What it would cost to protect our critical infrastructure

The Congressional EMP Commission estimated that to protect all infrastructures from EMP, cyber-attack, sabotage, and natural disasters that could be implemented in 3-5 years would be $10-20 billion.

They estimated in 2008 it would cost $2 billion to harden our grid’s 2,000 large and medium-sized transformers control systems.  

The 208-page report can be found here.

Given the potential risk to our lives and our economy — especially in light of the trillions of dollars we have already spent — this seems like a prudent and urgent first step.

In 2019, the electric utility industry released research on the possible impact of a high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) and how to protect against the worst impacts. The report acknowledged the potential for massive disruption, but highlighted steps that could be taken to mitigate the damage.

They did not release a total US cost estimate. They called for additional research to understand the potential HEMP impacts on power plants, local distribution and renewable energy systems and other parts of the grid, as well as other critical infrastructure sectors that support grid operations such as natural gas, water and telecommunications.

The executive summary report can be found here.