SSEN Transmission has joined the European Network for Cyber Security as an Information & Knowledge Sharing member, bringing a major UK electricity transmission operator into a European cybersecurity network for critical infrastructure.

The membership gives SSEN Transmission access to ENCS research, technical documentation and knowledge-sharing with European transmission and distribution system operators. Key areas include testing, operational technology security operations and the development of cybersecurity practices for grid infrastructure.

SSEN Transmission operates the high-voltage electricity transmission network across the north of Scotland. Its network covers more than a quarter of the UK’s land mass and includes substations, overhead lines, underground cables and subsea cables.

The decision comes as cyber threats to essential services face growing scrutiny from governments and operators. The UK National Cyber Security Centre reported 204 nationally significant cyber incidents in the year to August 2025, up 130% on the previous year, including cases affecting critical infrastructure.

Shared concerns

ENCS is a non-profit membership organisation that works with critical infrastructure groups and security specialists across Europe. Founded in 2012, it supports members through applied research, technical security requirements, testing, education and training.

Its network includes transmission system operators, distribution system operators and regulators. By joining as an Information & Knowledge Sharing member, SSEN Transmission is entering a forum focused on common cybersecurity issues across energy networks, rather than a bilateral arrangement with a single partner.

That matters because electricity operators increasingly face similar challenges across borders, especially in the operational technology environments that underpin power networks. Utilities must also respond to a regulatory climate in the UK and EU that places greater emphasis on secure systems and formal cybersecurity practices.

“Cybersecurity is a shared challenge across Europe’s energy sector, and collaboration is fundamental to staying ahead of evolving threats,” said Anjos Nijk, Managing Director of ENCS.

“Across both the UK and EU, regulatory frameworks place clear requirements on investment in robust security practices and secure systems. We are pleased to welcome SSEN Transmission to ENCS and strengthen cooperation across the sector,” Nijk said.

Cross-border work

For SSEN Transmission, the arrangement broadens the expertise available to its operational technology and cyber teams. The company is in the middle of a wider investment and build-out programme tied to the electricity network in northern Scotland, where infrastructure upgrades are closely linked to reliability and the transmission of power over long distances.

Operational technology security has become a particular concern for energy operators because these systems control physical assets and industrial processes. Disruption in these environments can have consequences beyond data loss, affecting electricity flows and service continuity.

Participation in the ENCS network will help the UK operator look beyond domestic peers and compare approaches with companies across Europe. That includes exchanging practical experience on security operations and learning from work already carried out elsewhere in the sector.

“Joining ENCS provides an opportunity to collaborate with peers across Europe at a time when regulatory expectations around energy network cybersecurity continue to evolve. With the growth journey that SSEN Transmission is undertaking, it is vital that we look beyond our UK peers to ensure we are tapping into best practice across the continent to solve the shared problems and escalating cyber threats we face as operators of essential services,” said Iain Dougan, Head of Operational Technology and Cyber at SSEN Transmission.

The announcement also points to closer links between UK and European operators on cybersecurity despite differing national systems and regulatory structures. Grid operators often face the same technical risks in industrial control systems, supply chains and field equipment, making sector-wide exchanges valuable even when assets remain nationally owned and managed.

For ENCS, adding a large British transmission operator extends its reach into a strategically significant part of the European energy system for electricity transmission and offshore network development. For SSEN Transmission, the membership places it inside an established network focused on the cybersecurity of critical energy infrastructure.

The backdrop remains a rise in serious cyber incidents affecting organisations that run essential services, with the UK recording 204 nationally significant cases in the year to August 2025.

Kirtlington Community Shop and Cafe is currently under construction, after a community share offer running since 2020 raised the funds for the purpose-built business in the village west of Bicester.

Already the project is gaining recognition, as it has been shortlisted as a finalist for the Rural Community Business Awards 2026.

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The annual awards, sponsored by Lands Improvement and hosted by Woodstock-based charity Plunkett UK, have named the rural businesses in the ‘One To Watch’ category.

Construction of Kirtlington Community Shop and Cafe is currently underway (Image: Amanda Deadman Photography)

Celia Hawkesworth, chair of the management committee for the new shop, said: “We’re thrilled to be one of the finalists in the ‘One To Watch’ category.

“We’ve been working hard on this project since 2020, and it’s an honour to be recognised alongside the best community-owned businesses when we’ve barely got started.

“Exciting times are ahead as we work towards opening our new shop and cafe later in the summer.”

Construction is underway at Kirtlington Community Shop and Cafe (Image: Amanda Deadman Photography)

Locals came together after the village’s shop closed in 2020, and since then successfully raised £233,500 towards the £275,000 target funds needed for the project.

This includes £180,000 raised through a community share offer, meaning villagers have personally invested in the scheme.

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A ground-breaking ceremony was held on April 10 this year to mark the beginning of construction of the much-wanted community shop and cafe.

The ground-breaking event of Kirtlington Community Shop and Cafe in April (Image: Amanda Deadman Photography)

The new shop and cafe, designed to bring services ‘back to the heart of the community’, will be housed in a purpose-built, energy-efficient building next to the village hall.

Plunkett UK, a national charity which supports people in rural areas to set up and run a wide range of businesses in community ownership, provided the village group with ‘invaluable’ advice, according to the committee chair.

The charity’s vision is to create resilient, thriving and inclusive rural communities by extending the number of democratic, community-owned business from the more than 850 already operating in the UK.

Construction is underway at Kirtlington Community Shop and Cafe (Image: Amanda Deadman Photography)

Its rural community business awards celebrates businesses that contribute to their areas across nine different categories, from the ‘going green’ award to ‘team spirit’ and ‘young person’.

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Sarah Benn, Relationships Team Leader at Plunkett UK, said: “It has been inspiring to see so many people nominate their local community-owned businesses, truly emphasising the significant role they play in their communities.

“We celebrate the considerable impact each one is making it its local area and we are looking forward to next month’s awards event when the winners are announced.”

The award ceremony will take place at The Royal Society of Chemistry in London on Thursday, July 2.

The Kirtlington Community Shop and Cafe is expected to open later in the summer.

More than 30 million UK adults plan to watch or stream football matches this summer, according to Uswitch, which warned that broadband speeds in some parts of the country could leave households behind the live action.

Research cited by the comparison site found that 56% of UK adults expect to follow matches during the tournament, while 35% said a goal or other key moment had previously been spoiled because their stream lagged behind real time.

The figures highlight a gap between growing demand for live sports streaming and the quality of home broadband connections in several regions. Uswitch estimated that about 2.4 million households in the five worst-performing regions could face disruption during matches.

The South West ranked as the weakest region for what Uswitch called 4K readiness, with 21.8% of households below the 25 Mbps speed it uses as a benchmark for streaming at that quality. Scotland and Wales followed, with 19.0% and 18.9% of households respectively below that level, ahead of the East of England and the South East.

By contrast, the North West recorded the highest readiness score in the regional table, with 84.5% of homes above the threshold. Greater London, the East Midlands, Yorkshire and The Humber, the West Midlands, Northern Ireland and the North East all ranked above the five weakest regions.

Regional divide

At city level, Kirkwall in Scotland was listed as the least ready location for streaming, with 70.1% of homes meeting the benchmark. Llandrindod in Wales, Perth in Scotland and Truro in the South West were also among the weakest locations in the data.

Other South West locations, including Exeter, Torquay and Plymouth, featured in the bottom 10, alongside Aberdeen, Dumfries and Shrewsbury. In Truro, Exeter and Plymouth, roughly one in four households may struggle to stream matches smoothly, while in Kirkwall and Llandrindod the figure was closer to three in 10.

The survey suggests many viewers will put additional pressure on home connections during matches. Some 36% said they expected to watch multiple games each day, 46% planned to use a second screen such as a phone or tablet while watching, and 32% expected at least three devices to be connected to the internet at the same time.

That matters because even homes that can support a single stream may run into problems when several devices are online at once. Two-thirds of adults, or 66%, said they had already experienced buffering or lag while streaming television at home.

Watching habits

The audience for the tournament also appears likely to extend beyond regular football viewers. According to the survey, 61% of those planning to watch said they would tune in to matches they would not normally follow.

Regional fan interest was strongest in London, where 69% of respondents were classified as football-mad in the research, followed by Yorkshire and Humberside on 66% and the West Midlands on 63%. At city level, Sheffield led on 67%, ahead of Birmingham, London and Leeds.

The North West stood out as a market where strong football interest and comparatively better broadband performance overlap. Liverpool and Manchester both featured among the most football-focused cities in the survey, while the region also led on the share of homes above the 25 Mbps threshold.

Max Beckett, Broadband Expert at Uswitch, said: “Millions of fans risk watching this summer’s football through a buffering screen rather than a clear picture. In parts of the South West and Scotland in particular, broadband simply isn’t keeping pace with the streaming demand a tournament of this size creates. That means millions could miss key moments, or worse, that winning goal. Check your speed before kick-off. Waiting until the opening match to discover your connection can’t handle it is the worst time to find out.”

Uswitch based its regional and city analysis on broadband speed tests recorded over the past 12 months. It defined readiness as the share of tests showing download speeds of 25 Mbps or more, and used postcode areas as a proxy for city geography.

The survey was conducted by Opinium among 2,000 UK adults and weighted to be nationally representative. On that basis, Uswitch estimated that 30,812,461 adults expect to watch or stream matches during the tournament.