International co-operation needed to mitigate and prevent impact of extreme weather events on the energy grid, energy and climate experts say at OSCE webinar

The necessity to identify and address threats to energy networks through robust and effective risk prevention and management policies has never been greater, said experts during an OSCE webinar on protecting critical energy infrastructures in the age of extreme weather held on 13 July 2021. 

“Protecting energy networks has become a top security concern for OSCE participating States, as the consequences of extreme weather and natural disasters increasingly threaten the operations of critical infrastructure across the globe,” said Daniel Kroos, Senior Programme Officer of Energy Security and moderator of the event. “The extreme weather events of the last decades, including the deadly heatwaves that hit several OSCE States in the last weeks, have shown that countries with very different climate conditions, energy systems and levels of development are similarly exposed to the impact of climate change.”

Some 50 national experts representing ministries, transmissions operators, energy companies and civil society across the OSCE region joined this awareness-raising webinar, organized by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities.

The event brought together speakers from the World Meteorological Organization, Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago, the University of Tokyo, the European Commission and the Center for Security Studies (KEMEA) in Athens.

Participants shared lessons learned from extreme weather events in different regions and discussed how weather data can be made available to grid operators in a timely and effective manner to prepare for short- and long-term weather extremes. They also explored topics related to energy production and power markets, such as infrastructure models and risk mitigation strategies.  

In recent years, the OSCE has worked on facilitating working-level exchanges between electricity regulators, transmissions operators and other energy professionals working on critical infrastructure. This includes the launch in 2019 of the OSCE Virtual Competency and Training Centre on the Protection of Critical Energy Networks. In autumn 2021, the Centre will release a series of five training and education modules.