With new NERC regulation changes, many are wondering “How do I stay NERC compliant?” NERC’s policies are mandatory and always evolving, making compliance more and more difficult. Audits, investigations, and reporting are the methods through which compliance is enforced and meeting current regulatory standards is simply not an option unless companies want to face massive fines. Many businesses want to know how to stay NERC compliant in order to remain secure, up to date, and avoid fines or penalties. But with more than 90 standards and hundreds of requirements, staying NERC compliant is no small task.

The Challenge: Staying NERC Compliant

NERC standards are complex and there are high consequences for non-compliance. These requirements are ever-evolving and companies are required to stay up to date with any new changes or policies. The amount of information and data that is required to stay on top of things is monumental. Some of the many challenges faced by energy companies include:

• wasted resources

• manual errors

• limited transparency

• highly involved documentation

These areas all impact compliance and any BES participant found violating NERC standards risks being fined up to $1 million per day per violation. Though NERC is the entity that has been charged with developing and enforcing these standards in order to monitor the bulk power system, the responsibility to stay compliant falls on the shoulder of every company involved in the energy industry.

How Do I Stay NERC Compliant?

If you are determined to manage your compliance in house, you will soon find yourself exhausted and falling behind. You’ll need to have an integrated and comprehensive framework through which you can maintain NERC compliance in a sustainable and organized manner. All departments need to work together in order to guarantee a free flow of all necessary information. Companies that have been able to do this successfully are characterized by:

·         Decisiveness in compliance issues

·         Improvement in cost effectiveness and efficiency

·         Confidence in answering the question “How do I stay NERC compliant?”

·         Ability to minimize errors or redundancy

·         Establishment of an organized structure for compliance activities and workflows

·         An understanding of all the compliance data across the board

·         Streamlined compliance process

Effective and open communication combined with precise attention to detail is what it takes to stay NERC compliant.

The Tool to Help

If the thought of managing NERC compliance in house is a daunting one, we can help. Our Portal Compliance software offers you everything you need to remain NERC compliant – all in one package. It can help you stay up to date with regulations, collect and track data, and automate the process for easier and more manageable solutions. This product will give you a huge advantage over your competition. Compliance no longer has to be point of stress for your company. Portal Compliance can help you rise to the challenge. For more information, visit our website or contact us today at 855-387-8700.