Ensuring energy security

Strategies for addressing the debilitation or destruction of energy systems in the event of terrorist attack were the subject of a NATO Advanced Research Workshop in Kyiv from 16 to 18 September. The opening session was attended by the UK Ambassador to Ukraine, Robert Brinkley.

Energy systems are vital to the functioning of modern society. Energy security is not simply a function of energy supply but depends on elaborate systems of interconnected networks that are often transnational, making this a global security issue. How to address the multiple challenges posed by the evolving security environment to critical energy systems infrastructure is a key question facing national governments, regional authorities and intergovernmental organisations.

The workshop looked at issues central to the protection of critical nodes in energy systems. A wide range of related questions were also addressed, such as what the defence and security establishment and business communities can do to protect these systems, and where attacks on energy systems are likely to come from.

Organised under the auspices of NATO’s programme for “Security Through Science”, the workshop was hosted by the Center for European and International Studies, a Kyiv-based non-governmental organisation. Participants included government and ministry officials, energy-sector representatives and academics from several NATO and Partner countries, as well as NATO officials.