Security of Energy Supply in Europe

Security of Energy Supply in Europe
Author: Julian Barquin
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 327
Release: 2010-01-01
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1849806969

In economic, technical and political terms, the security of energy supply is of the utmost importance for Europe. Alongside competition and sustainability, supply security represents a cornerstone of the EU s energy policy, and in times of rising geopolitical conflict plays an increasingly important role in its external relations. Within this context, the contributors analyse and explore the natural gas, nuclear, and hydrogen energy sectors, which will be of critical significance for the future of energy supplies in Europe. The book opens with an extensive exploration of the very definition of supply security and moves beyond sector-specific debates to highlight the political sensitivity surrounding energy security. The expert contributors apply a policy perspective, underpinned by theoretical discussion, to economic analysis in order to yield policy-relevant conclusions. They illustrate that the EU lacks a coherent transnational energy policy, that national energy policies fail to match EU goals and that, ultimately, sustainable energy policies, more competition, and better regulation will improve global welfare. Academics and EU policymakers both at national and international levels will find that the topical policy recommendations, extensive overview of supply security, and detailed perspectives on the natural gas, nuclear and hydrogen sectors presented herewith constitute an invaluable reference and research tool.

Energy Security and Natural Gas Markets in Europe

Energy Security and Natural Gas Markets in Europe
Author: Tim Boersma
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 212
Release: 2015-08-27
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1317636643

Moving beyond most conventional thinking about energy security in Europe which revolves around stability of supplies and the reliability of suppliers, this book presents the history of European policy-making regarding energy resources, including recent controversies about shale gas and fracking. Using the United States as a benchmark, the author tests the hypothesis that EU energy security is at risk primarily because of a lack of market integration and cooperation between member states. This lack of integration still prohibits natural gas to flow freely throughout the continent, which makes parts of Europe vulnerable in case of supply disruptions. The book demonstrates that the EU gas market has been developing at different speeds, leaving the Northwest of the continent reasonably well integrated, with sufficient trade and liquidity and different supplies, whereas other parts are less developed. In these parts of Europe there is a structural lack of investments in infrastructure, interconnectors, reverse flow options and storage facilities. Thus, even though substantial progress has been made in parts of the EU, single source dependency often prevails, leaving the relevant member states vulnerable to market power abuse. Detailed comparisons are made of the situations in the Netherlands and Poland, and of energy policy in the USA. The book dismantles some of the existing assumptions about the concept of energy security, and touches upon the level of rhetoric that features in most energy security and policy debates in Europe.

A New Architecture for EU Gas Security of Supply

A New Architecture for EU Gas Security of Supply
Author: Jean-Michel Glachant
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2012
Genre: Energy industries
ISBN: 9789081690447

Is the EU on the right track to meet its stated objective: a true European energy security policy? Is the current architecture, on which the EU gas security-of-supply policy is built, able to deliver the responses necessary in order to meet the growing risks and the changing realities faced by EU gas security? How should European institutions and regulations adapt and respond? What tools are available to secure the gas supply? This book feeds these questions by taking stock of today's EU gas security-of-supply governance. It is based on the four-tier program - 'A New EU Gas Security of Supply Architecture' - organized by the Loyola de Palacio Chair, together with the Clingendael International Energy Program, the Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei, and Wilton Park Conferences that took place in 2011/2012.

Security of Gas Supply in Open Markets

Security of Gas Supply in Open Markets
Author: International Energy Agency
Publisher: OECD
Total Pages: 508
Release: 2004
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

Over the last decade, many IEA member countries have opened their energy markets to competition, with governments progressively withdrawing from direct management of the gas sector and focusing on establishing objectives and competition frameworks. With the continued growth of gas demand and the decline of domestic reserves, most IEA countries will need to import more gas, mainly for power generation, which will require access to gas reserves at competitive conditions, as well as timely investment in new infrastructure to ensure a reliable gas supply. This publication, part of a series on energy market reforms, examines recent developments in security of gas supply and reliability in all IEA regions, in the light of these new demand and supply trends. It includes a CD-ROM containing the views of the main stakeholders (governments, regulators, industry, customers and other organisations) involved.

The Bridge

The Bridge
Author: Thane Gustafson
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 521
Release: 2020-01-07
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0674987950

A Marginal Revolution Best Book of the Year Winner of the Shulman Book Prize A noted expert on Russian energy argues that despite Europe’s geopolitical rivalries, natural gas and deals based on it unite Europe’s nations in mutual self-interest. Three decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the breakup of the Soviet empire, the West faces a new era of East–West tensions. Any vision of a modern Russia integrated into the world economy and aligned in peaceful partnership with a reunited Europe has abruptly vanished. Two opposing narratives vie to explain the strategic future of Europe, one geopolitical and one economic, and both center on the same resource: natural gas. In The Bridge, Thane Gustafson, an expert on Russian oil and gas, argues that the political rivalries that capture the lion’s share of media attention must be viewed alongside multiple business interests and differences in economic ideologies. With a dense network of pipelines linking Europe and Russia, natural gas serves as a bridge that unites the region through common interests. Tracking the economic and political role of natural gas through several countries—Russia and Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway—The Bridge details both its history and its likely future. As Gustafson suggests, there are reasons for optimism, but whether the “gas bridge” can ultimately survive mounting geopolitical tensions and environmental challenges remains to be seen.

Energy Security in Europe

Energy Security in Europe
Author: Kacper Szulecki
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2018-06-22
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9783319879123

This edited collection highlights the different meanings that have been attached to the notion of energy security and how it is taken to refer to different objects. Official policy definitions of energy security are broadly similar across countries and emphasize the reliability and affordability of access to sufficient energy resources for a community to uphold its normal economic and social functions. However, perceptions of energy security vary between states causing different actions to be taken, both in international relations and in domestic politics. Energy Security in Europe moves the policy debates on energy security beyond a consideration of its seemingly objective nature. It also provides a series of contributions that shed light on the conditions under which similar material factors are met with very different energy security policies and divergent discourses across Europe. Furthermore, it problematizes established notions prevalent in energy security studies, such as whether energy security is ‘geopolitical’, and an element of high politics, or purely ‘economic’, and should be left for the markets to regulate. This book will be of particular relevance to students and academics in the fields of energy studies and political science seeking to understand the divergence in perspectives and understandings of energy security challenges between EU member states and in multilateral relationships between the EU as a whole.

The European Gas Markets

The European Gas Markets
Author: Manfred Hafner
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 437
Release: 2017-08-16
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 3319558013

This book explores in detail the challenges which the European gas markets currently face, and the opportunities they present. Bringing together some of the most prominent gas experts on Europe from both academia and industry, this edited volume provides a comprehensive analysis of the various economic, political and technological factors that interact in this sector. Featuring a Foreword by Maroš Šefčovič, Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of the Energy Union, contributions explore a wide range of issues, such as the role of gas in decarbonizing Europe, the outlook of Europe’s gas demand, supply and pricing, and global LNG dynamics. Country specific studies include Russia, Norway, the Netherlands, and Germany, with regional studies including North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean. Alongside detailed analysis of this complex sector it also puts forward a set of policy recommendations for the sector’s key stakeholders. This volume will be of interest to researchers and academics, as well as practitioners and professionals within European gas markets.

Russian Energy Chains

Russian Energy Chains
Author: Margarita M. Balmaceda
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Total Pages: 421
Release: 2021-05-11
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 023155219X

Russia’s use of its vast energy resources for leverage against post-Soviet states such as Ukraine is widely recognized as a threat. Yet we cannot understand this danger without also understanding the opportunity that Russian energy represents. From corruption-related profits to transportation-fee income to subsidized prices, many within these states have benefited by participating in Russian energy exports. To understand Russian energy power in the region, it is necessary to look at the entire value chain—including production, processing, transportation, and marketing—and at the full spectrum of domestic and external actors involved, from Gazprom to regional oligarchs to European Union regulators. This book follows Russia’s three largest fossil-fuel exports—natural gas, oil, and coal—from production in Siberia through transportation via Ukraine to final use in Germany in order to understand the tension between energy as threat and as opportunity. Margarita M. Balmaceda reveals how this dynamic has been a key driver of political development in post-Soviet states in the period between independence in 1991 and Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. She analyzes how the physical characteristics of different types of energy, by shaping how they can be transported, distributed, and even stolen, affect how each is used—not only technically but also politically. Both a geopolitical travelogue of the journey of three fossil fuels across continents and an incisive analysis of technology’s role in fossil-fuel politics and economics, this book offers new ways of thinking about energy in Eurasia and beyond.