FT: Oil and gas: Pipeline politics debate hots up

Going with the flow: a gas pipeline near Kiev, Ukraine, which has long been the main transit route for Russia’s gas exports to western Europe

Oil and gas pipelines are not just simple steel tubes that ferry energy from place to place. They are highly charged pieces of infrastructure with a history of attracting political controversy, disputes over prices and access – and failure.

“Pipeline politics” is a way of life in many areas of the world, from Pakistan and India to the Middle East and Europe. Continental Europe has long sought to diversify its energy sources away from Russia and improve its security of supply. Progress on plans to develop a “southern corridor” from the Caspian Sea via Turkey to Europe has put the spotlight back on the continent’s energy needs.  MORE