Energy Pathways

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  • Created by: jg1234
  • Created on: 17-02-16 08:24

Pathways

Energy Pathways - supply routes between energy supplies and energy consumers eg pipelines, shipping routes and cables. Routes are compliacted by natural features and human issues 

Energy infrastructure - a built environment constructed for exploitation, development and production of energy and all networks that transport energy from points of production to consumers. this can include:

  • plants and machinery
  • energy terminals, pipelines and shipping 
  • oil and refineries 
  • power stations 
  • electric grids 

the start up costs and maintance of energy infrastructure is very high

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Pathways

  • fossil fuel supply regions are poorly matched with areas of large demand - especially oil & gas 
  • most low along internationa pathways from supplier to consumer 
  • either:

- pipeline 

- bulk carrier 

- LNG tanker and oil tankers 

- electric 

  • there can be disruptions along pathways - this will impact energy security 
  • energy pathways can be complicated by:

- human and political factors 

- natural and environmental factors 

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Oil Pipelines

- Russia to China - 59.7 million tonnes 

- Russia to the EU - 200.8 million tonnes 

- Saudi Arabia to China - 144.4 million tonnes 

- Saudi Arabia to the EU - 112.2 million tonnes 

- Russia to the USA - 26.4 million tonnes

- Saudi Arabia to India - 123.1million tonnes 

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Pathway Disruption

- price and payment disputes - eg Russia and the UK 

- piracy - eg Somali coast

- tourism/conflict 

- political discord 

- diersion of supply 

- technological interruption 

- supply runs out 

- natural disasters - eg Hurricane Katrina 

- subsidence under pipelines 

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Biggest Threats

  • supply running out - loosing money, loosing energy supply etc cause energy insecurity 
  • natural disasters - could destroy pipelines etc 
  • subsidence - unaware of when or where it will happen, may not even be aware that it has happened
  • piracy 
  • terrorism/conflict 
  • political dispute 
  • price and payment disputes
  • diversion of supply 
  • technical interruption 
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Risk of disruption

- the risks of oil and gas supply being disrupted 

- the disruption of energy supplies can make headline news 

- the disruption of supplies can lead to:

  • high costs and energy poverty 
  • pressure on politicans 
  • civil disputes 
  • costs for industry 
  • conflicts 
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