Registration in the Smart Meter PKI

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The go-live and start of the technical transition from using email for the German electricity sector’s market communication (MaKo) to adopting AS4 on October 1, 2023 has been successfully carried out by SEEBURGER. The effective transition phase of SEEBURGER customers and their market partners to AS4 has begun, and the first requests for a change (path switch requests) have already been successfully implemented.

The issuance of certificates to market participants by the sub-CAs has commenced. As of October 2023, it will take a while for all market participants to obtain the Smart Meter PKI certificates necessary for AS4 communication.

As outlined in the “Regelung zum Übertragungsweg” of BDEW and the “Certificate Policy” of BSI, SEEBURGER solely acquires certificates for external market partners from the corresponding address services of the sub-CAs. This method eliminates the necessity of initially transmitting individual certificates via email.

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The transition in the German energy market from using S/MIME, email or AS2 for the electricity sector’s market communication (MaKo) to adopting AS4 brings about substantial challenges for all the stakeholders involved. Besides the technical deployment of AS4 communication, the organizational and administrative task of acquiring certificates should not be overlooked. Obtaining AS4 certificates for market communication within the German energy market necessitates mandatory registration with an authorized sub-CA. This blog post delves into the process of enrolling in the Smart Meter PKI and getting ready for AS4 communication. We examine the potential hurdles involved and highlight how SEEBURGER assists you with software solutions and services tailored for the energy sector.

New Smart Meter PKI requirements

The foundation for acquiring certificates follows the guidelines outlined by Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security, as detailed in the technical directive “BSI-TR-03109-4 Public Key Infrastructure” and the included “Certificate Policy.” These guidelines pertain to certification protocols for Smart Metering PKI, specifically version 1.1.2.

The technical directive BSI-TR-03109-5 encompasses additional system components (CP SM PKI). As per the certificate issuance protocols, a comprehensive procedure is essential for verifying and validating the identities of both entities and individuals participating. Furthermore, it mandates a technical assessment to guarantee the accurate execution of certificate initiation, renewal and revocation processes by the authorized entity.

Registration at the actual PKI through a sub-CA

Upon a successful enrollment within the test PKI alongside the chosen sub-Certificate Authority (CA), and the integration of necessary procedures within the test PKI environment, the organization responsible for certificate acquisition obtains confirmation of their effective involvement from the sub-CA as an “external market participant” (EMT). This validation empowers them to proceed with registration within the actual PKI. The routine commencement of the SEEBURGER customer companies’ registration and certificate acquisition of actual PKI has been initiated, following the accomplished registration of SEEBURGER in the actual Smart Meter PKI environment and the successful integration of Worldline HSM and ATOS sub-CA.

Service providers face a distinct challenge in the registration procedure for their clients. Every organization aiming to obtain EMT certificates is required to complete registration with the sub-CA. This entails not only the successful enrollment of the service provider as an EMT but also of each separate customer company.

What are the implications for MaKo AS4?

Obtaining certificates is contingent upon the company’s registration with the sub-CA. Consequently, this stands as an obligatory requirement before the initiation of the market communication migration to AS4 on October 1, 2023.

The migration to AS4 encompasses more than just the technical adjustment of numerous market partners from October 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024. It also involves a comprehensive initial administrative procedure that engages multiple stakeholders, including sub-CA companies and relevant industry service providers. This process must be finalized in terms of organization and timeframe no later than October 1, 2023, to guarantee market participants’ AS4-readiness by that date and to facilitate a seamless migration.

SEEBURGER – your integration expert for the utilities industry

While you manage the power flow, we handle the data flow behind the scenes. Our MaKo Cloud Service ensures you’re fully equipped to tackle this challenge!

Efficient processing of certificate acquisition tasks is achieved through a dedicated team, established procedural workflows and automation. This includes:

• Requests for registration to the sub-CA
• Owner confirmations for you and delivery documents for your market partners’ IDs
• Ordering the certificates from the sub-CA
• Creating Certificate Signing Request (CSR)
• Hash values for the certificate triples

As the central coordination hub, SEEBURGER manages the certificate obtaining tasks on your behalf and serves as the primary point of contact for both you and the sub-CA.

With successful technical trials involving different software providers and the ongoing registration process, SEEBURGER is well-equipped to smoothly execute the technical migration to MaKo AS4 on your behalf, starting October 1, 2023.