Caspian Gas Supplies: An Oportunity of EU Energy Diversification?

Abstract

Today, energy security is a thorny issue for the European Union: levels of energy consumption are growing rapidly, while indigenous reserves are diminishing. The European Union seeks to diversify its energy suppliers, because overdependence on single supplier can undermine its energy security. Russia, the major supplier of gas to the EU, has demonstrated itself as unreliable energy supplier as a result of 2006 and 2009 disruptions. The Caspian region is seen as one of the options of gas supply diversification, and therefore the EU is making efforts to create pipeline route to supply Caspian gas bypassing Russia. Some European politicians agree that creation of such pipeline route could help Europe to lower dependence its dependence on gas supplies from Russia, and enhence European energy security. According to plan, the route should consist of three pipelines: TCGP, South Caucasus pipeline and Nabucco. The present research aims to define, whether the idea of Caspian gas supplies to the EU could contribute to European energy security and EU energy diversification. Given the confusion between those who predict that successful implementation of TCGP and Nabucco projects would guarantee better energy security for Europe and those who has doubts that construction of an energy bridge over the Caspian Sea can ever...