The bipartisan infrastructure law set aside billions of dollars to improve existing electric sector cybersecurity in rural areas and demonstrate new approaches to enhancing grid security—including through cyber and physical security. The Cyber and Physical Security Consortium is a coalition of the nation’s rural electric cooperatives working to develop and maintain a well-rounded cyber and physical security posture. The consortium will partner with federal, state and local stakeholders to identify funding opportunities and develop repeatable approaches for advanced cyber and physical security measures at electric cooperatives. The consortium serves as a forum for co-ops to share lessons learned, identify opportunities for collaboration, network with other co-ops, and learn from cyber and physical security experts.
The Consortium Seeks to Implement Solutions That:
- Enable information sharing and collaborative solutions to common problems across cyber and physical security efforts.
- Access BIL funding for cyber and physical security project creation, deployment and advancement.
- Leverage co-op partnerships to identify funding opportunities for regional or networked groupings of cyber and physical security projects.
- Create education-based programs to develop workforce solutions for new technologies within the cyber and physical security landscape.
- Establish programs that utilize new technologies to improve grid security.
For co-ops interested in joining this consortium, please visit the cooperative.com infrastructure consortia section (login-required).
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