The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will provide $5 million in funding to two National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) programs: the Trusted Industrial Cybersecurity Community Threat Analysis Center (TICCC-TAC) and the Strategic Program for Rural Knowledge Development (SPARC) for strengthening cyber protection of electric cooperatives.

“Electric cooperatives work together to identify and manage evolving threats, promote continuous improvement, and develop solutions to keep the electric grid safe,” said NRECA CEO Jim Matheson. “This funding will play an important role in providing cooperatives with the tools they need to better protect their systems and member information.”

While TICCC-TAC will receive $3 million, SPARK will receive $2 million from the Department of Energy’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response (CESER) under the Rural and Municipal Enterprises Advanced Cybersecurity (RMUC) program that was created bipartisan 2021 commission. infrastructure law.

TICCC-TAC will expand and strengthen NRECA’s Research Threat Analysis Center to help electric cooperatives focus on core cyber threats, respond quickly with the necessary expertise, and collaborate confidentially with the broader intelligence community.

SPARK will address the challenges rural co-ops face in building cybersecurity skill sets by providing free or low-cost training in the most under-resourced areas. The program will also provide cooperatives with the opportunity to learn how to improve network resilience.

“As evidenced by overwhelming program support, broad and growing participation in NRECA’s Cyber ​​Goals Program and our annual Co-op Cyber ​​Technology Project, as well as other events, electric cooperatives are hungry for cybersecurity training and resources to protect their members and the Grid,” said Carter Manyusi, director of cybersecurity NRECA.