The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will grant funding of $5 million to National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s (NRECA) two programs, the Trusted Industrial Control Cybersecurity Community–Threat Analysis Center (TICCC-TAC) and the Strategic Program for Advancing Rural Knowledge (SPARK), for strengthening electric cooperatives’ cyber defenses.
“Electric co-ops work together to identify and manage growing threats, promote continuous improvement and develop solutions that keep the electric grid secure,” said NRECA CEO, Jim Matheson. “This funding will play an important role in ensuring co-ops have the tools they need to better protect their systems and member information.”
While TICCC-TAC will receive $3 million, SPARK will be provided $2 million from DOE’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) through its Rural and Municipal Utility Advanced Cybersecurity (RMUC) program, which was created by the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law.
TICCC-TAC will expand and enhance the NRECA Research Threat Analysis Center to help electric co-ops focus on major cyberthreats, respond quickly with the necessary expertise and engage with the broader intelligence community with discretion.
SPARK will deal with the challenges faced by rural co-ops in building cybersecurity skillsets by providing free or low-cost training to the most under-resourced areas. The program will also provide opportunities for co-ops to learn to improve grid resilience.
“As evidenced by the programs’ great support, the large and growing participation in NRECA’s Cyber Goals Program and our annual Co-op Cyber Tech, among other activities, electric co-ops are eager for cybersecurity training and resources to protect their members and the grid,” said Carter Manucy, NRECA director of cybersecurity.
