Lithuania has decided to tighten its cybersecurity laws, banning manufacturers from countries considered a threat to national security, including China, from remotely accessing management systems for solar, wind and storage facilities. The European Solar Manufacturing Council has supported this move.
The Lithuanian parliament has passed legislation banning Chinese manufacturers from remotely accessing the country’s solar, wind and storage facilities.
“Article 733: Security Requirements for Control Systems of Electricity Equipment” aims to strengthen security measures for electricity generation and information management systems against countries classified as threats to the national security of Lithuania under its National Security Strategy.
With China on the list, the law prohibits Chinese manufacturers from accessing the systems they supply in Lithuania, preventing them from remotely managing energy parameters or turning devices on or off.
The legislation applies to information management systems and security measures in solar and wind power plants and energy storage devices with an installed capacity of more than 100 kW.
For new projects, this will come into effect on May 1, 2025, while existing storage facilities for solar energy, wind energy and energy must comply with this no later than May 1, 2026.
The European Solar Manufacturing Council (ESMC) expressed support for the changes.
“We expect and look forward to seeing these types of decisions adopted in other EU Member States,” the Council said in a statement. “The application of the net-zero industry resilience criterion to all solar and wind power plants and storage equipment, regardless of installed energy capacity, is a good opportunity to protect our information management systems from remote control risks.”
A position paper from SolarPower Europe, published in July, called on the continent to establish a harmonized baseline for cybersecurity in the solar energy sector in response to growing concerns about cyber attacks.
Lithuania had a total of 1,165 MW of installed solar energy at the end of 2023, according to figures from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
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