WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Department of Energy (DOE) today announced they will be jointly hosting a technical conference to discuss supply chain risk management. 

The conference will be held in-person in the Commission Meeting Room at FERC headquarters from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST on December 7, 2022. 

The purpose of this conference is to discuss cyber and physical security challenges related to the Bulk Power System and potential measures to improve supply chain risk management. FERC Commissioners and DOE’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) Director will be in attendance, and panels will involve multiple DOE program offices, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), trade associations, leading vendors and manufacturers, and utilities. 

“The responsibility to secure our supply chain falls to everyone across both the Federal government and industry,” FERC Chairman Richard Glick said. “We look forward to holding this joint technical conference with our partners at DOE, as well as others across government and industry, to share insights on the best path forward to securing the energy grid of the future.” 

“DOE is leading efforts to strengthen the cybersecurity of the U.S. energy sector, including our supply chains,” said CESER Director Puesh Kumar. “This joint technical conference with FERC will inform DOE’s work on our Energy Cyber Sense program and other supply chain efforts. The Energy Cyber Sense program, informed by the technical conference, will guide DOE’s work to develop national-level policies and next-generation tools and technologies that will allow energy owners and operators to manage and mitigate the risks facing our grid.” 

The conference will be open for the public to attend and there is no fee for attendance. The conference will also be transcribed.  Information on how to register and further details about the event will be posted on the Calendar of Events on the Commission’s website.