Dams and hydropower
Licensed hydropower projects work to a FERC security programme with a defined assessment and a five-year exercise cycle, at sites that are frequently open to the public.
Key facts
- FERC operates a security programme for licensed hydropower projects, including an assessment instrument covering security and vulnerability risk and a grouping of projects by consequence.
- Security plans for the highest consequence group are required to be exercised at least once every five years.
- Dams present a downstream consequence model, so the assets that matter most are those governing water release and the systems that control them.
- Public access is common at dam sites, which means aerial photography by visitors and enthusiasts is routine and should be distinguished from reconnaissance.
- Detection is generally available to a project operator. Mitigation is restricted to authorised agencies under current federal rules.
What makes this facility type different
The threat model
Reconnaissance of spillway gates, powerhouse equipment, intake structures, control rooms and the access routes to them. The consequence model is unusual because a successful attack on water-retaining structures or their controls carries downstream flooding risk affecting people and property well beyond the site itself.
The regulatory position
FERC operates a security programme for licensed hydropower projects, which groups projects by consequence and applies an assessment instrument covering security and vulnerability risk. Security plans for the highest group are required to be exercised at least once every five years, so there is a defined and recurring cycle to attach aerial exposure to.
What constrains the response
Many dams are open to the public, with visitor areas, viewing points, roads across the crest and recreational water use. A site receiving lawful visitors with cameras cannot treat aerial photography as inherently hostile, and it cannot restrict approach in the way a closed industrial site can.
A consequence model that extends downstream
Most facilities in this field are assessed on what is lost if an attack succeeds at the site. A dam is assessed on what happens beyond it.
Damage to water-retaining structures, or interference with the systems controlling release, carries downstream flooding risk affecting people and property well outside the boundary. That shapes which assets matter. Spillway gates, their control equipment and the powerhouse are where aerial observation has operational relevance, rather than the structure as a whole.
The programme that applies
FERC operates a security programme for licensed hydropower projects. Projects are grouped by consequence, an assessment instrument covers security and vulnerability risk, and security plans for the highest group are required to be exercised at least once every five years.
This gives a defined and recurring cycle. Aerial exposure can be brought into an assessment and exercise process the licensee already runs, rather than requiring a separate justification.
The programme documents set what is expected and should be read directly. It requires assessment and planning, not any specified technology.
Public access complicates the picture
A great many dams are open to the public. There are visitor centres, viewing areas, roads across the crest, fishing and recreational boating on the reservoir.
This has a direct effect on how drone activity should be interpreted. A site that invites visitors will attract photography of a large and visually striking structure, and a good deal of that will be from the air. Most of it is lawful and unremarkable.
A response posture that treats every sighting as hostile will produce confrontations with members of the public, and those tend to become the story. The distinction worth drawing in advance is between general photography of the structure and repeated, focused attention on gates, control equipment or access routes.
Remoteness
Hydropower sites are frequently in terrain with long access routes and limited staffing. Response is measured in tens of minutes rather than minutes.
That raises the value of detecting early and lowers the value of any measure that assumes someone can arrive quickly. It also makes the recorded evidence more important, since the response to a pattern of activity is often a later investigation rather than an immediate intervention.
Related work
- Site assessment & design Vulnerability assessment, RF survey, sensor siting and coverage modelling.
- Procurement advisory Specification and evaluation against the Authorized Systems List.
- Detection system integration Bringing sensors, command-and-control and existing security systems together.
FAQ
▸Does the FERC security programme require drone detection?
It requires assessment and planning for licensed projects, grouped by consequence, with an exercise cycle for the highest group. It does not mandate a particular technology. Aerial exposure is reasonably considered within the assessment, and the programme documents govern rather than this summary.
▸Our dam has a public viewing area. How do we treat drone activity?
Carefully, and with a written position agreed in advance. A site that invites visitors will attract photography, including aerial photography, most of which is lawful and harmless. A response posture treating every sighting as a security incident will generate confrontations with members of the public. The useful distinction is between observation of the structure generally and repeated, focused attention on gates, controls or access points.
▸What should an assessment concentrate on?
The assets that govern water release and the systems that control them, which is where aerial observation has the most operational relevance. Powerhouse equipment, intake structures and the access routes used for response are also worth covering.
▸Does remoteness change the approach?
Yes. Long access routes mean response is measured in a different order of time from an urban site, which raises the value of early detection and lowers the value of measures that depend on someone arriving quickly.