OHB: Critical Energy Infrastructure Monitoring

Energy infrastructure such as pipelines often stretches across vast and remote areas, making regular monitoring challenging and costly.

By combining satellite Earth Observation with automated anomaly detection, the Critical Energy Infrastructure Monitoring service of OHB offers operators a more efficient way to identify potential risks and strengthen the resilience of critical assets.

Monitoring vast and remote energy infrastructure remains a costly and challenging task

Operators of energy infrastructure such as pipelines need continuous monitoring of remote and extended assets to detect unauthorised activities and environmental changes, as traditional inspection methods are costly, infrequent and spatially limited.

Satellite imagery and automated analytics can help detect risks along pipeline corridors earlier

The Critical Energy Infrastructure Monitoring service, developed by OHB Digital Solutions and currently undergoing refinement, provides satellite-based monitoring for early detection of risks along pipeline corridors.

The service combines automated processing of Earth observation imagery with anomaly detection algorithms to identify relevant surface changes within defined spatial zones. A web-based application supports visualisation, case management and decision workflows, enabling end-to-end monitoring from detection to operational response.

Automated satellite monitoring can make infrastructure surveillance more efficient, timely and resilient

The service enables continuous monitoring of large and remote infrastructure networks, reducing reliance on costly and emission-intensive field inspections.

It improves operational efficiency by providing timely and automated detection of anomalies, supported by prioritisation tools and traceable case management workflows. This enhances decision-making, increases safety and improves the overall resilience of critical energy infrastructure.

Satellite-based monitoring can strengthen the resilience of critical infrastructure across Europe

This use case demonstrates the role that satellite-based analytics can play in strengthening monitoring of critical infrastructure resilience. To maximise impact, the EU should:

• support the use of EO-based monitoring services by critical infrastructure operators for risk assessment and surveillance activities;
• promote the use of automated Earth observation analytics for large-scale infrastructure surveillance;
• support the use of satellite-based monitoring services as part of the implementation of the Critical Entities Resilience Directive (EU 2022/2557).

For more information visit the OHB wesite:

https://www.ohb.de/en

This article is part of Space Y’s  Policy Message Paper “Unlocking the Full Potential of EU Space Services for Resilience, Disaster Management and Civil Protection”.

To read the full paper:

SPACE Y_Policy messages_Space for Civil Protection