The increasing penetration of distributed energy resources and the growing vulnerability of centralized power systems to natural hazards, terrorist attacks, acts of sabotage, technical incidents, and operational uncertainties have intensified the need for resilient and secure energy infrastructures. Microgrids have emerged as a promising solution to enhance energy security by enabling the localized generation, autonomous operation, and flexible integration of renewable energy sources. However, their effective deployment introduces complex risks related to technical, economic, and operational uncertainties. This paper presents a comprehensive framework for risk management in microgrids within modern power systems, aiming to improve the overall security and resilience of Romania’s power system. The study systematically identifies and evaluates the main risk scenarios affecting the power system: natural disasters, terrorist attacks, acts of sabotage, and technical incidents. In addition, to achieve an in-depth analysis, the paper also discusses the SWOT and PESTEL analyses of the Romanian power system, as well as its resilience. A multi-level risk assessment methodology is proposed, combining probabilistic analysis with severity (impact) analysis. The proposed approach is validated through case studies based on risk scenario assessments, demonstrating its effectiveness in improving microgrid performance under diverse disturbance conditions. The results highlight the critical role of proactive risk management in supporting energy security objectives, while ensuring stable and resilient operation of the Romanian power system. This research contributes to the development of adaptive and sustainable power systems, capable of addressing future challenges in an increasingly decentralized energy landscape, and can be adapted to any modern power system worldwide.

Open-pit lignite mines contain high-power converter-fed drives whose operating state strongly affects current harmonics and internal power-quality conditions. The primary objective of this study is to experimentally characterize load-dependent voltage and current harmonic regimes in an operating open-pit lignite mining electrical system and to use a simplified MATLAB/Simulink R2021b inverter-motor model only as a trend-interpretation tool. In situ measurements were obtained on the E05 SRS 1300-26/3.5 bucket-wheel excavator and associated conveyor systems. The measurements show low voltage distortion at the monitored internal points (the Total Harmonic Distortion of Voltage (THD_U) below 1.5% in the reported cases) and strongly load-dependent current distortion, including high relative the Total Harmonic Distortion of Current (THD_I) during low-current operation. The simulation reproduces selected qualitative drive-side trends but does not represent the upstream network, feeder impedances, transformer behavior, capacitor-bank interaction, or background supply distortion; it is therefore not presented as an independently validated network model. A separate Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) calculation is retained only as an illustrative resilience scenario based on an assumed four-hour duty profile and is not used as evidence for the measured harmonic findings. The main contribution is an experimentally supported case study of load-dependent harmonic behavior in an operating lignite-mine electrical system, complemented by simulation-assisted physical interpretation and clearly separated prospective modernization implications.