F4: Critical Energy Infrastructure

All countries are seriously concerned about the security of energy supply and, in particular, about the protection of energy critical infrastructures: electricity, gas, and oil. These assets are essential for the maintenance of vital social economic functions. In order to protect critical energy infrastructures, comprehensive risk management programs are being developed, starting with vulnerability analysis and risk assessment, both in the face of technical failures or intentional threats.

Even a well-meshed energy system can be vulnerable and evolve into a blackout, as numerous events have evidenced in the recent past. For this reason, it is essential to identify planning and operation strategies that improve the reliability, robustness and recovery of infrastructures after a contingency. On the other hand, technological advances make these infrastructures increasingly complex and mutually dependent. Once a system suffers a failure, either from external or internal disturbances, it can spread very quickly to other systems. Thus, the increased interconnection between critical infrastructure systems has made them more vulnerable.

This Section is intended to present original research, studies and reviews in the area of critical energy infrastructures. Contributions may cover a wide spectrum of topics: risk assessment, geopolitical threats, cybersecurity, energy policy issues, cascading failures, interdependency assessment, investment decision making, vulnerability and robustness evaluation, reliability analysis, systems resilience, restoration strategies, OT and IT system protection, etc. In addition, contributions on the proposal, investigation and application of classic and emerging methodologies and computational tools in the field are expected.