Case Study: Lightning strike recovery
During the hot summer months, extreme heat and dry conditions create an environment where lightning strikes become an ever-present risk.
Even when lightning does not directly strike a facility, the immense electrical energy released by a nearby bolt can still disrupt operations. Modern oil and gas processing facilities are built with multiple layers of protection, including grounding grids, surge protection devices, shielding systems, and dedicated lightning protection structures. Together, these safeguards are designed to safely dissipate excess electrical energy before it reaches critical equipment.
However, no protection system is infallible. When failures occur, preparation and rapid response become essential. The following example illustrates how our team responded to a lightning-related incident at a gas processing facility in Northern Alberta last year.
Within minutes of receiving notification of the event, the Provision Infotech team begins mobilizing a response. Drawing on detailed network assessments, infrastructure documentation, and secure configuration backups developed long before the incident, the team already has a comprehensive understanding of the facility's operational technology environment.
By the time technical specialists arrive onsite, they are equipped with replacement industrial networking hardware, backup computing systems, power protection equipment, and recovery tools. After verifying the integrity of the facility's electrical and grounding systems, attention shifts to the process network itself.
Using documented network diagrams and device inventories, the team quickly identifies a failed core switch as the source of the communications outage. A replacement device is installed, and critical network configurations including VLANs, access controls, and communication pathways are restored from secure offline backups. At the same time, the HMI server is rebuilt from a validated backup, returning operator visibility to the process.
As systems begin coming back online, field devices report back to the control system one by one. Communications are re-established, alarms are verified, and critical SCADA functions are thoroughly tested. With each successful validation, operators regain confidence that they can once again monitor and control the process safely.
What could have resulted in a multi-day outage is instead reduced to a matter of hours. Through the combination of accurate documentation, tested backups, readily available spare hardware, and a well-executed recovery plan, the facility is able to restore operations within a single shift.
Although the storm itself lasts only a short time, its impact serves as a powerful reminder that resilience is built long before lightning strikes. Talk to us if you would like to review your company's preparation, or recovery procedures in order to prevent disruptions from prolonged business crises into a manageable operational events.
