NIST Releases Test Framework For Upgrading Of Smart Meters

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released a draft set of guidelines that will help utilities test their procedures for upgrading their smart meters securely from a remote location and determine whether their procedures conform with the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) Standard for Smart Grid Upgradeability. Available now for public comment, the Advanced Metering Infrastructure Smart Meter Upgradeability Test Framework includes test procedures and detailed steps for conducting the test, reviewing results, and producing records to assess and report on these results.

DOE continues to work with NIST in advancing the development of secure and interoperable smart grid technologies. With funding from the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE), Oak Ridge National Laboratories will assemble an environment to test and validate the proposed NIST Framework before its final adoption to ensure that it provides an effective methodology for assessing smart meters’ conformance to the NEMA requirements and enhances the cybersecurity of the smart grid.

Ensuring that diverse systems and their components can work together seamlessly and securely is crucial to the performance of the electric grid. OE has a long history of working with NIST in the development of smart grid interoperability standards and has provided funding support over the years, including $12M in Recovery Act funding.

SOURCE: The National Institute of Standards and Technology