The energy transition is increasingly a digital transition. Smart grids, battery storage, AI-based management systems, smart meters and distributed energy resources are making power systems more flexible and efficient. At the same time, they are creating new dependencies on software, data, communications and remote access.
This raises an increasingly important question: can cyber resilience develop as quickly as the digital energy system itself?
A new article published by New Polis examines how digitalisation is changing the meaning of energy security. Drawing on recent UNECE case studies and cybersecurity data, it looks at vulnerabilities emerging across connected energy infrastructure, from IT/OT systems and battery storage to smart grids and distributed energy resources.
One of the key challenges is scale. A vulnerability affecting a single connected device may have limited consequences, but the risk changes when thousands of batteries, inverters, smart meters or other assets rely on common software, cloud services and remote management platforms. Cybersecurity therefore increasingly extends beyond the traditional IT perimeter of an energy company and into equipment, supply chains and the architecture of the power system itself.
The issue also has implications for investment. As energy assets become more dependent on software and digital control, cyber resilience is becoming relevant to technology selection, procurement, infrastructure planning and the long-term risks associated with energy projects.
These questions are closely connected to the agenda of Energy and Investment Days, taking place in Novi Sad on 14–15 October 2026. Energy security, infrastructure investment, grid modernisation and digital energy will be among the themes bringing together companies, investors, public authorities, technology providers and other stakeholders from across the region.
As Southeast Europe invests in new generation, grids, storage and increasingly digital energy infrastructure, resilience will need to become part of the investment conversation from the beginning, rather than an issue addressed after systems have already been deployed.
Read the full article in New Polis:
Digital Energy, New Vulnerabilities: Why Cyber Resilience Matters for the Energy Transition