Billions in Stimulus Funding Hasn’t Made Power Grids Safer

A majority of energy security practitioners do not believe economic stimulus-funded smart grid projects sufficiently protect the nation against cyberattacks, according to findings reported by an Energy Department-funded public-private partnership.

The 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has paid out $2.5 billion to modernize the U.S. electric system by digitizing the way power is distributed to consumers, according to Energy financial submissions. Program plans from June 2009 stated that one goal of the initiative, which will disburse $4.5 billion, was to “enhance security and reliability of the energy infrastructure.” When asked if smart grid projects adequately addressed security, 67 percent of participants surveyed by the public-private group, EnergySec, said, no. The March 2012 survey questioned 104 energy security professionals.