Facilitating Global Interoperability of Cyber Regulations in the Electricity Sector

The document argues that the current fragmented and inconsistent state of global cyber regulations in the electricity sector increases costs and diverts resources from actual security improvements. It proposes a shift from a compliance-based mindset to one prioritizing cybersecurity best practices and outlines ten key themes for regulatory interoperability, including the adoption of international standards like ISO 27001 and ISA/IEC 62443. The paper emphasizes the need for common taxonomies for incident reporting and information sharing, consistent risk assessment across IT and OT environments, and shared responsibility for cybersecurity throughout the supply chain.

• Current cybersecurity regulations for the electricity sector are fragmented, inconsistent, and sometimes conflicting, which forces organizations to prioritize regulatory compliance over the actual strengthening of cybersecurity defenses.
• Regulatory interoperability is hindered by differences in national priorities, legal systems, and specific laws regarding data privacy and incident reporting thresholds.
• The Systems of Cyber Resilience: Electricity (SCRE) initiative advocates for a shift in mindset where cybersecurity best practices and proactive protocols are prioritized over mere regulatory compliance.
• The SCRE community recommends the adoption of mature international standards, specifically ISO 27001 and the ISA/IEC 62443 series, to avoid the creation of unique national or regional standards.
• To improve global resilience, the paper calls for the establishment of a common worldwide information-sharing protocol and taxonomy, as well as a standardized international incident reporting taxonomy.
• The document emphasizes that risk assessment methodologies must be applied consistently across both information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) environments.
• The SCRE initiative asserts that every organization within the electricity supply chain must be responsible for the cybersecurity of its own scope of work to ensure ecosystem-wide resilience.

APA

World Economic Forum (2023). Facilitating Global Interoperability of Cyber Regulations in the Electricity Sector. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Facilitating_Global_Interoperability_Cyber_Regulations_2023.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Facilitating Global Interoperability of Cyber Regulations in the Electricity Sector. 2023. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Facilitating_Global_Interoperability_Cyber_Regulations_2023.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=World Economic Forum |title=Facilitating Global Interoperability of Cyber Regulations in the Electricity Sector |date=November 2023 |url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Facilitating_Global_Interoperability_Cyber_Regulations_2023.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{worldeconomicforum2023facilitating, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Facilitating Global Interoperability of Cyber Regulations in the Electricity Sector}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2023}, month = nov, url = {https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Facilitating_Global_Interoperability_Cyber_Regulations_2023.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }