The Southeastern Europe Pipeline Race

[FarCenter]

The geo-economic landscape in Southeastern Europe, as in other regions in the world presently, is being shaped to a great extent by the competition between numerous energy-producing states, large consumers and multinational corporations all vying to control the bulk of the energy-transport systems, most importantly pipelines. The European Union has formed a strategy called Southern Corridor, relating to the formation of a pipeline that will diversify the supplies of natural gas for E.U. states that currently rely on Russia and Algeria. The plan attracts the attention of all global energy corporations that aim for long-term lucrative contracts, and at the same time countries that have vital interests in the global energy sector are involved in the plannings, by backing up projects that they can influence. The target is to control the energy flow so as to gain political and diplomatic clout.

New players

Recently, the company British Petroleum entered the game by announcing its planning for the Southern Corridor, which it names South East Europe Pipeline (SEEP). According to press announcements and statements from officials, the pipeline will transfer gas from the Caspian region through Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania, onwards to the energy-thirsty industrialized nations of central and northern Europe, where some 150 million consumers are located and major global companies such as BMW, Daimler, Siemens, Airbus, Thyssen and others have their production facilities.

BP's planning is directly competitive with the Nabucco pipeline, which aims to follow the same route and exploit the same energy resources, although its shareholders are mostly German, Turkish and Austrian companies. Apart from the obvious economic competition, the two pipelines share an antagonism that is reminiscent of the Belle Époque era, when the energy-seeking British and German Empires contested ferociously over oil reserves from the Danube to the Middle East. The victory of the Brits secured global economic predominance for the Anglo-Saxon companies up to date.

http://www.worldpress.org/Europe/3818.cfm

[glowing]

1. sustainable energy sources.... We need to change our energy systems.

Get rid of the oil barons who control the world with their black gold.