DNV has called on the energy sector to treat infrastructure resilience as a strategic and societal necessity in the face of increasingly complex threats.
From Concern to Control
The company unveiled its new ‘From Concern to Control’ position paper at the ONS conference.
The independent energy expert and assurance provider’s paper introduces a new Resilience Framework and highlights the mindset shift needed to move resilience from a compliance exercise to a strategic priority.
Drawing on DNV’s deep expertise in risk management in the energy sector, the framework provides a systems-wide, risk-based blueprint for understanding vulnerabilities, prioritising action and strengthening preparedness and recovery.
At its launch, DNV stressed that no organisation can solve these challenges on its own as risks can cascade through infrastructure, supply chains, economies and societies.
DNV highlighted that in it’s recent ‘Industry Insights’ data surveying more than 1,000 senior energy professionals, it found that more than half said their organisations lacked a clearly defined and regularly updated resilience strategy.
The paper emphasises that the threat landscape facing the sector is fundamentally different from a decade ago, as geopolitical tensions, climate change, growing digitalization, AI and supply chain dependencies have created new and interconnected risks.
Critical energy infrastructure now rarely faces one singular threat in isolation.
Instead, vulnerabilities in one area can cascade into physical or technical failures spanning an entire value chain.
These threats can combine to impact the supply and cost of energy, and will only be intensified without a collaborative, systems-wide approach to resilience, the company added.
Framework
The framework sets out a four-step cycle:
- Analyse risks
- Prioritise investments
- Implement measures
- Check and validate
It applies this continuous cycle across five dimensions:
- Organisation
- People
- Physical assets
- IT and cyber
- Supply chain
The company explained that it is intended to help stakeholders embed a resilience mindset into core investment planning and to align on risk assessment, prepare for shocks, defend systems in real time, and recover safely after an incident.
“Companies can have real confidence”
Ditlev Engel, CEO, Energy Systems at DNV said: “As a sector, we must treat resilience as fundamental to everyday operations.
“Quite simply, it is a strategic and societal necessity as it protects our ability to provide energy that is reliable, affordable and sustainable.”
Engel continued: “Without integrating security into core investment planning, organisations run the risk of suffering attacks that could impact the grid and other vital infrastructure and disrupt economic and societal stability.
“What we want to do is turn vulnerabilities into areas in which companies can have real confidence.
“Whether it is the public or private sectors, resilience must be embedded in every step of the energy value chain, or we risk accidents or attacks that could have serious consequences,” he concluded.
Attacking infrastructure
According to the company, the report details several examples of attacks by malicious actors on infrastructure, including opportunistic cyber-attacks, damaging of subsea gas pipelines and LNG terminals and tankers being targeted by missiles.
Evolving policy and extreme weather events have also had indirect impact on the reliability of energy systems.
The framework reflects DNV’s position as a global independent assurance and risk management provider, combining international expertise with local presence and market-specific knowledge to support governments, defence organisations, utilities and infrastructure owners as they build resilience into daily operations.
“Resilient and prepared for the worst”
Derek Riezebos, Defence & Security Manager for Northern Europe, Energy Systems at DNV commented: “Risk and threats are constants in the energy sector, and few organizations can have complete visibility of their vulnerabilities.
“But understanding critical dependencies, reducing single points of failure and maintaining response, restart and recovery plans can help organisations move from concern to control.
“Recent prolonged blackouts have demonstrated the cascading impact on transport, communications, hospitals and other critical services,” Riezebos added.
“Around the world, businesses and governments have a responsibility to ensure that energy systems are resilient and prepared for the worst.
He concluded: “Threats to infrastructure are evolving faster than many organisations can adapt, making it increasingly important to ensure safeguards are at a sufficient standard to limit their impact.”