The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has allocated $45 million to help protect the nation’s energy sector from cyber attacks. The money will be used to fund 16 projects across six states that are designed to develop new cybersecurity tools and technologies that will be used to decrease the amount of cyber risks and increase the resilience of the U.S. energy system. The program will be managed by the DOE’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) and includes projects from industry stakeholders, vendors, national laboratories, and academic institutions. Projects were submitted from Electric Power Research Institute, Inc., Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, and Texas A&M University-Kingsville.
In a recent quote, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said, “DOE is committed to strengthening the nation’s energy sector, including protecting it against current or emerging cyber threats that would threaten Americans’ access to secure, reliable energy. With today’s announcement, the Biden-Harris Administration is helping help teams across the country develop innovative next-generation cybersecurity solutions for tackling modern day challenges.”