Facing the reality of cyber threats in the power sector: Understanding the critical significance and need for a domain specific regulatory framework in India

Abstract

There has been a surge in the spending in the Power sector in India with an estimated spend of USD 5.8 billion as part of the National Smart Grid Mission with the key objective of turning around India’s ailing Power sector. The focus is also on driving ICT capability with the federal government specially setting up the R-APDRP (Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Program) to bring about rapid development and modernization of the State Electricity Boards in India. But the most pressing issue right now is the huge threats that cyber attacks pose for the Power sector; and there are currently no specific cyber security mandates or policies in India to thwart the eminent danger looming ahead. Designing Smart Grids without a proper security plan in place can lead to a crisis situation and result in weakening the country’s Power sector stability. The paper highlights key cyber security threats across the entire Power sector value chain. It is aimed at building the case for the Power sector specific cyber security regulations based on the experience of regulators in other critical infrastructure sectors like Banking and Telecom in India and Power sector regulations globally.