Supply Chain Subcommittee 2026 Physical Supply Risk Survey

Supply Chain Subcommittee (SCS) members and observers below is a survey on physical supply risks to inform our physical supply risk report as per the SCS Workplan Item #3. Responses to this survey will support the creation and publication of the SCS’ first physical supply risk report this summer. Thank you for your consideration and input to this process.
Below is a list describing the physical supply risks:
  • Cybersecurity risk is the risk that a supplier’s systems or products are hacked, compromised, or manipulated in ways that disrupt operations or expose sensitive data.
  • Physical supply risk is the risk that materials, equipment, or services cannot be delivered when needed due to shortages, transportation failures, or supplier outages.
  • Geopolitical risk is the risk that political actions such as trade restrictions, sanctions, conflict, or policy changes in other countries disrupt suppliers or increase costs.
  • Climate risk is the risk that extreme weather, natural disasters, or long‑term climate changes damage facilities, interrupt logistics, or reduce supplier reliability.
  • Equipment availability risk is the risk that critical equipment cannot be obtained when needed because suppliers lack capacity, inventory, or manufacturing slots.
  • Raw materials, commodities, and/or critical minerals risk is the risk that key inputs become scarce, delayed, or more expensive due to supply constraints, market volatility, or concentration of production.
  • Lead time risk is the risk that the time required to manufacture and deliver equipment or materials is longer than planned, delaying projects or operations.
  • Demand competition from hyperscalers risk is the risk that large technology companies absorb supplier capacity, limiting availability and extending lead times for other buyers. (A hyperscaler is a very large technology company that operates massive data centers at global scale and rapidly expands computing capacity to support cloud services, AI, and digital platforms.)
  • Transportation and logistics risk is the risk that goods are delayed or disrupted due to shipping constraints, port congestion, labor actions, transportation failures, climate, or act of war or sabotage.

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* 1. Which supply chain risk do you believe is most critical to the North American electric power industry today? (Select one.)

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* 2. Which physical supply risk do you believe is most critical to the industry today? (Select one.)

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* 3. What do you believe are the primary root causes of the physical supply risks listed in (1) above? (Select one.)

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* 4. How do you believe the industry can mitigate the physical supply risks? (Select all that apply.)

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* 5. Which key equipment categories do you believe present the greatest physical supply risk to the industry?

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* 6. What do you believe the NERC RSTC Supply Chain Subcommittee can do to support the industry’s physical supply risk mitigation efforts?

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* 7. First and Last Name (optional)

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* 8. Email Address (optional)

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