The companies have committed to contribute technology and development resources to create an automated cybersecurity assessment software application
New York, NY and Richland, WA – February 3, 2021 — WizNucleus and Energy Northwest (EN) are bringing together years of technology and development expertise to create a cyber security software application to yield regulatory requirement efficiencies for nuclear energy facilities and other critical infrastructure.
The new platform is based on WizNucleus Cyberwiz-Pro, and will include advanced cyber assessment methodologies, asset configuration capture, and vulnerability assessments to support industry challenges and changing regulatory requirements.
In the energy sector, nuclear energy facilities, like Energy Northwest’s 1,207-megawatt Columbia Generating Station, have years of success and expertise in cybersecurity which allows these facilities to stand amongst the most secure in the country.
With technology continuously advancing, keeping up with the latest regulatory requirements and assessment methodologies is time and resource intensive for nuclear licensees. To combat this, the industry has come up with several processes that address assessment requirements and enables protection of critical digital assets. New assessment methodologies are being introduced for efficiencies and to reduce the workload that is required for assessing critical assets in compliance with regulatory standards. That’s where the collaboration between EN and WizNucleus takes shape.
“It’s part of Energy Northwest’s mission to provide innovative, cost-effective solutions. Through this agreement, we’ll help build a system that will enable nuclear facilities to continuously be more secure, while reducing the effort and costs of doing cyber assessments,” said Greg Cullen, EN vice president of Energy Services & Development.
WizNucleus CEO, Krish Shetty said, “We are delighted to partner with and be able to draw on Energy Northwest’s industry experience and resources. I am confident that our combined effort will lead to truly great solutions and efficiencies for the industry.”
As a WizNucleus assessment software licensee, Energy Northwest and WizNucleus have worked together for several years. The new partnership will significantly augment the software’s functionality and usability by adding features to support not only EN’s nuclear facility but other electric generation types and transmission assets as well. The joint release will be made available by the end of the year.
About Energy Northwest
Energy Northwest owns and operates a diverse mix of 100% clean electricity generating resources: hydro, solar, battery storage and wind projects, and the Northwest’s only nuclear energy facility – Columbia Generating Station. As an independent joint operating agency of Washington state, Energy Northwest comprises 27 public power member utilities from across the state serving more than 1.5 million customers. The agency continually explores new generation projects to meet its members’ needs.
About WizNucleus
WizNucleus provides cyber and physical security solutions to nuclear and electric grid customers. The company’s Cyberwiz-Pro software is used by nuclear and electric enterprises to manage their cyber security programs. WizNucleus has a successful track record in delivering next-generation critical infrastructure cyber and physical security solutions that detect, assess, and automate compliance.
