Energy Pathways

Energy Pathways

The geographical mismatch between energy demand and the availability of energy resources means that many countries rely on energy imports
The flows of energy from producer to consumer are the pathways
In physical terms, the pathways take the form of gas and oil pipelines, the sea routes of tankers carrying oil and gas, and electricity power lines
Europe, Asia and the Asia-Pacific region are now heavily reliant on energy imports
Since the early 1990s there has been a significant increase in the exports of fuels, particularly from the middle east, Africa and the former Soviet Union
Oil and gas
1. In the case of oil, there is a complex global pattern of pathways and players
2. The middle east exports around 15,000 barrels per fay, mainly to Japan, Europe and China
3. Substantial amounts flow from Africa, Europe, Canada and South and central America to the USA
4. Russia supplies some oil to China, but the bulk of its exports now head in the direction of Europe
5. Gas pathways are different in that they tend to be localised and regional rather than global
  1. This is because natural gas has traditionally been transported through pipelines, whereas oil is mainly shipped
6. It is likely that, as delivery via pipelines becomes less dependable for political reasons, there will be a switch towards shipping gas in tankers as liquified natural gas
7. One of the most significant gas pathways is the trans-Siberian pipeline, the main conveyor of Russian natural gas exports
  1. The Russian section of this pipeline is operated by the Gazprom corporation, but its monopoly is being challenged by a new pipeline
Europe's gas pipeline war
1. The Nabucco pipeline, first planned in 2004, will transport natural gas over 3,000km from the Caspian region to Austria via Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary
  1. Construction is expected to start in 2010 and be completed by 2013 at a cost of €8 billion
2. The European Union and Russia are involved in a battle over a pipeline aimed at diversifying Europe's energy imports
3. The Nabucco pipeline will be supplied with gas from Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Egypt and Syria
4. It will deliver a huge amount of gas, making the EU much less dependent on Russian supplies
5. Russia's reliability as a supplier has been in doubt since it temporarily shut off the gas supply to Ukraine in January 2006
6. Clearly, it is in the EU's interests to diversify its gas imports
7. Iran and Syria remain politically unstable and the central Asian countries have also promised huge amounts of gas to China and Russia
Coal
1. There are also coal pathways from countries as far apart as Australia and Poland
2. At the moment, far less coal is moved than oil and gas
3. However, there is a prospect of greater movements of coal, if only because supplies seem more dependable and less threatened by geopolitical considerations

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	Created by Jodie Goodacre over 10 years ago