The disruption of critical energy infrastructure (CEI) would have a serious impact on the health, safety, security or economic well-being of citizens. CEI can represent an attractive target for terrorists who seek to inflict not only physical but also economic or environmental damage. 

Protecting CEI from terrorist attacks is an issue particularly salient for the OSCE, whose 57 participating States include some of the largest producers and consumers of energy as well as many strategic transit countries.

In recognition of the above, the OSCE Ministerial Council adopted a decision during its meeting in Madrid in 2007 on Protecting Critical Energy Infrastructure from Terrorist Attack (No.6/07). OSCE participating States committed themselves to consider all necessary measures at the national level to ensure adequate protection of CEI from terrorist attacks, to continue co-operating and to better co-ordinate, as well as to further promote public-private partnerships (PPPs) with business communities.

In implementation of this decision, the OSCE Secretary General submitted a report on opportunities for co-operation with relevant international organizations in this field. The report suggested that the OSCE could contribute to international efforts by raising awareness of threats and policy options, supporting the exchange of information and good practices, and promoting multi-stakeholder co-operation, including the development of PPPs.

The report of the Secretary General drew on the input from an expert meeting jointly organized by the OSCE Action against Terrorism Unit (ATU) and the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) on 29 August 2008 in Vienna.

The expert meeting, organized thanks to the support of the United States, brought together 50 experts from international organizations, research institutes and the industry/business community to assess current and emerging threats and challenges in protecting CEI from terrorist attack, and also to review existing international initiatives.

Subsequently, OSCE participating States adopted a decision at the Helsinki Ministerial Council on Further Promoting the OSCE's Action in Countering Terrorism (No.10/08), which tasked OSCE executive structures to organize expert-level seminars, workshops and simulations that would encourage public-private partnership initiatives in such areas as protecting non-nuclear critical energy infrastructure from terrorist attack.

Accordingly, the ATU held a Public-Private Expert Workshop on Protecting Non-Nuclear Critical Energy Infrastructure from Terrorist Attack on 11-12 February 2010 in Vienna, with the support of the United States and Liechtenstein. Some 200 participants from 50 countries, 12 international structures and 30 private sector organizations gathered to exchange experience and discuss options for co-operation.

On the first day key-note presenters discussed methodologies to assess risks and threats, measures to protect non-nuclear critical energy infrastructure and enhance resilience, as well as co-operation and co-ordination between government agencies, between public and private sectors and among countries.

The second day featured a tabletop simulation based on a scenario developed in collaboration with two US non-governmental organizations, Securing America's Future Energy and the Constellation Energy Institute. The scenario envisaged the possible impact of a terrorist attack against a critical gas infrastructure outside the OSCE region and the threat of a cyber attack against a non-nuclear critical energy infrastructure within the OSCE region.

The workshop highlighted a number of CEI vulnerabilities and pointed to possible OSCE contributions to address them. The ATU now plans to organize similar workshops at the sub-regional and national levels for interested OSCE participating States.

For more information, please contact the ATU directly.