CURITIBA, BRAZIL – Today, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency awarded a grant to Copel Geração e Transmissão S.A. (Copel), an electricity generation and transmission company in the State of Paraná, supporting the development of a cybersecurity needs assessment and implementation plan.  The technical assistance will develop the specifications and requirements for a follow-on pilot to be implemented directly by Copel.

As the energy sector can often be a target for cyberattacks, it is important to secure networks in order to prevent attacks and protect sensitive information. This project will help identify system vulnerabilities and develop an implementation plan for cybersecurity solutions using the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Critical Infrastructure Protection Plan (CIP) as a reference.

“U.S. companies are leading innovators of cybersecurity solutions,” said Nathan Younge, USTDA’s Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, “and we hope that cutting-edge U.S. solutions can support Copel’s cybersecurity objectives.  We look forward to seeing the positive results that will come from this project.”

U.S. businesses interested in submitting proposals for this USTDA-funded technical assistance should visit the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) website at www.fbo.gov. A link to the FBO announcement will be posted to USTDA’s website at www.ustda.gov/work/bid-on-an-overseas-project.