Between 26 February 2024 and 8 April 2024 the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero issued a consultation on proposed changes to the main-body SEC and SEC Appendices aiming to support continuity of the CPA Scheme. This encompasses arrangements for assuring that smart metering devices, which operate as part of the Smart Metering System in Great Britain, meet the required cyber security standard. The proposals enable the transfer of overall responsibility to deliver, maintain, and operate the CPA Scheme from the current owner and operator National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to the SEC Panel’s Security Sub-Committee (SSC).
The Department has now issued its response to this consultation (and the associated legal drafting). Copies of the response and associated legal drafting can be found here.
On 24 May 2024, the Department laid these changes before Parliament. Subject to Parliamentary process, the changes are expected to be introduced into the main-body SEC in the autumn of 2024.
To support an effective transition to the new arrangements, the Department is now also consulting on the initial draft version of the CPA Transition Approach Document that will undo most of the CPA-related changes until the transition to the new arrangements is ready to begin. A copy of the draft CPA transition approach document can be found here.
Comments on this document should be submitted by 5 pm on 12 July 2024 to: smartmetering@energysecurity.gov.uk