INTERVIEW: Russia wants turbine makers to disclose software codes

MOSCOW, Jul 28 (PRIME) -- The Energy Ministry has ordered all turbine producers to disclose source codes to prevent data transfer abroad which may enable foreigners to manage Russian equipment and even switch it off, Deputy Minister Andrei Cherezov said in an interview released on Friday.

“The Russian Energy Ministry must assess existing risks. A data security risk assessment on electric power utilities demonstrated that remote management of technical equipment, even its shutdown, are possible while storing and keeping data via communications channels abroad,” Cherezov told PRIME.

He said that the ministry does not intend to forbid data transfer but will present requirements to monitoring equipment.

“Speaking in a technical language we must understand the codes of the high, middle and lower levels… If all the codes are open and we understand how it works on a turbine and on controls – there are no questions. This means that if they have come, received certification, opened their controller codes, there will be no questions to the company, it can work, receive information.

“This is not a requirement for foreign equipment only; everyone will have to be certified. This is why if a foreign company starts to talk about someone restricting its rights again – this is not the case at all, all producers will find themselves in equal conditions,” Cherezov said.

He said that companies will not have to bear large expenditures because of the requirement. There are also no plans to make turbine producers build data centers in Russia.

The authority has already discussed the measures with turbine producers, and a draft law is to be complete until the end of 2017, Cherezov said.

He separately said that the turbines installed in Crimea were produced in Russia and that the deadline of the Crimean power plant has not changed because of a scandal with Siemens.

Siemens said last week that all four turbines meant to be used on Russian power plant on the Taman Peninsula were illegally shipped to Crimea, forcing the company to cancel its licensing agreements to sell power equipment to Russian firms and suspend the current agreements with state-run companies.

“The deadline is set. This is the first quarter of 2018. Nothing has changed,” Cherezov said.

End