12/03/2026 | Cyber security
New threats and new tools: reinventing energy security for an era of instability
12 March 2026 - RenewableUK report
Our security landscape has fundamentally shifted, and we now live in a world of geopolitical risks posed by instability from the Americas, China and the Middle East, as well as Russia. Recent incidents, including cyberattacks, undersea cable damage and suspicious naval activity near UK seabed infrastructure, demonstrate the types of deniable, disruptive operations that can undermine energy resilience without triggering open war. The ‘grey zone’ nature of these attacks complicates both attribution and response.
'New threats and new tools: reinventing energy security for an era of instability' examines how the changing character of conflict is reshaping threats to the UK’s energy system, and what that implies for energy security as an element of national security. The report draws on a literature review, expert interviews and a tabletop wargame run with the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) to stress-test UK resilience under three plausible winter-time energy crisis scenarios, before providing six recommendations for Government that will help us deploy the new tools we need to meet the threats of this age.
Find out more about investing in and safeguarding the UK’s domestic energy supply as a national security priority
Read the report