Addressing pipeline security regime of the prospective regional energy hub Turkey

Abstract

Approximately 35 per cent of the world's oil and 75 per cent of its natural gas output are being transported through pipelines. This has rendered the security of critical energy infrastructures (CEIs) such as pipelines as a vital issue of concern, even more so following the events of 9/11. This is the case for transit countries located in the Near East, such as Turkey, where the security of energy infrastructure is at stake daily. Although concerns are growing about a tight energy market with chronically volatile high oil prices and a lack of reliable energy resources, states and companies cannot afford to keep their CEIs unprotected. This is an important issue for net energy importer Turkey with its pledge to become the fourth largest energy artery of Europe and its growing energy thirst. In the light of these, the paper argues that it is vital for Ankara to address the kinds of threats (that is, terrorism, vandalism, theft) that Turkey's energy pipelines face on the way to becoming a regional energy hub.