The importance of energy security derives from the critical role that energy plays in all aspects of everyday and business life.
The last few years have seen Britain moving from being a net exporter to a net importer of energy. Alongside this, the threat of climate change has led to the slow but inexorable inclusion of environmental concerns in mainstream energy policy. Against this backdrop, economic and political power around the globe has altered. New economic and political world actors has created a complex, multipolar balance of power. This volatile mix is further shaken by rising concerns about the long term availability and price of oil, gas and uranium.
As demand for resources rises within today’s turbulent global markets, supply chain vulnerability is becoming a significant issue. Global sourcing has created more complex and increasingly risky supply chains. Severe energy security has serious implications for social, environmental and economic well-being . The challenge to Britain is how to manage and mitigate this risk.
The energy security research cluster is funded by ESRC/EPSRC and brings together three overlapping disciplinary research areas of expertise: energy policy, international relations and supply chains to examine the following issues:
The goal of the research cluster is to stimulate networking; to analyse the above issues; and to stimulate new partnerships and proposals. We hope to achieve in-depth analyses on the core themes proposed but also to explore tangential areas that arise. There is funding available over a four year period for networking activities to achieve these goals and the intention is that the cluster will grow and take on new members, both national and international as it evolves.