press release
Arlington, Virginia – The National Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives received $4 million from the Department of Energy to launch Project Guardian, an initiative to strengthen the cybersecurity posture of electric cooperatives by giving them new tools to detect, respond to, and recover from cyber threats. Attacks.
The funding, authorized under the Investing in Infrastructure and Jobs Act and part of the Rural and Municipal Utilities (RMUC) Cybersecurity Program, will be provided over four years by DOE’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER).
“As cyber threats evolve, so must electric collaborative efforts to protect against them,” said Jim Matheson, CEO of NRECA. “Project Guardian will accelerate ongoing cooperation in electrical cybersecurity and, in partnership with the Department of Energy, will help protect the electric grid from increasingly sophisticated cybersecurity threats and attacks.”
NRECA and a working group of electric cooperatives will use the funding to focus efforts on four areas:
Self-evaluation framework. NRECA will revamp its self-assessment program to help cooperatives understand their cybersecurity strengths and weaknesses while also guiding them toward greater cyber maturity. The program will help electric cooperatives develop appropriately sized incident response plans and incorporate tailored cybersecurity tabletop exercises into their planning.
Threat Analysis Center. NRECA will use its Threat Analysis Center to disseminate program content to electric cooperatives, including tabletop exercises, guidelines, live guides to using TAC, threat warnings, and other important information.
Cyber heroes. The project will develop cooperative cyber champions responsible for amplifying and cascading relevant information and updates to other electric cooperatives within their region. In partnership with other public agencies, they will establish two-way communication channels and synchronize messages related to reporting cyber attacks and collaborate before, during and after cyber attacks.
Workforce development. The project team will catalog cybersecurity roles and job descriptions aligned with industry needs, in collaboration with the Department of Energy’s national laboratories. Standardized job descriptions and career paths will help co-ops secure and retain a strong cybersecurity workforce.
The National Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives is a national trade association representing nearly 900 local electric cooperatives. From growing suburbs to remote agricultural communities, electric cooperatives serve as engines of economic development for 42 million Americans across 56 percent of the nation’s landscape. With local businesses built by the consumers they serve, electric cooperatives have meaningful relationships with rural America and invest $15 billion annually in their communities.
