UTEP gets $500,000 grant to strengthen nuclear power plant security

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- UTEP received a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) grant to use AI to strengthen cybersecurity for nuclear power plants. The university is getting $500,000, according to officials.

UTEP says that as nuclear power plants become more and more reliant on digital systems and automation, the plants need additional protection form cyberattacks.

This new project is headed jointly by Sajedul Talukder, Ph.D, a UTEP assistant professor of computer science, and Syed Bahauddin Alam, Ph.D., assistant professor of nuclear, plasma and radiological engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC).

The team is investigating a new way of structuring plant networks, using AI to monitor systems, and utilizing a virtual testing ground.

“Together, these innovations shift nuclear cybersecurity from being reactive — waiting for attacks to happen — to being proactive,” said Talukder. “It’s an intelligent shield that adapts and evolves as quickly as the threats themselves.”