Book excerpt: The need for reliable energy supplies continues to increase with global development, and so energy security seems certain to remain a global challenge for the foreseeable future. The Black Sea area is now a major producer of energy for the wider region and beyond. This book presents the 12 papers delivered at the NATO Advance Research Workshop (ARW) Energy Security in the Wider Black Sea Area – National and Allied Approaches, held in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, in November 2011. The workshop, which was attended by a balanced mix of international experts, focused on research concerning crucial aspects of energy security and the role of NATO, and covered issues such as energy security as part of national security concepts, transnational energy projects in Central and Eastern Europe and the Wider Black Sea area, national approaches to energy security, critical infrastructure aspects of energy security, scientific and industry support for establishing sustainability and alternatives in energy security. The book provides an overview of national and allied approaches to the topic of energy security, and will be of interest to all those whose work involved the field of energy security in general, and the Black Sea region in particular.