Energy Corridor Research Articles

Connecting natural landscapes using a landscape permeability model to prioritize conservation activities in the United States

AbstractWidespread human modification and conversion of land has led to loss and fragmentation of natural ecosystems, altering ecological processes and causing declines in biodiversity. The potential for ecosystems to adapt to climate change will be contingent on the ability of species to move and ecological processes to operate across broad landscapes. We developed a novel, robust modeling approach to estimate the connectivity of natural landscapes as a gradient of permeability. Our approach yields a map capable of prioritizing places that are important for maintaining and potentially restoring ecological flows across the United States and informing conservation initiatives at regional, national, or continental scales. We found that connectivity routes with very high centrality intersected proposed energy corridors in the western United States at roughly 500 locations and intersected 733 moderate to heavily used highways (104–106 vehicles per day). Roughly 15% of the most highly connected locations are currently secured by protected lands, whereas 28% of these occur on public lands that permit resource extraction, and the remaining 57% are unprotected. The landscape permeability map can inform land use planning and policy about places potentially important for climate change adaptation.

Czarnomorski wymiar bezpieczeństwa europejskiego

W artykule dokonana została analiza tendencji geopolitycznych, geoekonomicznych i geostrategicznych, wrażliwości, ryzyka i zagrożeń dla Obszaru Czarnomorskiego. Badania wskazują na istnienie tzw. "miękkiej wojny" przeciwstawiającej Stany Zjednoczone Ameryki i Unię Europejską z jednej strony, Federację Rosyjską i jej sojuszników z Szanghajskiej Organizacji Współpracy z drugiej, mogącą stać się "drugą zimną wojną". Obejmuje ona kwestie dostępu do surowców energetycznych i ich dystrybucji, rosyjskich wysiłków na rzecz utrzymania i rozszerzenia swej hegemonii przy wykorzystaniu regionalnej niestabilności, secesjonistycznych enklaw, sabotażu i paramilitarnej przemocy, terroryzmu i przestępczości. W artykule przeanalizowano także zachodnie interesy o zasięgu regionalnym.

Geopolitics of Natural Gas Supply in Europe – Poland between the EU and Russia

The article analyses possible interests, attitudes and activities of the major actors in the ‘natural gas supply game’ in Europe after 1990: Russia/Gazprom, alternative suppliers like countries in the Caspian Sea area, the main consumers of gas and transit countries. It stresses that behaviour of the actors depends on the changing international political and economic situation and conditions in individual countries. Special attention is paid to pipeline projects: Nord Stream, South Stream and Nabucco, and reactions to them, such as building a LGN terminal at Świnoujście (Poland), North-South (Baltic-Adriatic) energy corridor and the Polish-Russian gas contract of 2010.

Geo-politics of the Euro-Asia energy nexus: the European Union, Russia, and Turkey

Introduction PART I: EUROPEAN UNION ENERGY POLICY Evolution of EU Energy Policy with S. D.Sever External Dimension of European Energy Policy with S. D.Sever PART II: THE EUROPEAN UNION, RUSSIA AND OTHER ACTORS The EU Outreach to Non-Russian Energy Roads to Europe for Caspian and Middle Eastern Energy Supplies PART III: TURKEY AS A TRANSIT AND CANDIDATE COUNTRY Turkey's Role as a 'trans-European' Energy Corridor Turkey's Energy Role and its Accession Process Conclusions

Graph theory‐based approach for energy corridors network to Greece

PurposeThe European Union (EU) energy supply environment is changing significantly and in a dynamic way, establishing the issue of safe energy imports as main priority. Greece relies heavily on energy imports. Furthermore, Greece aims to be elevated into an energy cross road for the energy supply to the EU. In this respect, the aim of this paper is the investigation of the suitability of graph theory concepts on energy supply networks and its application to represent energy corridors to Greece.Design/methodology/approachSupporting frameworks to represent and assess the vulnerability of the corridors satisfying the Greek demand in oil and gas are considered a crucial issue and are presented in this paper, based on the graph theory approach. In addition, a pilot application of the shortest path algorithm and the maximum flow at minimum risk algorithm for the oil and gas corridors to Greece is presented and discussed.FindingsThis paper introduces the application of graph theory to energy policy analysis. Indeed, the pilot application in oil and gas supply corridors to Greece, although quite simplified, has indicated the applicability of graph theory concepts in such problems and is considered a step forward of the existing studies, supporting the design efforts towards the development of a more reliable energy supply system.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, graph theory's application to energy corridors is not available in the international literature. In this respect, the added value of the paper is the provision of a sufficient decision support framework for the representation and assessment of the energy corridors' risk of energy availability, through the application of graph theory.

Market or geopolitics? The Europeanization of EU's energy corridors

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to explore an energy strategy for the European Union (EU) that could integrate the tensions between geopolitics and the market in a coherent and consistent external EU energy policy.Design/methodology/approachThe approach consists of combining the theoretical framework of international political economy and Europeanization to European energy corridors.FindingsThe article finds that most qualitative energy security scenarios can be conceived as applications of international political economy paradigms. Its main result is to conceptually develop a geo‐economic strategy consisting on the Europeanization of EU's external energy corridors along its own energy regulations and standards.Research limitations/implicationsThe article explores a distinct hybrid scenario, the Europeanization of energy corridors, which could be instrumental in overcoming the apparent dilemma between EU's market and geopolitical‐based scenarios.Originality/valueThe original contribution of the article lies in the application of international political economy and Europeanization theories to energy security scenarios, and the inclusion of governments' preferences in the process of hedging market and geopolitical scenarios.

A study of oil and natural gas resources and production

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to provide a general overview of the global oil and natural gas resources, production, technology development, energy use, emissions and costs. The activity is based on the European project “Risk of Energy Availability: Common Corridors for Europe Supply Security” (REACCESS) and the data collected was used in this project as an input to evaluate the technical, economical and environmental characteristics of the energy corridors to European Union (EU).Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on literature reviews and data collection from national authorities, oil companies, international associations and international organisations.FindingsThe work provides a general overview of oil and natural gas resources, production rates, recent technology developments, costs, losses, energy consumption and emissions on a world regional level. Main issues related to the role of conventional oil and natural gas in the energy import framework are summarised in this paper.Research limitations/implicationsThe present study provides information on conventional oil and natural gas resources and it is limited to primary production technologies.Originality/valueAn outline of oil and natural gas on a regional level is presented. The paper provides general introduction to the subject and it is a valuable input for modelling and analyses of conventional oil and natural gas in the present and in the future energy system.

The Future of Energy Security for Europe: Turkey's Role as an Energy Corridor

The question of energy security is one of the main concerns for the future of Europe because of the growing dependency of the European countries on third parties, namely Russia, for natural gas. The future of European energy security will be shaped by the EU's dependence on Russia and its ability to find alternative sources of energy as well as multiple routes of transport. Turkey's location between the major energy producers in the Caspian and the major energy consumers in Europe has increased Turkey's potential role as the transit country. The article addresses the Turkish role in the transport of resources from the Caspian region to the European territory. As the Caspian region's resources provide a viable alternative for the EU to diversify its energy suppliers, Turkey emerges as a major hub for energy transport and assumes a greater role in the future of energy security. This article investigates the future challenges to the transport of natural gas into Europe and the role that Turkey will acquire as a transit country, largely replacing Ukraine. The article addresses the following questions: (i) what is Turkey's potential role for energy security in Europe? (ii) what kind of challenges emerge with the increased role for Turkey in European energy routes? (iii) what are the main sources of tension over energy security? The main proposition of the article is that Turkey plays a critical role for the EU's energy security, decreasing its reliance on Russia specifically for the transport of natural gas.

Challenges to the South Caucasus Regional Security Aftermath of Russian–Georgian Conflict: Hegemonic Stability or New Partnership?

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Caspian Sea and South Caucasus has become the focus of considerable international attention, primary because it is one of the oldest and potentially richest oil and gas producing areas in the world. The August 2008 Russian invasion of the Georgia and the unilateral recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia fundamentally changed the situation in the region. The war has created a new strategic situation. And the question is now how to handle this delicate situation in a strategically and geopolitically important region. So by controlling Georgia (in case Russia reaches abovementioned aims), Russia actually will be able to cut off Central Asia and Caspian resources. It means Russia would be able to isolate and cut off Azerbaijan and Central Asian countries and it will significantly strengthen its energy monopoly over Europe with all results coming out from that fact. So it's about major shift in the energy policy and major shift in geopolitics based on this energy policy and Russian energy monopoly. The August war in Georgia demonstrated some risks associated with the functioning of the transit energy corridor in the southern Caucasus. It also demonstrated the need for broader security guarantees for a region that is vital to European and global energy security. Paper deals with economic damage inflicted by the Russo-Georgian war in South Caucasus and its implications for regional security.

A corridor through thorns: EU energy security and the Southern Energy Corridor

The Southern Energy Corridor (SEC), which aims to link Caspian Basin and potentially Middle East gas supplies to Europe, is one of the EU's six priority axes of energy infrastructures. Drawing on the external governance literature, the article provides an analysis of the EU's efforts in the wider Black Sea area to increase its energy security. It concludes that despite difficult domestic and geopolitical obstacles, the EU is pushing forward its objective to establish the SEC. However, the EU's institutionalised governance, with the incentives derived from close cooperation, has been a necessary condition of impact, but not sufficient. The SEC builds upon the east–west pipelines supported by the USA in order to prevent the Russian control over the Caspian Basin supplies. If the SEC is possible it is mainly because of the path-dependent processes created by those pipelines, which linked the international position of Azerbaijan and Georgia to their transit role between the Caspian Sea and Europe.

The South Stream versus Nabucco pipeline race: geopolitical and economic (ir)rationales and political stakes in mega-projects

The plan for the southern energy corridor delivering a new secure supply of natural gas to the European Union is shaped by projects for two pipelines—Nabucco and the South Stream. Economic rationales for both projects are far from solid as the prospects for returns on massive investments are doubtful due to uncertainty about demand. Much political effort has nevertheless been expended on advancing these competing ‘mega-projects’, which have acquired symbolic status in different approaches to securitization of energy matters. The continuing recession has not added much weight to common economic sense, which dictates that the most efficient way to bring Russian and Caspian gas to Europe is modernization and joint management of Ukrainian gas infrastructure. Parallel construction of both pipelines remains the most probable outcome of their ‘race’, while simultaneous cancellation could have saved resources and political faces.

Convergence towards Differentiation: The Case of Mediterranean Energy Corridors

The EU has expressed the will to achieve a pan-European energy community with neighbouring countries based upon EU's energy related acquis. Under such a vision, European neighbours will have to selectively converge towards EU energy rules. The Mediterranean neighbourhood hosts key hydrocarbon producers and transit countries, but also promising sources of renewable energy, where different energy corridors for different sources and geographical origins coexist with a complex set of economic, technical and geopolitical factors. Mediterranean countries' preferences vary accordingly, fostering the differentiation of the acquis to be adopted. However, in order to develop a consistent policy, this article argues that differentiation should be corridor, not country-specific, and be conceived within a coherent framework of incentives.

Web tool for the quantification of oil and gas corridors' socio‐economic risks

PurposeGreece is a net importer of oil and gas and is among the most vulnerable countries of the European Union (EU) on energy supply disruptions. Furthermore, is considered a “crossroad” of existing and forthcoming infrastructure for importing energy to the EU. The purpose of this paper is the presentation of the web tool that implements the developed methodology for the quantification of socio‐economic risks of oil and gas corridors. The tool is applied to the main present and future oil and gas corridors to Greece, and the related outcomes are discussed.Design/methodology/approachA structured and coherent review on the future and present oil and natural gas (NG) corridors to Greece was elaborated, based on desk analysis and collection of the related data from national and international sources. Factor analysis was employed for the quantification of socio‐economic risks of each energy corridor. Particular emphasis was laid on the tool's design, so as to be user‐friendly, combining intuitive menus and navigation throughout the steps of the system.FindingsThe calculation of socio‐economic risks of the main oil and gas corridors to Greece provides operative and measurable concepts for supporting energy‐modelling processes. Indeed, this paper provides useful insights on the factors affecting the smooth energy supply and the reliability of oil and gas supply options to the Greek energy system. Moreover, the presented web tool can be used as a reference point for the researcher working on energy supply risks quantification.Originality/valueThe introduction of the energy corridors perspective in the valuation of supply security is of significant importance, taking into account the constantly increasing energy dependence of EU countries. To the best of the authors' knowledge, a structured and coherent review of the future and present oil and NG corridors to Greece is not present in the international literature. In addition to this, the development of the web tool is a clear contribution towards the quantification of the economic and socio‐political risk analysis and a step forward of the existing studies.

Sustainability of algal biofuel production using integrated renewable energy park (IREP) and algal biorefinery approach

Algal biomass can provide viable third generation feedstock for liquid transportation fuel. However, for a mature commercial industry to develop, sustainability as well as technological and economic issues pertinent to algal biofuel sector must be addressed first. This viewpoint focuses on three integrated approaches laid out to meet these challenges. Firstly, an integrated algal biorefinery for sequential biomass processing for multiple high-value products is delineated to bring in the financial sustainability to the algal biofuel production units. Secondly, an integrated renewable energy park (IREP) approach is proposed for amalgamating various renewable energy industries established in different locations. This would aid in synergistic and efficient electricity and liquid biofuel production with zero net carbon emissions while obviating numerous sustainability issues such as productive usage of agricultural land, water, and fossil fuel usage. A ‘renewable energy corridor’ rich in multiple energy sources needed for algal biofuel production for deploying IREPs in the United States is also illustrated. Finally, the integration of various industries with algal biofuel sector can bring a multitude of sustainable deliverables to society, such as renewable supply of cheap protein supplements, health products and aquafeed ingredients. The benefits, challenges, and policy needs of the IREP approach are also discussed.

Web Tool for the Quantification of Oil & Gas Corridors’ Socioeconomic Risks: The Case of Greece

Purpose – Greece is a net importer of oil and gas and is among the most vulnerable countries of the European Union (EU) on energy supply disruptions. Furthermore, is considered a “crossroad” of existing and forthcoming infrastructure for importing energy to the EU. The purpose of this paper is the presentation of the web tool that implements the developed methodology for the quantification of socio‐economic risks of oil and gas corridors. The tool is applied to the main present and future oil and gas corridors to Greece, and the related outcomes are discussed. Design/methodology/approach – A structured and coherent review on the future and present oil and natural gas (NG) corridors to Greece was elaborated, based on desk analysis and collection of the related data from national and international sources. Factor analysis was employed for the quantification of socio‐economic risks of each energy corridor. Particular emphasis was laid on the tool's design, so as to be user‐friendly, combining intuitive menus and navigation throughout the steps of the system. Findings – The calculation of socio‐economic risks of the main oil and gas corridors to Greece provides operative and measurable concepts for supporting energy‐modelling processes. Indeed, this paper provides useful insights on the factors affecting the smooth energy supply and the reliability of oil and gas supply options to the Greek energy system. Moreover, the presented web tool can be used as a reference point for the researcher working on energy supply risks quantification. Originality/value – The introduction of the energy corridors perspective in the valuation of supply security is of significant importance, taking into account the constantly increasing energy dependence of EU countries. To the best of the authors' knowledge, a structured and coherent review of the future and present oil and NG corridors to Greece is not present in the international literature. In addition to this, the development of the web tool is a clear contribution towards the quantification of the economic and socio‐political risk analysis and a step forward of the existing studies.

Energy security: visions from Asia and Europe

Introduction Antonio Marquina German Debates on Energy Security and Impacts on Germany's 2007 EU Presidency Frank Umbach Russia as an Energy Great Power: Consequences for EU Energy Security Javier Morales Perceptions and Misperceptions of Energy Supply Security in Europe and the 'China Factor' Michal Meidan The Southeast-Southwest European Energy Corridor Antonio Marquina Greece's Energy Security Strategy: Between Energy Needs and Geopolitical Imperatives Kostas Ifantis Between Continuity and Change: The Italian Approach to Energy Security Gianluca Pastori Security of Supply: Spanish Policies in the EU Context Javier de Quinto and Julian Lopez Does China Have an 'Energy Diplomacy'? Reflections on China's Energy Security and its International Dimensions Linda Jakobson China's Energy Policy and its Development Shi Dan Energy Security Challenges to Asian Countries from Japan's Viewpoints Shigeru Sudo Energy Security in Northeast Asia: Competition and Cooperation Tai Hwan Lee Energy Security and Investment Opportunity in ASEAN Akhmad Nidlom, Andini Desita, Evangeline L. Moises, Christopher G. Zamora and Weerawat Chantanakome Energy Security: An Indonesian Perspective Edy Prasetyono Philippine Energy Policy: Implications for Human Security and Regional Cooperation Carolina G. Hernandez Nuclear Energy: World Perspectives Eduardo Gonzalez and Jose Maria Martinez-Val Human Security: European and Asian Approaches Antonio Marquina and Mely Caballero-Anthony

The EU and its Member States: Pursuing Diverse Interests in the CIS Region

The CIS region is of vital importance for the EU countries considering that both are interconnected through cooperation or membership in supranational political and economic institutions (OSCE, WTO, OECD, NATO, etc.), through transport and energy corridors, through investment, trade and migration trends. The interests of EU member states in the region are very diverse and are sometimes pursued in contradiction to one another. The overarching interest is of an economic nature, given the large reserves of natural resources (particularly gas and oil) and due to the size of the CIS market of 277 million consumers. Security and immigration issues also rank high on the list, whereas EU countries are less concerned with democratisation trends in the CIS. Russia is the most important CIS partner for a majority of EU countries. Energy plays a disproportionally high role in EU member states (MS) - Russia relations and is also a strong determinant of the overall heterogeneity of EU MS policies towards Russia. The type of bilateral relations which the EU MS maintain with one sub-region of the CIS (particularly the EENP, but increasingly also Central Asia) also affects their relations with Russia. Cultural closeness and a common history still play a large part in the development of bilateral relations. The accession to the EU of Central and Eastern European states has altered the existing relations between them and their eastern CIS neighbours, thereby also modifying their interests in the region. Regrettably, the EU’s policies towards Russia and the EENP region have not yet been able to provide a playing field able to compensate for this alteration. Thus, the present report studies the various interests (political, security, economic, cultural) which underpin relations between the EU member states and the CIS countries and also discusses the latest developments in EU policies towards a specific CIS sub-region (Russia, the Eastern ENP and Central Asia), thereby providing a broad picture of the type of interests, how they are pursued by the EU member states and where these intersect or clash.

The European Union’s Energy Security within the Framework of Turkish Membership

Energy supply is one of the most significant security issues of the modern times. Especially in recent years it has become to dominate the European Union in terms of securing supplies through diversification of oil and gas fields. In this respect the Caspian area is likely to become a major energy source, in which Turkey’s position as an energy corridor becomes prominent. This paper looks at the European Union policy to meet its energy needs in terms of tapping into the oil and gas fields of the Caspian region.

EU–Russian Relations and Turkey's Role as an Energy Corridor

This article analyses the impact of EU–Russian relations on Turkey's role as a corridor for the transit of energy supplies to Europe. While the European Union (EU) has inherent leverage in its collective purchase of most Russian gas exports, market power has shifted in Russia's favour. Russian efforts to build new pipelines and widen downstream access have stimulated EU interest in diversifying energy imports and transit routes. In this sense, the EU has recognised Turkey's potential value as a secure and independent route for importing non-Russian energy supplies, which may in turn have an impact on Turkey's EU accession process.

New prospects in the political economy of inner-Caspian hydrocarbons and western energy corridor through Turkey

This paper makes a new conceptualization on Caspian energy system and the transit routes that pass through Turkey. Firstly, it puts forward the term of “inner-Caspian”, comprising Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. Secondly, it identifies sub-systems of “western energy corridor through Turkey” (WECT) by diversifying: (1) “WECT inner-Caspian”, which includes hydrocarbon transportation from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan; (2) “WECT Russia”, which is currently composed of Blue Stream gas pipeline and oil transportation by tankers through Turkish straits; and (3) “WECT Middle East”, which refers to Iranian, Iraqi and Egyptian hydrocarbons. Thirdly, this paper makes a comparative analysis on WECT systems through selected economic (reserves, supply/demand, production and transportation costs), geo-political (e.g. moves of the concerned actors), political (e.g. recent developments in government structures) and security (especially in terms of transport) indicators which bring out that “it is more reasonable for the EU to first embrace WECT inner-Caspian, then develop WECT Middle-East in order to diversify its energy supply”.