North American Transmission Forum

What North American Transmission Forum does

The North American Transmission Forum (NATF) is a nonprofit, member-based industry organization headquartered at 6135 Park South Drive, Suite 598, Charlotte, North Carolina, serving electric transmission utilities and transmission system operators in the U.S. and Canada. Founded in 2010 and operating with 11-50 employees, NATF exists to promote excellence in the safe, reliable, secure, and resilient operation of the electric transmission system through open and candid exchange of information among its members. Its activities are organized around an integrated program structure comprising Peer Reviews, Assistance, Training, Practices, Initiatives, Knowledge Management, and the RESTORE resilience program, which provides resources for epidemic and pandemic response planning for transmission operations.

NATF's most strategically significant product surface is its supply chain security suite: the NATF Supply Chain Security Criteria, the Energy Sector Supply Chain Risk Questionnaire, and the five-step Supply Chain Security Assessment Model. These tools are ERO Enterprise-endorsed for CIP-013 compliance and are mapped against multiple frameworks including NIST CSF 2.0, NIST SP 800-171r3, NIST SP 800-53r5.2.0, CIP-005-7, and CIP-010-4. Additional outputs include ERO-endorsed CIP-013 Implementation Guidance documents, a publicly accessible Quickstart Guide, Operating Experience Reports, and a quarterly External Newsletter. The technical backbone is a secure member portal, TransPort (portal.natf.net), which is restricted to employees of member organizations and supports confidential collaboration across utilities and supplier partners including SEL, Siemens Energy, Hitachi Energy, and Schneider Electric.

NATF operates on a membership-funded model with pricing details not publicly disclosed. Revenue is generated through member dues and the value of access is conveyed via TransPort, peer learning, working groups, and public-good resources such as framework documents. The organization collaborates closely with NERC, EPRI, and E-ISAC, including co-hosted webinars and joint conferences, and is governed by President and CEO Tom Galloway.

Name

North American Transmission Forum

Legal name

North American Transmission Forum

Website

https://natf.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

North American Transmission Forum is a Charlotte-based nonprofit member organization serving electric transmission utilities across the U.S. and Canada, delivering reliability programs, peer learning, and ERO-endorsed Supply Chain Security Criteria and Questionnaire tools used for CIP-013 compliance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electric Transmission Reliability Services

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690)

akta.pro primary industry

Transmission Reliability, Resilience & Emergency Restoration (NERC/ENTSO-E Compliance) (EUADAAAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Interoperability Standards, Certification & Compliance (NERC CIP comms, FCC/licensing) (EUADAIAN)

Keywords

• Electric transmission reliability
• Supply chain security
• Utility peer reviews
• CIP-013 compliance
• Transmission industry forum

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The North American Transmission Forum (NATF) is a member-based industry organization that provides programs, practices, and supply chain security tools to promote the safe, reliable, secure, and resilient operation of the electric transmission system in the U.S. and Canada. Its core offerings include supply chain security criteria, a scorable risk questionnaire, an ERO-endorsed CIP-013 implementation guidance suite, peer review programs, the RESTORE resilience program, and shared operating experience reports available to member utilities.

Product overview

The North American Transmission Forum (NATF) operates as an industry organization offering a portfolio of complementary products centered on electric transmission system reliability and supply chain security. The core offerings include the NATF Supply Chain Security Criteria and Energy Sector Supply Chain Risk Questionnaire, which are tools used by entities to evaluate supplier security postures and meet CIP-013 compliance. These are supported by the five-step Supply Chain Security Assessment Model, along with guidance documents including Risk Assessment Guidance, Risk Controls and Monitoring Guidance, and ERO-endorsed CIP-013 Implementation Guidance documents. Additional programs include Peer Reviews, the RESTORE resilience program, Operating Experience Reports, and the quarterly External Newsletter. The products work together as an integrated industry approach to improving cyber security and assisting registered entities with supply chain risk management compliance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NATF Supply Chain Security Criteria A set of security criteria that transmission entities can use to evaluate their suppliers' security posture and assist in meeting CIP-013 compliance obligations. Mapped to multiple frameworks including NIST SP 800-171r3, NIST SP 800-53r5.2.0, NIST CSF 2.0, CIP-005-7, CIP-010-4, and CIP-013-2.
• Energy Sector Supply Chain Risk Questionnaire A scorable questionnaire tool that provides a consistent format for entities to assess supply chain risk across multiple suppliers, with customizable per-question scores and weights.
• NATF Supply Chain Security Assessment Model

Segments2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NERC (North American Electric Reliability Corporation)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 March 2021NATF and NERC co-host webinars on pandemic planning and response activities. The ERO Enterprise has endorsed NATF's CIP-013 Implementation Guidance documents. Organizations work together on supply chain risk management and reliability initiatives.
• EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPRI collaborates with NATF and NERC on the annual NERC-NATF-EPRI Transmission Planning and Modeling Seminar and GETS Conference. Organizations work together on planning and modeling initiatives.
• E-ISAC (Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerE-ISAC collaborates with NATF on security initiatives. Manny Cancel serves as Senior Vice President of NERC and CEO of E-ISAC.
• Industry Organizations CollaborationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNATF collaborates with multiple industry organizations to provide streamlined, effective approach for entities to assess supplier cyber security practices. Contributing organizations include NEMA, ISA, US Chamber of Commerce, and others.
• Supplier Hosting CompaniesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier Sharing Calls are facilitated by suppliers including SEL (Schweitzer Engineering Labs), Siemens Energy, Hitachi Energy, and Schneider Electric. These calls encourage conversation among suppliers and with NATF member customers.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI): EPRI conducts collaborative research across the electricity sector and is a core NATF partner, co-hosting the annual NERC-NATF-EPRI Transmission Planning and Modeling Seminar. EPRI addresses generation, transmission, and distribution while NATF focuses narrowly on transmission reliability and supply chain security.
• North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC): NERC is the ERO for the North American bulk power system and NATF's closest institutional partner. Both focus on transmission reliability and security, but NERC is the regulatory authority while NATF is an industry-led practitioner forum that develops compliance guidance.
• National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA): NRECA serves electric cooperatives across the U.S. Like APPA and EEI, it represents a transmission utility segment NATF also serves, but with a broader cooperative-focused mission of advocacy, education, and operational support.
• American Public Power Association (APPA): APPA represents publicly-owned and consumer-owned electric utilities. APPA members include transmission utilities that may also hold NATF membership, but APPA's scope spans the full utility value chain and emphasizes advocacy and education rather than operational reliability programs.
• Edison Electric Institute (EEI): EEI is the principal trade association for U.S. investor-owned utilities, representing the full electricity value chain. EEI overlaps with NATF on transmission policy and reliability matters but operates at a broader industry advocacy level rather than as a technical practitioner forum.

Direct peers

• Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (E-ISAC): E-ISAC is the industry's threat intelligence hub for the electricity sector, operating under NERC leadership. E-ISAC collaborates directly with NATF on security initiatives and shares the same member utility audience, making it the closest operational peer in the security domain.

Regional players

• SERC Reliability Corporation: SERC is a NERC Regional Reliability Entity serving the southeastern and central U.S. Like MRO and NPCC, SERC overlaps with NATF on transmission reliability but operates as a regional compliance enforcement body.
• WECC (Western Electricity Coordinating Council): WECC is a NERC Regional Entity covering the western interconnection. WECC's reliability coordination and compliance role parallels that of other Regional Entities and overlaps with NATF's transmission reliability focus.
• Midwest Reliability Organization (MRO): MRO is one of six NERC Regional Reliability Entities, providing regional reliability oversight in the north-central U.S. and parts of Canada. MRO and NATF both serve transmission reliability but MRO is a regulator while NATF is an industry practitioner forum.
• Northeast Power Coordinating Council (NPCC): NPCC is a NERC Regional Entity focused on international reliability coordination in the northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada. NPCC's bulk power reliability mandate overlaps with NATF's transmission focus but with a narrower geographic and regulatory scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about North American Transmission Forum