Denmark alerts on foreign components sparking security concerns
Green Power Denmark has reported finding mysterious parts in components imported from abroad for energy infrastructure. Similar incidents have previously been noted in the United States with inverters imported from China for solar farms.
Joergen Christensen, the technical director of Green Power Denmark, did not disclose the country of origin of these suspicious parts found in Denmark. He stated that he could not provide that information due to an ongoing investigation.
It is uncertain whether these components were intentionally placed there, but finding a printed circuit board is not encouraging, admitted Christensen, as quoted by the "Berlingske" newspaper.
Following this discovery, the Danish organization's cooperation with the foreign supplier has been suspended until the matter is resolved.
Suspicious elements in components from China
Christensen noted that Danish legislation does not require critical infrastructure components imported into the country to be reviewed for potential sabotage threats. However, many companies have outsourced this responsibility to external partners.
The "Berlingske" newspaper highlighted that an increasing portion of Denmark's energy comes from solar panels. In the event of a failure, situations could evolve like the blackout that occurred in Southern Europe at the end of April.
As explained by Reuters, inverters, mainly produced in China, are used worldwide to connect solar panels and wind turbines to the energy grid. They are also used in batteries, heat pumps, and electric vehicle chargers.
In the U.S., according to the Reuters agency's report last week, transmitters were discovered during inspections of critical infrastructure facilities. Two anonymous government sources indicated that such devices can potentially destabilize the power grid and might even cause a power outage.
