The Hanover-based regional energy supplier Enercity has become the target of a hacker attack.
(Photo: dpa)
Dusseldorf The regional energy supplier Enercity from Hanover fell victim to a cyber attack on October 26th. Since then, large parts of the systems have been idle, the company wrote in an email to energy suppliers, network operators and other market participants a week ago. The mail is available to the Handelsblatt. According to its own statement, Enercity is one of the ten largest energy suppliers in Germany.
As can be seen from the letter, the hacker attack also cut the connection to the payment system and thus probably restricted important operations in the company. So far, the Enercity website has only said that there may be some restrictions in customer service.
The energy supplier’s customers will continue to be supplied with electricity and gas. But Enercity is apparently technically unable to bill and pay for this energy reliably at the moment, even though the company is liquid. Enercity is therefore asking the addressees of the mail for a “dunning block” until November 30, 2022.
At the request of the Handelsblatt, Enercity writes: “The temporary dunning block we requested, which is listed in the email to our market participants, is a preventive measure. It aims to make the payment transaction processes as smooth as possible despite the special situation.”
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The company wrote in the email to market participants that they could not be reached via the usual email addresses or by telephone: “It is not possible for us to respond to market news in a timely manner. Part of the system works and sends messages, but unfortunately another part does not.”
Market communication interrupted due to cyber attack
When asked, Enercity confirms that there may be delays in processing market inquiries. This can, for example, be a request from another energy supplier in the event that a customer wants to change gas or electricity supplier.
When asked about the possible consequences of such cases, the Federal Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) states: “Disruptions in market communication caused by cyber attacks do not have a direct effect on the energy supply.” First of all, there would be a business problem, for example in invoicing, so that cash flows are disrupted.
Enercity is also one of the largest onshore wind power operators and also owns other power plants. However, the operation of the power generation plants was spared from the attack. “Our grids and power plants are stable and the security of supply for all customers is guaranteed,” says the company’s website.
As the balancing group manager, Enercity is also the contact point for the transmission system operators. The company must be in constant contact with them to ensure that network stability is maintained. For example, the energy supplier has to deliver a quarter-hour forecast of customer consumption in the respective grid area for each day. If this does not happen, penalties are threatened. According to Enercity, the exchange with the network operators is stable “via separate lines”.
Collaboration: Claudia Scholz
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