Balancing Competing Interests When Building Marine Energy Infrastructures: the Case of the Nord Stream Pipelines

Abstract

The age of large-scale hydrocarbon infrastructure projects may, partly as a consequence of climate change policy, be nearing its end. However, significant projects are still being planned and executed. Natural gas is also touted as a ‘bridge’ between more carbon intense coal-based energy production and carbon neutral, or almost neutral, renewable energy sources. This, together with new gas production technologies could further increase the need for gas transport infrastructure, significant parts of which are likely to be sea based.1 Also, if carbon capture and storage (CCS) emerges as a large-scale climate change mitigation technology, which some see as imperative if climate change is to be tackled affectively,2 that is likely to result in demand for submarine pipelines to transport carbon dioxide to offshore injection points.3