CESER's Preparedness, Policy, and Risk Analysis (PPRA) division leads the Department's sector risk management efforts by identifying, analyzing, and prioritizing risks across all hazards facing the energy sector, by engaging all levels of government and the private sector, creating products, and sharing threat information. Through targeted analysis and a collaborative approach to product development, PPRA is able to reduce and mitigate emerging threats impacting the energy sector.
PPRA helps build capacity to improve the security and resilience of the sector by sharing information, conducting exercises, and focusing on key workforce development and training initiatives within emergency preparedness and the cybersecurity arena. PPRA engages daily at an operational, technical, and policy level with partners from across the energy and cybersecurity sectors, including with Federal agencies, state and territory governments, oil, natural gas and electricity companies, academia and DOE's National Laboratories.
Areas of Focus
Each year, CESER addresses the emerging hazards of tomorrow through a series of meticulously planned, risk-oriented, threat-informed, objectives-based exercises. These engagements provide the opportunity for energy sector stakeholders to validate shared capabilities, measure sector resiliency, and identify gaps through critical evaluation and generation of actionable outputs and lessons learned.
CESER's strategy to address the energy sector cybersecurity workforce shortage is rooted in training and workforce development programs. CESER's objectives are to increase the availability of a skilled cybersecurity workforce ("pipeline"), to amplify sector workforce opportunities, and to develop efforts aligned with 're-skilling' existing employees to emerging technology and cybersecurity roles. Combined, these efforts will grow bench strength, depth in numbers, and build cyber resiliency.
CESER advises, analyzes, and/or disseminates energy security and cybersecurity policies, guidelines, and best practices tailored to the energy sector. CESER works closely with the inter-agency and private sector on supporting policy products that will enable a more secure and resilient energy sector. As the Sector Risk Management Agency, CESER represents the sector in Federal policy initiatives, such as the National Cybersecurity Strategy released in 2023 and National Security Memorandum/NSPM-2 issued in 2025.
State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) governments play a critical role in energy security planning and emergency response. CESER's SLTT Program enhances energy security capabilities, advances emergency preparedness, and strengthens the coordination of response and recovery across all natural and manmade hazards.
CESER collaborates with government agencies, industry partners, academic institutions, and international organizations to advance security and resilience and facilitate a more coordinated and effective national response. CESER leads through joint initiatives, information sharing, and collaborative projects. This includes participating in public-private partnerships, and cross-sector working groups focused on innovation and workforce development.
CESER's risk analysis function evaluates the threat landscape to develop consequence assessments and prioritize risks to energy sector. The risk analysis function works in close partnership with private sector, inter-agency, and National Laboratory partners to develop the methods, models, tools, and capabilities to enhance the Department's analytical capacity to make quantitative decisions that support national security.