DOE’s CyFERS event highlights cross-sector coordination and evolving cyber risk strategies for national energy resilience. ESG BROADCAST shares key takeaways.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) convened a groundbreaking cybersecurity summit in Salt Lake City, Utah, aimed at bolstering energy resilience through state and federal cooperation. The Cybersecurity for Energy Resilience Summit (CyFERS), hosted by DOE’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER), brought together over 80 participants from 40 states across three days to address the growing complexity of cyber threats facing America’s energy infrastructure.
As cyberattacks increasingly target operational technology in critical sectors, the summit focused on strengthening communication channels between federal agencies, state energy offices, regulatory bodies, and national laboratories. CyFERS was the first large-scale event of its kind centered on public-private energy security partnerships, underlining the urgent need for integrated defense strategies in light of advanced persistent threats.
The summit featured a series of deep-dive sessions on cyber threat intelligence, vulnerability assessments, and physical-cyber risk convergence. Attendees engaged in hands-on simulations, reinforcing real-world preparedness across utility networks and control systems. Director of CESER Alex Fitzsimmons opened the event by emphasizing that “to win the AI race and onshore manufacturing, we must ensure the security and resilience of America’s energy sector.”
“The CyFERS conference, and the collaborations it helped generate among state leaders, will be instrumental in fortifying our national energy infrastructure,” Fitzsimmons added, tying the effort to President Trump’s Executive Order on Achieving Efficiency Through State and Local Preparedness. That order tasks federal entities with equipping local governments with the tools to better anticipate and respond to emerging threats.
Strategic coordination with major associations such as the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), the National Governors Association (NGA), and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) amplified the conference’s impact. These bodies helped tailor the summit’s agenda to reflect on-the-ground challenges faced by states managing legacy grids alongside modern cyber risks.
“By giving state officials practical strategies, resources, and a network of peers working toward a common problem, we can bolster their role in securing their most critical assets against cyberattacks,” said Megan Levy, SLTT Program Manager at CESER. “This event was a resounding success in that regard.”
The summit established a replicable framework for future federal-state cyber collaboration in the energy sector, as well as ongoing stakeholder engagement in response to evolving technological and geopolitical risk landscapes.
Strategic significance lies in CyFERS’ role as a model for scaling cybersecurity preparedness across decentralized infrastructure systems—a critical need as the U.S. advances toward smarter, more interconnected grids. For ESG professionals, the summit reinforces the vital intersection between environmental governance and digital security within energy transition pathways.
ESG BROADCAST will continue monitoring the updates related to this topic. Stay tuned to be updated on the related policy and pivotal regulatory shift.
