Energy Sector
Sector Overview
The U.S. energy
infrastructure fuels the economy of the 21st century. Without a stable energy
supply, health and welfare are threatened, and the U.S. economy cannot
function. Presidential Policy Directive 21 identifies the Energy Sector as
uniquely critical because it provides an “enabling function” across all
critical infrastructure sectors. More than 80 percent of the country's
energy infrastructure is owned by the private sector, supplying fuels to the
transportation industry, electricity to households and businesses, and other
sources of energy that are integral to growth and production across the nation.
The energy infrastructure is divided into three interrelated
segments, including: electricity, petroleum, and natural gas. The U.S.
electricity segment contains more than 6,413 power plants (this includes 3,273
traditional electric utilities and 1,738 nonutility power producers) with
approximately 1,075 gigawatts of installed generation. Approximately 48 percent
of electricity is produced by combusting coal (primarily transported by rail),
20 percent in nuclear power plants, and 22 percent by combusting natural gas.
The remaining generation is provided by hydroelectric plants (6 percent), oil
(1 percent), and renewable sources (solar, wind, and geothermal) (3 percent).
The heavy reliance on pipelines to distribute products across the nation
highlights the interdependencies between the Energy and Transportation Systems
Sector.
The reliance of virtually all industries on electric power and
fuels means that all sectors have some dependence on the Energy Sector. The Energy Sector is well aware of its
vulnerabilities and is leading a significant voluntary effort to increase its
planning and preparedness. Cooperation through industry groups has resulted in
substantial information sharing of best practices across the sector. Many
sector owners and operators have extensive experience abroad with
infrastructure protection and have more recently focused their attention on
cybersecurity.
Sector-Specific Plan
The Energy Sector-Specific Plan (PDF, 124 pages, 3.52
MB) details how the National Infrastructure Protection Plan risk management
framework is implemented within the context of the unique characteristics and
risk landscape of the sector. Each Sector-Specific Agency develops a
sector-specific plan through a coordinated effort involving its public and
private sector partners. The Department of Energy is designated as the
Sector-Specific Agency for the Energy Sector.
Sector Resources
For resources available
to Energy Sector partners, check out the links on the right hand sidebar.
Last Published Date: June 12, 2014
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