A strategic partnership to strengthen offshore wind cybersecurity
Published on 18/04/2025
France Energies Marines, the national research and innovation institute for offshore wind, and France Cyber Maritime, an association dedicated to strengthening cybersecurity in the French maritime and port sectors, have formed a strategic partnership to support the offshore wind industry in facing the growing challenges of digitalisation and cybersecurity.
The issues of energy sovereignty and cybersecurity of vital infrastructures necessitate the identification of risks, the development of protective measures and best practices, as well as the implementation of technological solutions to ensure the security of offshore wind energy production infrastructures. These issues are particularly important given that the infrastructures are located in environments highly exposed to risks, where operational response to an incident can be extremely complex due to access conditions. Therefore, interactions between the cybersecurity sector, maritime digitalisation, and offshore wind must be considered comprehensively, throughout the entire lifecycle of the wind farms, from the initial development phases to their operation.
Increasing challenges related to the digitalisation of offshore infrastructures
The rise of offshore wind is accompanied by increased digitalisation of infrastructures and support services for operations: hybridisation of industrial automation and digital infrastructures; distributed architectures (edge, cloud); advanced connectivity technologies (private 5G networks, satellite, encryption); connected sensors (IoT); big data, digital twins, and artificial intelligence for service monitoring; automation of inspections (drones, UAVs, ROVs); and remote environmental monitoring. This digital presence is essential to ensure energy production and maintain the operational conditions of the parks in an economically viable manner, but it also comes with exposure to cyber threats. As vital infrastructures, offshore electricity production and transport sites face critical and growing cybersecurity challenges, including regulatory compliance, as suggested by the implementation of the European Union’s Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA).
Combined expertise to address cybersecurity challenges
In this context, the partnership between France Energies Marines and France Cyber Maritime stands out as a natural alliance aimed at supporting the offshore wind sector in managing digital risks. This partnership will focus on several key areas:
- Co-authoring a white paper on cybersecurity applied to offshore wind, in collaboration with the Syndicat des Énergies Renouvelables (SER).
- Implementing joint awareness and training actions for sector stakeholders.
- Creating a directory of expert cybersecurity companies for offshore wind.
- Contributing to the development and testing of cybersecurity solutions specific to offshore infrastructures.
Through this cooperation, France Energies Marines will leverage its in-depth expertise in offshore wind and associated digital technologies, while France Cyber Maritime will bring its know-how in maritime and port cybersecurity.