The Future of Energy Is Digital – The Risk is Cyber
Digital transformation is now mission-critical for the UK’s energy transition. But transformation without resilience is risky. The energy sector is facing a convergence of complexity, regulation, and cyber threat. Leadership teams must respond accordingly.
At our recent Digitalisation in Energy event hosted in partnership with Amentum, Iain Dougan, Head of OT and Cyber at SSENN Transmission, offered an unfiltered, inside look at one of the UK’s fastest-growing infrastructure transformations, and what it means for cybersecurity, operational resilience, and the path to net zero.
His keynote was a lesson in how fast critical infrastructure can scale, and how quickly the risks scale with it.
The backbone of Net Zero runs through transmission
SSEN Transmission is a central player in the UK’s energy transition. Its role? Move renewable energy from where it’s generated, often remote parts of Scotland, to where it’s needed across the UK. That means building 70 new substations, 1,400km of overhead lines, and handling a sixfold increase in power flow by 2030.
There is no energy transition without transmission,” Iain noted. “You can build all the wind turbines you want, but if you can’t get the energy to the grid, it goes nowhere.
The investment is massive, £22 billion by 2031, and the pressure is immense. Without a resilient network, the UK’s clean power ambitions stall.
As the business has scaled, so has its exposure to cyber risk. SSEN Transmission is now part of a highly connected energy system. A 24-hour outage on its network could cost Scotland’s economy over £1.2 billion. And future substations, including the UK’s first fully digital substation going live in 2027, require even tighter controls.
Substations have become cyber targets. And frontline engineers, once focused only on physical assets, are now critical cyber engineers too.
We’re shifting from repelling basic threats to preparing for sophisticated ones. Nation-state actors are no longer theoretical.
For SSEN Transmission, keeping up with these risks meant an enormous cultural shift. It has grown to 2,300+ people, with more than 100 in digital and cyber set to double again. It’s deploying digital twins, predictive analytics, simulation environments, and connected sensors across a sprawling network.
When we started, we had to explain digital transformation by using Netflix as a reference point,” said Iain. “Now, teams expect it. They demand it.
This digital foundation has become critical to the business’s ability to scale safely and sustainably, and to maintain public trust.
The basics still matter most
Despite the complexity of threats, one lesson was clear: people still pose the greatest risk, and the greatest defence.
Referencing recent high profile breaches, Iain reinforced the need for vigilance:
It looks like a basic phishing email caused hundreds of millions in losses. That’s the scary bit, highly capable organisations undone by the simplest error.
One of the most practical insights shared was around engaging frontline teams in cyber resilience. SSEN Transmission has worked hard to build awareness among field engineers who work daily in substations and remote assets.
Simple habits like scanning devices before connecting them, knowing what signs to watch for, and feeling confident in raising concerns have become part of standard training.
It’s just basic things like thinking about what you’re plugging in,” Iain said. “And knowing what to do if something seems wrong.
This kind of cultural shift is essential across the energy sector. Cyber doesn’t start in the server room, it starts in the field, with the people who interact with systems every day.
Supply chains: The new risk focus
As the energy system becomes more digital and interconnected, SSEN is being asked not just “Who do you work with?” but “Who do your suppliers work with?”
Cyber risk now extends across multiple layers of the supply chain, fourth and fifth-party risk is now on the radar, and regulatory expectations are increasing. Government authorities can now mandate which suppliers utility companies can and cannot use, and those rules are evolving quickly.
The challenge for SSEN, and others in the sector, is balancing robust assurance with operational flexibility, especially when global vendors are now choosing which markets they want to serve.
What’s next for digital and cyber in SSEN?
As SSEN Transmission enters its next regulatory period its digital and cyber ambitions are even higher:
- First fully digital substation goes live in 2027
- Focus on digital twins, integrated project management, and real-time simulation
- Continued investment in OT cyber capability and advanced CAF alignment
But Iain made it clear: this is about more than technology.
Key Takeaways for energy and infrastructure leaders
Iain’s keynote offered a powerful lens on what digitalisation really looks like in a high-risk, high-reward environment. The lessons extend far beyond SSEN:
- Cybersecurity must scale with growth, or risk overtaking it. As the network scales, so do the risks – and so must your capability.
- Field teams, engineers, and contractors are your hidden cybersecurity frontline – train them like it
- Digital transformation isn’t a side project. It’s a core enabler for net zero, cost control, and operational resilience.
- Cyber assurance must go beyond first-tier suppliers. The chain is only as strong as its weakest unseen link.
- Data must be governed, not just collected. Without a plan, data becomes a liability.
CIH Perspective: What this means for you
At Cyber Innovation Hub, we echo many of the challenges SSEN Transmission shared – and we’re building solutions to meet them. From cyber testbeds to bitesize training and real-world simulations, we’re helping teams across critical industries get ready for what’s next.
Digital transformation can’t come at the cost of security. It’s time to build resilient-by-design systems, empowered teams, and a culture where cyber is part of every conversation.
If SSEN’s story is a glimpse of the future, the time to act is now.
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