NIS2 for Drinking water
Small utilities with large OT estates and thin security teams. The exclusion for incidental distributors is narrower than most operators assume.
Which entities are covered
Suppliers and distributors of water intended for human consumption, excluding distributors for whom distribution of water for human consumption is a non-essential part of their general activity.
Sub-sectors named in the annex
- Suppliers and distributors of water intended for human consumption
Scope traps specific to this sector
Trap 1
The exclusion applies only where water distribution is a non-essential part of the general activity — it is not a size exemption.
Trap 2
Water utilities are frequently municipal, which can bring the public administration entry into play as well.
What else applies to you
Directive (EU) 2020/2184 on drinking water quality; the CER directive.
NIS2 rarely arrives alone. Where another EU act covers the same ground and is at least equivalent in effect, article 4 disapplies the corresponding NIS2 provisions — but only those, and only where that test is met.