Energy 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

• 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 

- 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 

- 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 

• 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 

- 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