Cybersecurity for the Energy Edge is enabling utility operators to secure the grid by detecting cyber threats.
Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response
September 3, 2026
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The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) has partnered with Sandia National Laboratory (SNL) on Communications and Cybersecurity for the Energy Edge (C2E2), which automates power grid data engineering and enables utility operators to detect and locate the source of cyber threats.
As part of CESER’s Artificial Intelligence For Operationally Resilient Technologies and Systems (AI-FORTS) program, C2E2 uses large language models (LLMs) and generative artificial intelligence (AI) to help grid security operators quickly identify when and where system attacks take place. C2E2 provides several benefits to utility operators, including:
- Automating system data, streamlining this process from two months to a few hours.
- Detecting and locating the source of cyber threats with 95% accuracy.
- Providing high-quality, actionable intelligence on where the threat is occurring in near real-time.
SNL’s next phase of research for C2E2 will focus on understanding and preventing AI hallucinations—instances where generative AI models produce fabricated or incorrect data. For critical infrastructure, a hallucination could mean missing a real cyberattack or falsely flagging a non-existent threat. Through C2E2, CESER and SNL are further securing the U.S. electric grid and keeping the lights on for hardworking American families and businesses.
Visit SNL’s website to learn more about this project.