Full Title: Energy Emergency Response and Preparedness Planning with Rural Electric Cooperatives: A Coordination Brief for State Energy Officials
Author(s): NASEO, NRECA
Publisher(s): National Association of State Energy Officials
Publication Date: September 21, 2022
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
On February 23-24, 2022, the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), with support from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (DOE CESER), hosted Fractured Freeze, an energy emergency exercise with concurrent significant regional emergencies. The exercise objectives were 1) to examine the electric cooperative mutual assistance network and interoperability with State Energy Office plans in a multi-hazard, multi-region scenario; and 2) to build and strengthen relationships between electric cooperatives and state energy officials.
Interactions between State Energy Offices and rural electric cooperative statewide storm response coordinators (Statewides) have been extremely limited. Fractured Freeze was the first exercise to focus on coordination between these two groups during energy emergencies. A number of new relationships were formed and opportunities for collaboration identified. As a result of the exercise, participating State Energy Offices and Statewides from seven states were introduced and can continue to expand coordination in energy emergency response, mitigation, and resilience, based on an understanding of each other’s roles and
responsibilities, and mutual interest in energy security.
This document provides an overview of Electric Cooperative “Statewide” organization, highlights the potential benefits of State Energy Office-Cooperative coordination during the emergency response, and identifies areas for State Energy Offices to engage their cooperative counterparts.