mobile image

Hydro-Québec: Essential partnerships in critical infrastructure resilience

The global energy transition is in full swing, and Hydro-Québec is a key player in this rapidly changing environment. The vision for Hydro-Québec 4.0 is based on three major priorities: greater customer empowerment, asset digitization and a grid of the future. Achieving this vision also requires a comprehensive cyber resilience strategy, with a particular focus on defence in depth and public-private partnerships. The government of Canada has developed a National Cyber Security Strategy that empowers both government and private sector partners to meet their goals, even as technologies and cyber threats evolve. The Strategy identifies the leadership role of the government and conveys the importance of strengthening collaboration, particularly through the establishment of services such as the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (Centre) and the National Cybercrime Coordination Unit within the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. As an operator of critical infrastructure, Hydro-Québec actively partners with these entities, working specifically with the Centre specifically on a daily basis to improve both organizational cybersecurity and the holistic security of the power grid. For example, there have been several situations where the timely receipt of threat information allowed Hydro-Québec to proactively improve security posture before actual cyberattacks. Beyond partnership with the government, Hydro-Québec is also an active participant in the Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (E-ISAC).21 The E-ISAC provides a forum for the organization to share information on cyber issues affecting the industry and best practices for managing these issues with a network of peers. Partnerships on cyber resilience are essential in protecting Canada’s critical infrastructure and provide advantages to all parties.

Year published
01 January 2019
Organization involved
Avatar Image
Hydro Québec