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Europe’s energy security should be treated with the same urgency as defence, industry bosses said Friday on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
The call for action follows Russia’s barrage of attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which have exposed the European Union’s own weaknesses.
“We live in a new reality of increasing threats. This requires a fundamental shift in our mindset,” the electricity industry’s Eurelectric president Markus Rauramo said.
“Preparing for, responding to and recovering from both physical and hybrid attacks must be a key element of power companies’ strategies going forward.”
Europe’s energy infrastructure must be reinforced and its repair capabilities strengthened, they added, noting that cyber resilience should be embedded by design.
Europe has been facing a rising number of hybrid threats, including sabotage, cyberattacks, and disinformation, with experts suggesting Russia is testing Europe’s resilience.
In 2024, at least 11 attacks damaged critical infrastructure. Since 2022, 23 cyberattacks have targeted Europe’s energy sector, according to the industry.
Early this year, approximately 45,000 households in Berlin were left without electricity after high-voltage power lines were damaged in a fire.
Regardless of who is behind, Eurelectric said these incidents are increasing in scale and frequency, putting pressure on power utilities to maintain a reliable supply.
Clean power, inverters and cybersecurity
As the bloc moves toward clean power production, inverter devices have become essential as they convert direct current electricity from sources like solar panels, batteries and wind systems into alternating current electricity that can be used as power.
Without inverters, it’s not possible to integrate clean power into the grid, making these devices a key pillar of Europe’s energy security and power system stability.
However, China’s dominance in inverter production is a source of concern for Europe.
EU lawmakers urged the European Commission last November to restrict Chinese solar inverter manufacturers’ access to the bloc’s energy infrastructure, due to cybersecurity concerns.
Through companies such as Huawei, Sungrow and Growatt, China controls the majority of inverter installations in Europe — roughly 70–80% of the market — while European producers compete for the rest, according to data from PV wholesale platform sun store.
Energy and security ‘hand in hand’
The urgency to protect energy infrastructure is palpable.
For the first time, last December, NATO officials have joined EU energy ministers at the last Council to discuss the link between energy and security amid current geopolitical tensions and Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Discussions centered on protecting critical energy infrastructure, in response to attacks on underwater cables and pipelines. The goal is to foster cooperation between defense and energy policies, increasingly linked by common threats.
Attending the meeting, NATO’s deputy secretary general Radmila Šekerinskavsaid maintaining contact with energy ministers is “crucial” to ensure the integrity of critical infrastructure, which the alliance says it will protect.
“We’re worried seeing the Russian industry more entangled with China as well as its ties with Iran and North Korea. It’s time to shift to a more war mindset,” Šekerinska said, according to an EU diplomatic source familiar with the discussions.
