HD Supply Utilities, an electric utilities distributor in North America, and N-Dimension Solutions, a provider of cyber security solutions for the smart grid, announced they have commissioned a cyber security system for the city of Princeton, Illinois.

The partnership with N-Dimension is significant as the cyber solution is a vital component of HD Supply's integrated, end-to-end smart grid solution, GridAdvance. N-Dimension is the exclusive partner for cyber security to Hometown Connections of the American Public Power Association (APPA).

“We were able to deliver a truly comprehensive cyber security solution for the city of Princeton by leveraging our proven cyber security technology in conjunction with HD Supply Utilities' GridAdvance offering,” said Doug Westlund, CEO of N-Dimension, in a statement.

The city utilized a $700,000 energy efficiency grant from the Illinois' Energy Plan to deploy smart grid technologies. The smart grid project will benefit 3,700 residential and 600 commercial and industrial customers.

The partnership with HD Supply Utilities and N-Dimension will enable the City to have strong cyber security in place. The team provisioned an integrated, seamless cyber security solution that allowed the city to shape its smart grid project.

“We couldn't be happier with the cyber security system. We went from not having any smart grid capabilities and limited security, to being a leader in the state of Illinois,” said Jason Bird, electrical superintendent for the city of Princeton - Electric Department. “We selected HD Supply Utilities and N-Dimension because of their innovative, best-in-class smart grid cyber security solutions and their long standing background in the electric utilities sector.”

Recently, N-Dimension announced that it will be participating in a newly established collaboration with EPRI and EnergySec to establish a National Electric Sector Cyber Security Organization, sponsored by the Department of Energy.