Full energy grid protection against drones 'illusory', E.ON CEO says (updated)

E.ON SE

12/08/2026 10:30

Adds more CEO comments on protection in paragraphs 2-4, 6-7
FRANKFURT, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Critical energy grids cannot be fully protected against outside threats such as drones, the CEO of E.ON said on Wednesday, a week after a drone incident at one of Germany's airports highlighted an increased risk for critical infrastructure.
"At the moment, we can't manage to secure the airports in Germany – not even the few major ones," Leonhard Birnbaum said after presenting first-half results.
"How could I possibly tell you that we have all our hundreds of distribution network points, spread across the country, under control?"
The comments by the CEO of E.ON, Europe's biggest energy grid operator, come after an explosive-laden drone was found last week near a runway at the Leipzig/Halle airport, exposing the vulnerability to outside attacks.
"I believe that complete protection is illusory. We can ensure that it is not easy, but we cannot ensure that it is impossible for us to be attacked," Birnbaum said, adding E.ON had several initiatives underway to raise protection.
"But when it comes to drones, it has to be said that progress in this area is, of course, so rapid and so extensive that we have to admit we cannot currently guarantee complete protection against malicious drone attacks."
Birnbaum said it was therefore E.ON's task to guarantee it can quickly restore supply following any successful attacks.

 (Reporting by Christoph Steitz
Editing by Linda Pasquini)
 ((christoph.steitz@thomsonreuters.com; +49 30 220 133 647;))