Privacy Compliance for Energy & Utilities
Build privacy governance that supports risk management, partner trust, and repeatable oversight.
Energy and utilities companies occupy a position in the threat landscape that most industries do not: they are critical infrastructure, which means state-sponsored adversaries and sophisticated ransomware operators regard them as high-value targets whose disruption produces consequences well beyond the organizations themselves. That reality has driven federal and provincial regulators to raise baseline cybersecurity expectations for the sector — and it means that the standard for what constitutes a defensible security posture here is higher than it is for most commercial organizations.
The convergence of operational technology and information technology has fundamentally changed the risk profile. Industrial control systems and SCADA environments that were once isolated are now networked — to each other, to enterprise applications, and through remote access channels to third-party vendors. The security controls appropriate for those OT environments are different from standard IT security, and organizations that have applied IT-centric frameworks to OT networks without accounting for the specific constraints of industrial systems have created vulnerabilities that are difficult to detect and expensive to remediate.
Smart meters and grid-connected devices add a privacy dimension that is easily overlooked in a sector focused primarily on operational continuity. Granular electricity consumption data — collected at fifteen-minute intervals across an entire service territory — can reveal household occupancy patterns, appliance use, and daily routines with a specificity that most customers do not anticipate when they receive their smart meter. That data is personal information under Canadian privacy law, and the collection, use, and retention of it carries real obligations.
Privacy Horizon helps energy and utilities organizations build compliance programs that reflect the full scope of their obligations: OT and IT security alignment, NERC CIP compliance where applicable, customer data governance for smart metering programs, and the vendor and third-party access management that critical infrastructure environments demand. We work at the intersection of operational and information security because that is where the most significant risk in this sector lives.
Why Privacy Compliance matters for Energy & Utilities
Energy and utilities companies are explicitly designated critical infrastructure — a classification that attracts the most sophisticated threat actors and the highest regulatory expectations simultaneously. Ransomware disrupting grid operations or compromising industrial control systems is not a theoretical scenario; it has caused real operational disruptions across the sector globally. Customer data from smart metering programs carries genuine privacy obligations under Canadian law. And Canadian regulators are actively raising the floor for cybersecurity in this sector. A compliance program that addresses both the OT security and the privacy dimensions is no longer optional — it is baseline.
Energy and utilities companies operate critical infrastructure whose disruption can have immediate societal consequences, making them a priority target for state-sponsored cyber actors and ransomware groups. Smart meters and grid-connected devices generate granular consumption data that can reveal household occupancy and behaviour patterns, creating genuine privacy obligations alongside OT/IT security requirements. Canadian federal and provincial regulators are actively raising baseline cybersecurity expectations for this sector.
Relevant frameworks: NERC CIP (for electricity sector), PIPEDA / provincial private-sector privacy laws, ISO 27001, ISO 27701, SOC 2 Type II
Our approach for Energy & Utilities
We start with a gap assessment across your IT and OT environments, benchmarking your current controls against ISO 27001 and NERC CIP requirements where applicable, and mapping your customer data obligations under Canadian privacy law for smart metering and demand management programs. The Minimum Viable Privacy baseline addresses your highest-risk exposures: network segmentation between IT and OT, vendor access controls, and customer data governance. From that foundation, we build toward ISO 27001 certification and ongoing compliance monitoring to keep your program aligned with an actively evolving regulatory environment.
What Privacy Compliance includes
We help you establish a credible privacy baseline quickly, then deepen controls where risk is highest — built to satisfy regulators, partners, and enterprise buyers.
Minimum Viable Privacy (MVP)
A credible compliance baseline, fast — then deepen where risk is highest.
Policy & Governance
The policies, roles, and oversight that make compliance repeatable.
ISO 27001 & SOC 2 Preparation
Readiness for the certifications partners and customers expect.
Ongoing Compliance Monitoring
Keep pace with changing obligations and evidence requirements.
Other services for Energy & Utilities
What's Protecting Your Business from the Next Threat?
Don't wait for a breach to expose your vulnerabilities. Let Privacy Horizon secure your data, ensure compliance, and build lasting trust.