eFORT project to enhance European grid resilience

The eFORT Horizon Europe-supported project was launched in September 2022 to improve European grid security at both the cyber and physical levels.

The project, which is being coordinated by the Fundacion CIRCE technology and research centre, is aimed to address resilience and reliability against failures, cyberattacks and physical and other disturbances with a clear picture of the threats and vulnerabilities and the development of a set of solutions.

Such solutions include an intelligent platform and the use of digital twins for the control room of the future to train future grid operators.

As part of the project, data confidentiality procedures and blockchain layers will be used to increase security and privacy in grid data management.

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The project coordinator has reported that during the first year, the consortium has identified power and energy system assets and risks on both cyber and physical layers.

Additionally, the project partners have begun a collaboration on the prevention of cascading failures.

Over the upcoming months, the consortium partners intend to develop the final solutions to be deployed in the field, including digital twins, the intelligent platform and algorithms and strategies for secure grid operation modes.

These will then be tested and validated in four distinct demonstrations across Europe due to start in the first half of 2025 and aimed to ensure the applicability of the eFORT solutions to a wide range of grid scenarios.

In southern Spain, Cuerva Energia is leading a demo focussed on IoT, blockchain and cybersecurity in a substation and connected microgrid.

In the Netherlands, TenneT is leading a demo on the prevention of cascading failures and restoration of interconnected power systems at the TSO level.

In northern Italy, DP Selta is leading a demo on flexibility and islanding in mountainous and remote areas.

In Ukraine, the DSO JSC is leading a demo on digitalisation and secure design of a substation.

The €9.3 million (US$9.9 million) four-year eFORT project was prompted by a multitude of challenges to the grid posed by climate change, the green transition and human-induced hazards.

It brings together a 23-member consortium with representatives from the energy industry, universities, research institutes and consultancies from nine countries and runs to August 2026.