The aim of the paper is to identify and evaluate existing and potential EU energy supply risks on the basis of a sector-specific approach. Moving away from common generalisations on security of energy supply as well as from those studies that focus only on one sector, it brings together all types of fuel and analyses the risks related to each of them. The result is a comprehensive picture of the energy security challenges faced by the EU in the long-term. The paper can be seen as a tool to avoid overlapping, incoherence and contradictions in the process of assessing security of supply and aims to formulate a consistent and more unified European energy policy.

Low-Carbon Energy Security from a European Perspective draws on the European Commission‘s funded project MILESECURE-2050. It considers low-carbon energy security and energy geopolitics in Europe, with a focus on four thematic clusters: challenging the energy security paradigm; climate change and energy security objectives (the components of a secure and low-carbon energy system); energy security in a geopolitical perspective, as it relates to economics, resource competition, and availability; and the influence of large scale renewable energy projects on energy security and shifting geopolitical alliances. An overarching narrative is that optimizing the energy system simultaneously across different objectives may be impossible, i.e., lowest cost, least environmental impact, minimal downtime, regional supply. This book explores these charged topics through insights from a series of novel, new energy project case studies, and demonstrates the need for difficult political conversations within Europe and beyond by posing fundamental yet new questions about the energy security paradigm. Offers a unique perspective on low-carbon energy security by considering the assumptions behind current energy security needs Suggests the benefit of envisioning energy security through out-of-the-box scenario development with respect to the energy system Includes energy in an international scenario with case studies from Africa, Russia, Ukraine, Morroco, China, South America, and Europe Draws on the European Commission‘s funded project MILESECURE-2050

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.

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.

Researchers and practitioners explore the effect of evolving global economic and political powers on energy security within the UK and puts forward practical options for moving towards a more energy secure system over both the short and long terms.

ÔThis Handbook should be consulted by anybody interested in the issue of energy security. It convincingly demonstrates why the provision of energy is such a contentious issue, addressing the complex interaction of economic, social, environmental, technical and political aspects involved. The book is particularly valuable in investigating and highlighting processes in which (inter)national actors apply this variety of aspects in (re)constructing their notion of Òenergy securityÓ, its particular meaning and the implications thereof. Such understanding of energy security is helpful!Õ Ð Aad F. CorreljŽ, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands ÔEnergy security has for long been treated as an issue of pure geopolitics. Hugh Dyer and Maria Julia Trombetta aim at broadening energy security debates and extend them to new agendas. Their excellent Handbook offers a fresh perspective on four crucial dimensions: supply, demand, environment and human security. A diverse group of international energy scholars provides for an in-depth and comprehensive analysis of key contemporary energy problems, ranging from an oil producersÕ perspectives on energy security to ethical dimensions of renewable energy and climate governance.Õ Ð Andreas Goldthau, Central European University, Hungary This Handbook brings together energy security experts to explore the implications of framing the energy debate in security terms, both in respect of the governance of energy systems and the practices associated with energy security. The contributors expertly review and analyse the key aspects and research issues in the emerging field of energy security, test the current state of knowledge, and provide suggestions for reflection and further analysis. This involves providing an account of the multiplicity of discourses and meanings of energy security, and contextualizing them. They also suggest a rewriting of energy security discourses and their representation in purely economic terms. This volume examines energy security and its conceptual and practical challenges from the perspectives of security of supply, security of demand, environmental change and human security. It will prove essential for students in the fields of global, international and national politics of energy, economics, and society as well as engineering. It will also appeal to policy practitioners and anybody interested in keeping the lights on, avoiding climate change, and providing a secure future for humanity.

The geopolitics of oil and gas have made a spectacular return to the international political agenda. The European Union (EU) has recognized the importance of incorporating energy security more systematically into foreign policy. It has committed itself to pursuing an energy security policy based on market interdependence, European unity and long-term governance improvements in producer states. In offering the first broad, global assessment of the foreign policy dimensions of EU energy security, this book considers how far these commitments have been implemented. Examining how the EU’s general approach to energy security has played out in the specific political contexts of different countries and regions, distinctive features of the book include: a thorough analysis of current EU strategies towards energy security, assessing the EU as an international actor a key focus on the governance structures of producer states including the Middle East; Russia, Central Asia and the Caspian, and Sub-Saharan Africa a major addition to debates surrounding markets and geopolitics, informing both international relations and international political economy This book will be of interest to students, scholars and policy makers in the fields of European/EU Politics, energy politics, foreign policy and International Relations.