GIE launches Security Risk Assessment Methodology for Gas Infrastructure

July 29, 2014

The gas infrastructure is a network without national boundaries, which means that a failure of one portion of the network could propagate to other areas, potentially involving several countries. Thus the European Commission has identified the gas Infrastructure as a critical infrastructure.

GIE fully acknowledges the strategic importance of the gas infrastructure system for Europe. GIE takes into account the necessity to create standards to ensure a level playing field. Security risk identification helps to provide value across the energy infrastructure.

The GIE Security Risk Assessment Methodology is a common and integrated approach amongst the European energy infrastructure operators. With this methodology a next major and important step to further increase security and resilience of the gas infrastructure network in Europe has been achieved. It is another example for the active participation and contribution of gas infrastructure operators to EPCIP, the European Program for Critical Infrastructure Protection.

Why to use the GIE Security Risk Assessment Methodology?

• Tool elaborated by security experts from all over Europe with many years of practical experience, bringing different national best practice to bear;
• Co-developed by one of the world’s leading strategic consultancy;
• Robust yet easily adaptable and flexible to be used among energy companies;
• Relevant to all areas of security within a company irrespective of size and scale;
• Multiple operators in different countries already use the tool;
• Tool available for free.

The GIE Security Risk Assessment Methodology is accessible to all GIE members, ENTSO-G (the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas) and all other stakeholders interested in this field. It was presented to representatives of the European Commission and introduced to ENTSO-E, the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity.

The GIE Security Risk Assessment Methodology is published on the GIE website for further spread and knowledge exchange:
https://www.gie.eu/index.php/publications/gie
The documentation consists of (1) a detailed description, (2) a Risk Assessment Tool and (3) a summary of the Methodology in the form of a presentation.

Note to editors

Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE) is an association representing the interests of European natural gas infrastructure operators active in natural gas transmission, storage and LNG regasification. GIE is a trusted partner of European institutions, regulatory bodies and industry stakeholders. It is based in Brussels, the heart of European policymaking.

GIE currently represents 68 member companies from 25 countries. Its internal structure has three columns corresponding to the three types of infrastructure activities represented: GTE (Gas Transmission Europe), GSE (Gas Storage Europe) and GLE (Gas LNG Europe), all of which fall under the umbrella of GIE. This structure allows member companies to speak with one voice on infrastructure topics as well as to build positions on column-specific issues.

To find out more about GIE’s structure and activities, please visit our website at www.gie.eu .