US embassy cable - 05OTTAWA530

C O N F I D E N T I A L OTTAWA 000530 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CAN, EB/ESC/IEC AND S/CT 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/17/2015 
TAGS: ENRG, PGOV, TRGY, CA, Energy 
SUBJECT: HYDRO-QUEBEC MOVES TO ENHANCE SECURITY 
 
REF: 04 QUEBEC 225 
 
Classified By: JOHN DICKSON, DCM, OTTAWA, STATE.  REASON: 1.4 (D) 
 
1.  (C) Summary:  In the wake of the intrusion into two 
Hydro-Quebec generating facilities by television journalists, 
Thierry Vandal, Hydro-Quebec President for Production, called 
DCM February 18 to provide an update on steps which the 
company is taking to improve security.  Vandal also expressed 
thanks for the Ambassador's balanced press comments on 
Hydro-Quebec's ability to respond to the security lapses. 
End Summary. 
 
2.  (U) On February 15, CBC French-language television 
broadcast a report which showed footage of a reporter easily 
breaking into Hydro-Quebec's James Bay LG2 and Manic V 
installations.  Hydro-Quebec (HQ) had tried to get an 
injunction from Quebec courts to stop the broadcast, but was 
unsuccessful.  The Canadian media, especially the 
French-language media in Quebec, are widely reporting the 
story and questioning whether Quebec's electricity system is 
secure. 
 
3.  (C) Vandal, who late last year escorted a group from 
Embassy and ConGen Quebec to HQ's remote James Bay generating 
facilities (reftel), acknowledged to DCM that the company was 
very concerned by the incident.  He said HQ is accelerating 
and expanding an ongoing system-wide security upgrade, and 
will hire 180 new security personnel in addition to 
installing a series of sensors and motion detectors at its 
installations.  Vandal said that all generators over 100 
megawatts, beyond the company's definition of a "strategic" 
facility, will now have security personnel on site 24/7.  In 
addition, the company is immediately ending all public visits 
to its installations.  Vandal explained that his call to the 
DCM was one of a series to government officials and large HQ 
customers, to give reassurance that the company is actively 
addressing security concerns.  Vandal said he previously 
spoke to officials at the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission. 
 
4.  (C) Vandal noted that HQ considers its substations, and 
not its generators, as the highest security priority.  He 
said the reporters had previously tried to enter a substation 
and were escorted off the premises, which the journalists did 
not report.  Vandal said that the reporter entered one of the 
installations by staking out the entrance, and took advantage 
of a half-hour absence of security personnel.  Vandal 
admitted that such a lapse is unacceptable, but said that the 
journalist "got lucky."  In any event, very little damage 
could have been done, Vandal emphasized, as the generators 
are controlled remotely from hundreds of miles away. 
Characterizing HQ's response as "Full Shields Up," Vandal 
said that the company requested the injunction not to kill 
the story, but to give it time to prepare for copycat 
intrusions.  There were eight attempted entries the next day, 
he said, and four the day after that. 
 
5.  (C) Vandal expressed appreciation for what he termed the 
Ambassador's "balanced" comments on HQ's ability to improve 
the protection of its facilities, delivered during a visit to 
Montreal on February 17.  Separately, Quebec CG spoke with 
senior provincial Ministry of Energy officials February 18, 
who confirmed that Premier Charest has asked for, and will be 
receiving, daily updates on the security of Quebec's energy 
infrastructure.  The Quebec government is also preparing a 
plan of action to address infrastructure security, and the 
Ministry of Energy will be relaying updates on this to Quebec 
CG in the weeks ahead.  Mission will report on further 
developments regarding this matter as appropriate. 
 
Visit Canada's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/ottawa 
 
DICKSON