The Association of European Distribution System Operators (E.DSO), the European Network for Cyber Security (ENCS), the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) and the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E), together hosted a public conference on power grids cybersecurity in Athens on Thursday 21 September.
The event was also held in partnership with the European Energy – Information Sharing & Analysis Centre (EE-ISAC) and was organized as part of the cybersecurity week of ENISA.
As cybersecurity becomes more dominant in all sectors, the conference explored the latest developments for the electricity grids to remain prepared for new cyber risks.
The conference also addressed the critical aspects of skills and resource needs to meet the increasing demand from the sector to work with skilled resources to ensure up-to-date preparedness for cybersecurity incidents.
Participants engaged with sector experts on the latest cyber threats, identified with testimonials sharing concrete cases. Both industry representatives and institutions of the European Union discussed how the current and future regulatory frameworks address the risks arising from rogue actors in the pan-European arena and how the regulatory frameworks create a platform for new talent. Regulatory frameworks, such as the NIS 2 Directive, the Network Code on Cybersecurity, the Cyber Resilience Act and others, are at the heart of these discussions, bridging the gap and creating new opportunities.
The conference gathered 120 participants in Athens and more than 200 online and saw the participation of senior experts from the EU Commission, the TSO and DSO community, the EU Energy regulator and many others.
The new regulatory frameworks, such as the Network Code on Cybersecurity, will bring end users, regulators, electricity entities and the whole electricity community to a new, more cyber-secure reality, where the efforts and resources of the parties are harmonised. The discussions concluded on the recognition that cybersecurity has become a matter beyond the IT sector and that in a more digitalised world, all parties are holders of cyber security.
You can find the presentations of the conference here. If you missed the event, you can watch it here.
