Classify substations and transmission assets by criticality to target physical security investment.
Security Management
Power Utility Substation Security and Critical Infrastructure Protection
Trains utility security professionals to protect substations and transmission assets against intrusion, sabotage and copper theft using layered physical security and risk-based design.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
An attack on a small number of substations can, in the right combination, cause outages across a wide region, which is why physical security at generation, transmission and distribution sites is now treated as a regulated risk rather than a local site manager's discretion. This course builds the layered physical protection model used across the sector: perimeter fencing and intrusion detection rated to the risk level of each site, vegetation and terrain management that preserves camera and guard sightlines, and control building hardening against ballistic and blast threats at the highest-risk substations. Participants learn to conduct site risk assessments that classify assets by their contribution to grid stability, so that protective investment is targeted rather than spread evenly across sites of very different criticality. Sessions cover the physical security expectations behind reliability standards for critical substations, coordination between physical security and SCADA control room access control, and countermeasures against copper theft and vandalism at remote, unstaffed sites. A module on drone use covers both using drones to inspect transmission corridors and detecting unauthorised drones near substations. The course closes with incident response and mutual aid planning for coordinated or multi-site attacks.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Design perimeter fencing and intrusion detection systems matched to each site's assessed risk level.
Specify control building hardening against ballistic and blast threats at the highest-risk substations.
Manage vegetation and terrain around sites to preserve camera and patrol sightlines.
Coordinate physical security controls with SCADA control room access control and monitoring systems.
Plan countermeasures against copper theft and vandalism at remote and unstaffed utility sites.
Develop incident response and mutual aid plans for coordinated attacks affecting multiple sites.
Who Should Attend
Utility security managers responsible for substation and transmission asset protection programmes.
Critical infrastructure risk analysts classifying assets and prioritising security investment.
Control room and operations managers coordinating physical and SCADA access control decisions.
Engineering and facilities staff specifying fencing, lighting and building hardening for utility sites.
Regulatory compliance officers preparing utilities for physical security reliability audits.
Law enforcement and emergency planning liaisons coordinating mutual aid for infrastructure incidents.
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01Asset Classification and Risk-Based Security Design
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Classifying Substations by Grid Criticality
- Assess each substation's contribution to grid stability to classify it by criticality tier.
- Apply risk assessment methodology to prioritise security investment across a large asset portfolio.
- Interpret physical security expectations behind reliability standards for the highest-criticality substations.
- Document classification decisions to support regulatory reporting and audit requirements.
Session 2Layered Perimeter and Intrusion Detection Design
- Design fencing, lighting and intrusion detection layers matched to each site's assessed risk tier.
- Select detection technologies suited to remote, unstaffed sites with limited connectivity.
- Plan alarm response times and patrol coverage for geographically dispersed substation networks.
- Coordinate detection system maintenance schedules to avoid coverage gaps during outages.
02Building Hardening and Sightline Management
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Control Building Ballistic and Blast Hardening
- Specify ballistic-resistant materials for control buildings at substations assessed as highest risk.
- Design standoff distances and barriers to reduce blast exposure to critical transformers and switchgear.
- Balance hardening investment against the assessed likelihood and consequence of an attack.
- Coordinate hardening projects with engineering teams to avoid disrupting operational equipment.
Session 2Vegetation, Terrain and Sightline Management
- Manage vegetation growth around perimeters to preserve camera and patrol sightlines year-round.
- Assess terrain features that could conceal an intruder's approach to a substation perimeter.
- Coordinate sightline management with environmental and land management obligations.
- Schedule sightline audits after seasonal growth or construction changes near a site.
03Integrating Physical Security with Control Systems
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1SCADA Control Room Access Control
- Coordinate physical access control for control rooms with SCADA system access permissions.
- Design escort and credential procedures for vendors performing maintenance on control systems.
- Monitor physical access logs alongside control system logs to detect correlated anomalies.
- Plan segregation of duties so no individual holds both physical and system access unsupervised.
Session 2Countering Copper Theft and Vandalism
- Assess theft patterns targeting copper grounding, cabling and transformer components at remote sites.
- Deploy tamper alarms and marking systems that make stolen materials traceable and less resaleable.
- Coordinate with scrap metal dealers and law enforcement on reporting suspicious material sales.
- Evaluate the cost trade-off between theft-resistant materials and standard replacement components.
04Drone Surveillance and Incident Response
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Drone Use and Detection Around Substations
- Plan authorised drone inspection of transmission corridors to identify vegetation and equipment risk.
- Deploy detection methods to identify unauthorised drone activity near sensitive substation sites.
- Coordinate drone incident response procedures with airspace authorities and site security teams.
- Assess privacy and regulatory constraints affecting drone surveillance programmes.
Session 2Coordinated Attack Response and Mutual Aid
- Plan incident response procedures for coordinated or simultaneous attacks on multiple sites.
- Establish mutual aid agreements with neighbouring utilities and law enforcement agencies.
- Rehearse multi-site incident scenarios through tabletop exercises with control room participation.
- Review incident response performance to update classification and hardening priorities.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
Complete your registration
We will contact you within one business day to confirm.
Ready to start?
Reserve your seat and start building the skill.