On April 17, 2020, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s (NERC) request to delay the implementation of seven reliability standards by three to six months (October 2020-January 2021), citing the substantial impacts of the pandemic on registered entities.[1] NERC stated that registered entities "would need to expend significant effort and resources in the coming months" in order to document compliance; the pandemic would make gathering these resources substantially harder.[2]

The delayed reliability standards include four other requirements focused on bulk electric system personnel and protection control standards, and three cybersecurity Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) rules. CIP rules are standards for preparedness and response to serious incidents that involve critical infrastructure. Protect Our Power, a non-profit focused on grid security, advocated for FERC to approve a shorter 30-day delay to the CIP standards, arguing that cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the electric sector supply chain need to be eliminated quickly. However, NERC says the three-month delay for the cybersecurity rules is unlikely to leave the grid vulnerable and is appropriate given the current crisis.

[1]https://www.nerc.com/FilingsOrders/us/FERCOrdersRules/order%20granting%20motion%20to%20defer%20the%20implementation%20dates.pdf

[2]https://www.nerc.com/news/Headlines%20DL/Motion%20to%20Defer%20Implementation%20of%20Reliability%20Standards.pdf