Guarding the Grid: Inside E-ISAC's Mission to Combat Cyber and Physical Threats to the Power System

What would happen if a coordinated cyber and physical attack disrupted the systems that power daily life—not just power plants, but data centers, pipelines, and communications? 

Cyber and physical threats to the electric grid are growing more advanced, more frequent, and harder to detect. The impacts can ripple far beyond the energy sector, affecting communities, public safety, and the broader economy. From sophisticated phishing to copper theft from power plants, competitive power suppliers, grid operators, and utilities must stay prepared. 

In this episode of Energy Solutions, EPSA President and CEO Todd Snitchler sits down with one of the nation’s top grid security leaders to unpack today’s threat landscape and what it takes to strengthen the power system. Michael Ball is Senior Vice President of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and CEO of the Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (E-ISAC). They discuss the rising role of AI in cyberattacks, how adversaries target industrial control systems, and why information sharing across the energy sector is essential. 

They also cover insights from the recent national GridEx VIII exercise—as well as a new “Grid-Ex-in-a-Box" drill EPSA customized for member companies this November in Houston—and explore how competitive power suppliers can get prepared before a real crisis hits. 

Topics include: 

• How cyber threats have become constant and increasingly sophisticated, 
• The rise of almost autonomous AI-enabled cyberattacks, 
• Physical security risks including vandalism, copper theft, and drone activity at power plants, 
• How adversaries target industrial control systems with advanced toolkits,  
• The critical role of information sharing across competitive power suppliers, utilities, and government partners, 
• What the E-ISAC does and how it supports industry-wide situational awareness, 
• Key insights from GridEx VIII, 
• The importance of resilient communications strategies and updated playbooks, 
•  And what competitive power suppliers and utilities should focus on heading into 2026. 

Host: Todd Snitchler, President and CEO, EPSA 

Guest: Michael Ball, senior vice president, NERC, CEO, E-ISAC   

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Chapters

• 0:00 Cold Open: A Crisis at the "World Chalice Games"
• 0:33 Setting the Stage: Why Grid Security Matters
• 1:30 Meet Michael Ball, CEO of the E-ISAC
• 2:34 The Security Landscape Today
• 5:35 What Keeps Security Leaders Up at Night
• 8:55 Where is the Industry Progressing and Growing Awareness
• 10:20 Why Information Sharing is Everything
• 11:20 What the E-ISAC Actually Does
• 20:00 Inside GridEx VIII
• 27:33 GridEx-in-a-Box
• 29:57 Michael’s Vision for the E-ISAC
• 32:30 How Companies Can Strengthen Their Preparedness
• 34:17 Looking Ahead to 2026
• 36:35 Outro: Preparation is a Team Effort