U.S., Canada And Mexico To Put On Massive Electrical Power Test

Thousands participating in second grid test since historic 2003 Northeast blackout this Wednesday and Thursday

A planned power grid test will be taking place November 13th and 14th of this week in the United States, Canada and Mexico, according to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation.

This is the second nearly continent wide power test since the 2003 power blackout that plagued the Northeast in both the U.S. and Canada, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) shows.

NERC states the GridEx power test is a "simulated exercise to practice crisis response and information sharing." This year's GridEx test is called the GridEx II test, acting as a follow-up of the previous one in November of 2011.

However, it may be more serious this time around. The 2011 test only focused on a cyberattack on the electrical grid. This year's test occurring Wednesday and Thursday will look at a "simulated coordinated physical and cyber attack" as well as a more severe "national security event."

Rest assured, "no real power outages will occur to this exercise" across Canada, U.S. and Mexico Wednesday and Thursday, the corporation explains.

Numbers of those participating across the three countries are staggering. NERC says 78 organizations from America and Canada participated, both governmental and non-governmental, in the 2011 test.

In comparison, the NYTimes back in August of this year reported, "more than 150 companies and organizations have signed up to participate" for this year. Numbers may have decreased or increased since publishing time of August but it is drastically higher than in 2011.

"Thousands of utility workers, business executives, National Guard officers, F.B.I. antiterrorism experts and officials from government agencies in the United States, Canada and Mexico are preparing for an emergency drill in November that will simulate physical attacks and cyberattacks that could take down large sections of the power grid," the NYTimes reported in August.

Marketplace reports more than 2,000 workers across North America will be taking part in the two-day test. The NYTimes adds, "they will practice for a crisis unlike anything the real grid has ever seen."