comillas, Spain
Schneider Electric Espana SA, Spain
Joint-Stock Company Prykarpattyaoblenergo, Ukraine
iSolutions LLC, Ukraine
Ubitech Energy, Belgium
Suite5 Data Intelligence Solutions Limited, Cyprus
Hypertech Kentro Epistimonikon kai Technologikon Erevnon Aeiforias Astiki mi Kerdoskopiki Etaireia, Greece
Ethniko Kentro Erevnas kai Technologikis Anaptyxis, Greece
B2B Consulting Group SL, Spain
Smart Innovation Norway AS, Norway