DOE awards $6 million to NRECA to bolster cybersecurity

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded a $6 million grant to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) to expand ongoing research and development with new cybersecurity tools.

The initiative is called Essence 2.0, a three-year project to deploy cyber monitoring to NRECA’s member cooperatives. Essence 2.0 uses machine-to-machine learning to detect and share information about anomalies in utility network traffic that could result in a breach. This technology provides information that allows for isolation and definition of the breach characteristics that can be shared with others to determine if a breach is a larger, coordinated attack.

“As cyber threats and threat actors continue to evolve, so must electric co-ops’ capability to defend against them,” NRECA CEO Jim Matheson said. “Maintaining the security and resilience of the grid, and protecting consumer data, requires a flexible approach that draws on a variety of tools, resources and options. The Department of Energy recognizes the importance of this tool to our sector’s cyber readiness. We believe it will be a valuable resource in our members’ cache of cybersecurity preparedness resources.”

This project will be deployed to electric cooperatives early next year. NRECA is the national trade association representing nearly 900 local electric cooperatives.