Arkansas-based Forge Institute has been awarded $2 million from the U.S. Department of Energy for a new utility cybersecurity training and assistance effort.

The two-year Secure Energy Defenders Program aims to help eligible rural and municipal electric utilities strengthen defenses against digital threats.

Participating utilities will have access to the program without paying for the covered training and assistance.

What the program provides

The initiative includes introductory cybersecurity education for general utility staff and risk-management training for leaders and board members.

Technical personnel will have access to more advanced instruction focused on industrial control systems.

Additional assistance is expected to cover incident-response planning, tabletop exercises, technology monitoring strategies and supplier risk reviews.

The program will also provide access to Idaho National Laboratory expertise, including more than 2,000 hours of dedicated analyst time, according to the announcement.

Why local utilities matter

Electric providers operate systems that communities rely on every day, often with fewer cybersecurity resources than larger organizations.

A successful attack or operational disruption can affect households, businesses and essential services.

Training and planning cannot remove every risk, but they can improve readiness and coordination.

What happens next

Forge Institute will work with the utilities eligible for the funded program over the next two years.

The available announcement does not identify every participating utility or a public registration deadline.

This is a significant Arkansas workforce and infrastructure-development initiative with potential implications for communities across the state.