Development of High-Power Electromagnetic (HPEM) Standards

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is the authority for world standards in electrical and electronics engineering. The IEC technical subcommittee 77C "High-power transient phenomena" of technical committee 77 "Electromagnetic compatibility" is preparing standards and technical reports on immunity to high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) and currently to all categories of intentional electromagnetic interference (IEMI). A short description is given of the IEC main objective, management, and organization of technical work. An overview is given of the subcommittee 77C structure, management, objectives, and sources. At present, the work comprises 17 projects of which 14 have been published. The publications and projects are discussed under the following main parts: general, environment, testing and measurement techniques, installation and mitigation guidelines, and generic standards.