The Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) Chief Innovation Officer Sharon Allan issued the following statement on the establishment of the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) Chief Innovation Officer Sharon Allan issued the following statement on the establishment of the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

"SEPA applauds Secretary of Energy Rick Perry for the establishment of the CESER," stated Sharon Allan. "Cybersecurity is top of mind for our utilities and we value our partnerships with government agencies and National Labs to promote solutions that addresses the risks. As more devices are communicating with one another, and as more distributed energy resources grow in our networks, addressing cybersecurity is key."
SEPA has been convening a multi-stakeholders cybersecurity working group for over 4 years and looks forward to continuing the partnership with DOE and others to address this topic.
SEPA recently authored two reports, Implementing Cybersecurity Frameworks: Utility Lessons Learned and Cybersecurity Information Sharing in Electric Utilities, with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), that guides all utilities on cybersecurity.
Media contact: Mike Kruger, mkruger@sepapower.org or 202-280-1556.

About SEPA
The Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) is an educational nonprofit working to facilitate the utility industrys transition to a clean energy future through education, research, standards and collaboration. SEPA offers a range of research initiatives and resources, as well as conferences, educational events and professional networking opportunities. SEPA is founder and co-sponsor of Solar Power International and winner of the Keystone Policy Centers 2016 Leadership in Energy Award. For more information, visit www.sepapower.org.