In news- The government recently announced the release of guidelines for cybersecurity in the power sector for the first time.
About the guidelines-
- The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has prepared the guidelines under the provision of Section 3(10) on cybersecurity in the ‘Central Electricity Authority (Amendment) Regulations, 2019‘.
- It lays down a cyber assurance framework, strengthens the regulatory framework, puts in place mechanisms for security threat early warning, vulnerability management and response to security threats, and secures remote operations and services.
- The norms are applicable to all responsible entities as well as system integrators, equipment manufacturers, suppliers/ vendors, service providers, and IT hardware and software OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) engaged in the Indian power supply system.
- The guidelines mandate ICT-based procurement from identified ‘trusted sources’ and ‘trusted products’ or else the product has to be tested for malware/ hardware trojan before deployment for use in the power supply system network.
- The CEA is also working on cybersecurity regulations. These cybersecurity guidelines are a precursor to the same.
Central Electricity Authority of India (CEA)-
- CEA is a statutory organisation constituted under section 3(1) of Electricity Supply Act 1948, which has been superseded by section 70(1) of the Electricity Act 2003.
- It advises the government on policy matters and formulates plans for the development of electricity systems.
- It prescribes the standards on matters such as construction of electrical plants, electric lines and connectivity to the grid, installation and operation of meters and safety and grid standards.
- It is also responsible for concurrence of hydro power development schemes of central, state and private sectors.
- However as per section 7 of this Act, the generating stations need not follow the CEA technical standards specified for construction of electrical plants and electric lines.
- The CEA facilitates exchange of power within the country from surplus to deficit regions and with neighbouring countries for mutual benefits.
- It advises the central government, state governments and regulatory commissions on all technical matters relating to generation, transmission and distribution of electricity.
Source: The Hindu
