WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant Secretary for Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability Kevin M. Kolevar today announced five projects that have been selected for negotiation of awards of up to $7.9 million in DOE funding to develop and integrate technologically- advanced controls and cyber-security devices into our electric grid and energy infrastructure.

These projects aim to protect our Nation’s energy infrastructure from cyber attacks and seek to modernize our electricity grid, advancing the President’s efforts to increase energy and economic security.  These projects will integrate controls systems, which encompass vast networks of interconnected electronic devices that are essential in monitoring and controlling the production and distribution of energy in the electric grid and in the oil and gas infrastructure.

“The need to constantly evaluate and safeguard our electric grid and energy infrastructure is critical to ensuring reliability and economic sustainability,” Assistant Secretary Kolevar said.  “Energy systems are integral to our daily lives, and maintaining a consistent supply of energy is vital to our national security.”

Applicants selected for projects will provide at least 20 percent of the cost, bringing the joint DOE and industry investment to $10.6 million.  DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory will manage these projects, which are expected to be completed in two to three years.  DOE funding is expected to be allocated in Fiscal Years (FY) 2007-2010, subject to appropriations from Congress, with $900K from FY2007 and $3 million requested in FY2008.

Selected projects are as follows:

• Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. of Pullman, WA – selected for an award of up to $1.7 million from DOE (total DOE/industry shared cost: $2.1 million) over three years to develop solutions that can be applied to existing and new control systems.  This project is expected to reduce the risk of energy disruptions due to cyber incidents on control systems.
• SRI International of Menlo Park, CA – selected for an award of up to $1.8 million from DOE (total DOE/industry shared cost: $2.6 million) over two years to develop and demonstrate an effective integrated monitoring solution to process control systems.
• Digital Bond, Inc. of Sunrise, FL – selected for an award of up to $1.1 million from DOE (total DOE/industry shared cost: $1.7 million) over two years to identify vulnerable configurations in control system devices and applications.
• EnerNex Corporation of Knoxville, TN – selected for an award of up to $2.0 million from DOE (total DOE/industry shared cost: $2.5 million) to research, develop, test, and ultimately foster the commercialization and acceptance of energy community standards for security interoperability through the Lemnos Interoperable Security Program.
• Siemens Corporate Research, Inc. of Princeton, NJ – selected for an award of up to $1.3 million from DOE (total DOE/industry shared cost: $1.7 million) to develop a set of security solutions to protect intelligent power grid systems against cyber attacks.

DOE’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE) will fund these projects.  This office leads national efforts to modernize the electric grid; enhance the security and reliability of the energy infrastructure; and facilitate recovery from disruptions to the energy supply.

Media contact(s):
Megan Barnett, (202) 586-4940