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In partnership between the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem), the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), and the National Energy System Operator (NESO), the Energy Sector Cyber Security Strategy sets how the government will protect energy systems and the customers who depend on them. The strategy will look to secure the future of the energy system, while closely aligning with the ambition for delivering Clean Power 2030, net-zero and long-term energy security. 

Call to Action  

The four departments involved will act as ‘Quad Partners’, each playing an active role in improving the sector’s resilience and security. DESNZ will act as the lead department, Ofgem as the energy regulator responsible for monitoring compliance, NCSC as the technical support function and NESO providing whole-system coordination and analysis. 

Strategic objectives and timelines  

The strategy is structured around five pillars, each with associated milestones through to 2030.   

Understanding threat, vulnerability and risk 

By the end of 2026, the energy sector will have improved its understanding of cyber security risks to the most critical areas, with preliminary supply chain security principles in place. By 2027, government will have developed the capacity to engage with and assess the energy supply chain and by 2030, designated critical suppliers will be clearly defined with established maturity targets. 

Prevention through enhanced resilience 

The Quad Partners will work with industry to improve baseline resilience across the sector, including accelerating the adoption of cyber resilience plans and raising the standards expected of Operators of Essential Services (OES). By 2027, government will assess the NIS regulatory threshold and promote security by design in new infrastructure. Full resilience uplift across the Distributed Generation and Energy (DGE) system is targeted by 2030. 

Preparedness, response and recovery 

The Quad Partners will drive improved threat detection capabilities through advanced monitoring, comprehensive security testing and cross-cutting incident response exercises. Government will work with industry to test collective response capabilities this year, scope detection maturity and deliver a pilot scheme in 2027–28, with advanced capability testing established by 2030. 

Monitoring, regulation and enforcement 

NIS operators will be expected to achieve full compliance with existing regulations and ministerial targets, with the Quad Partners encouraging the adoption of deeper assurance mechanisms such as Cyber Assurance Schemes (CyAS) and Cyber Resilience Audits (CRA). 

Partnership, culture and skills 

The Quad Partners will foster a cyber security culture built on risk awareness, collaboration, capability and intelligence sharing. A CEO-level tabletop exercise will be delivered by the end of 2028 to ensure practical understanding of cyber risks at the most senior levels. 

techUK view 

This strategy comes at a critical time for the UK’s energy sector, which is navigating increased pressures, from supply disruptions to higher import costs. Where once a power outage caused inconvenience, today it can grow across interconnected systems, from electronic transactions to telecoms and water infrastructure, which could cause significant consequences for businesses and society. The increasingly digitalised world has only placed more importance on the security and resilience of the sector.  

The strategy sets out a clear signal from government, that meeting regulations and frameworks will no longer meet their expectations. What is now expected is a whole system approach, from understanding supply chain risks to embedding a culture of collaboration across the sector.   

techUK and its members looks forward to working with the Quad Partners to support the strategy's implementation and to strengthen the security and resilience of the UK's energy sector. 

You can read the strategy in full here. 

Cyber Resilience Programme activities