Energy Highlights No.22

This issue examines the evolving energy security landscape in the context of heightened geopolitical tensions, hybrid threats, and attacks on critical energy infrastructure. It explores how these developments have exposed vulnerabilities in energy supply and resilience across NATO Allies and partners, highlighting the growing need to strengthen fuel supply chains, critical infrastructure, refining capacity, alternative fuel production, and resilient power generation to support military operations and collective defence. The issue also features the winning papers of the NATO ENSEC COE Article Competition 2025.

The edition assesses the strategic potential of Europe-produced electrofuels to enhance NATO’s energy resilience and operational readiness, examines how algorithmic foreign influence affects public perceptions of energy systems, evaluates floating Powerships as flexible energy generation assets for crisis response, and analyses the resilience of isolated electricity systems through the example of Kaliningrad’s energy network.

In addition, the issue presents lessons from two tabletop exercises. The NATO ENSEC COE Coherent Resilience 2025 – Arctic Tabletop Exercise examined vulnerabilities in Arctic energy operations, maritime infrastructure, and supply chains, while the Nordic Pine 2025 Exercise explored Europe’s ability to withstand coordinated hybrid threats, including cyberattacks, physical sabotage, and disinformation targeting energy systems.

Finally, Issue 22 highlights NATO ENSEC COE initiatives to foster the next generation of energy security professionals, including the launch of the Energy Highlights Writing Competition 2026 and a youth video competition on energy resilience, both designed to encourage fresh perspectives and greater youth engagement in addressing emerging energy security challenges.

Papers and Authors:

• Why electrofuels matter for European Military Energy Security
  • MATTEO MIROLO
• Algorithmic Foreign Influence in Energy Security: Powering the Cognitive Grid
  • ANGELO VALERIO TOMA
• Integrating Floating Powerships into Energy Strategies: Implications for Energy Security and Resilience from Case Events
  • ZAFER BAŞER
• Russia’s Kaliningrad Oblast after the termination of the BRELL electric power system in 2025: Its Energy Security, Strategic Vulnerability, and Implications for NATO
  • KRISTINA RIMKUNAITE
• NATO ENSEC COE along with partners conducted COHERENT RESILIENCE 2025 – Arctic Tabletop Exercise
  • KAROL HELDT AND PAUL ADDINGTON
• Resilience as the Root of Energy Systems: Insights from the NATO Nordic Pine 2025 Exercise
  • MARLEN REIN, ENRIQUE KREMERS AND ANTON LIF