2025 year’s edition of Powerful Innovation Days and the Island Operations Conference brought together researchers, energy companies, authorities and security experts in Ludvika on November 27-28. The theme was highly topical: how we strengthen the energy system at a time when digitization, cyber threats and an uncertain environment in the world make the electricity grid more vulnerable than ever.
This year’s well-attended conference was the sixteenth in a row.
After two days of sharp analyses, real cases and forward-looking discussions, we find that this year’s Powerful Innovation Days was another strong and content-rich edition – where both national actors such as Svenska kraftnät, IVA and the country’s leading Research environments played a crucial role in the conversations about the future’s safe energy systems.
Ludvika is highlighted as a forerunner thanks to The power tank With its Energiö, a local electricity system that can drive socially important functions even if the main grid is disturbed. The research presentations during the first day of the conference connected directly to this unique environment, which is a test bed for the Cola project, where researchers analyzes how energy systems can be protected against cyber attacks.
Local actors such as Ludvikahem and Ludvika municipality shared experiences from simulations and practical penetration tests. They described, for example, how a cyber attack can affect heat, ventilation and other functions, but underlined that preparedness and manual routines are in place.
During Friday, talks continued about the energy resilience, crisis preparedness and the electricity supply of the future. One of the most notable features was the review of the incident at Svenska kraftnät, where the lessons learned from a sharp data breach provided valuable perspectives for the entire industry. the authority. The review provided a unique and concrete insight into a real incident, which weaknesses can be exploited and what lessons are now affecting the work to protect the national electricity infrastructure.
The panel discussions during this year’s conference gave participants the opportunity to share practical experiences and strategic insights.
In the panel discussion “Our local energy resilience and preparedness”, representatives from VB Elnät, VB Kraft, Ludvikahem and Ludvika municipality discussed how the energy infrastructure is against different types of disturbances. They highlighted concrete examples of crisis preparedness, cooperation and routines to ensure that the electricity supply can be maintained even in case of incidents.
Johanna Waltersson, CEO of VB Energi, acted as moderator during this year’s Powerful Innovation Days and Ödrift conference.
With her experience and knowledge in the energy industry, she guided the participants through the program and made sure that both lectures and panel discussions flowed smoothly.
She created a good dialogue between researchers, authorities and energy companies, which contributed to an engaging and educational conference for all participants.