Sets the scene for the book’s regulatory analysis of energy market reform in Central Asia by describing the structure of Central Asia’s energy sector, its investment requirements, the social problems of meeting these requirements and the geopolitical connotations of Central Asian energy infrastructure investments. This background is essential to grasp the main objective that market reform is supposed to achieve (i.e., to ensure the secure and reliable supply of energy at affordable conditions to Central Asia’s population and industry) and to appreciate the context in which reform takes place (i.e., energy poverty and geopolitics). The analysis focuses on the national energy policies (strategies) of the Central Asian states and the reports by multilateral development banks in order to identify the main energy security challenges the region is facing and understand the political priorities which underpin the long-term development of the region’s energy infrastructure. The analysis highlights the contribution that external actors can make to overcome the financing conundrum of energy security in a context of energy poverty and discusses the geopolitical implications of this foreign involvement in Central Asian energy security (e.g., Chinese and Russian infrastructure investments along the New Silk Road).