Rethinking demand security: Between national interests and energy exports

Abstract

“Security of demand,” or “demand security,” has entered the energy security discourse quite extensively in recent decades. Currently, in academic literature, security of demand is often discussed as an integral part of energy security alongside security of supply. However, even though the continuity of energy demand is crucial for the national security of energy-exporting countries, there are particular concerns over its legitimate use as an integral part of the concept of energy security. This article offers critical perspectives on security of demand and its conceptual relevance to energy security. The study argues that, regardless of its semantic relationships to both energy and security, demand security cannot be legitimately included in the concept of energy security. Although the fall in energy demand inevitably affects the national security of energy-exporting countries, it does not directly affect their domestic energy systems – and, therefore, their provision of energy services to end-users. Moreover, since an increase in security of supply often results in threats to security of demand, it is an equivocal undertaking to include security of demand as one of the components of energy security and especially as part of composite indexes for its operationalization.