Energetyki Cieplnej Sp. z o.o.

Energetyki Cieplnej Sp. z o.o. (EPEC), also known as Elbląskie Przedsiębiorstwo Energetyki Cieplnej, is a heating energy company based in Poland. The organisation's core business involves the provision of district heating services, which entails generating and distributing thermal energy to residential, commercial, and public buildings for space heating and hot water. Its operational scope includes the management of the physical district heating infrastructure, such as pipelines and heat sources, alongside the associated customer-facing administrative systems. These administrative systems are critical for billing customers and handling inquiries regarding application status, directly supporting the delivery of its primary utility service to its customer base within its service territory.

The company's operational model demonstrates a clear separation between its information technology systems and its critical district heating infrastructure. A significant incident in June 2022 involved a ransomware attack that encrypted files and disrupted the company's IT systems responsible for billing and customer communication. Despite this disruption to administrative functions, the organisation's core operational technology, including the district heating network itself and emergency dispatch services, remained unaffected and continued to function. EPEC's response to the incident highlighted established protocols, including immediate notification of national data protection and internal security authorities, as well as proactive communication with its customers, even when an initial assessment suggested mandatory reporting was not required. The incident necessitated the establishment of a temporary customer contact number and caused periods where customers could not access certain account information, underscoring the direct link between its IT systems and customer service delivery. The company's IT team managed the restoration process, implementing tests to ensure the infection was cleared, though full network recovery was an ongoing effort at the time of the public statement. This event illustrates the company's role as a critical utility provider where cybersecurity incidents in administrative systems can directly impact customer relations without compromising the essential physical service of heat supply.