6.4 energy security

Question 1

A ) energy security

Answer 1

Energy security is the uninterrupted availability at a national level and at an affordable price.
four core aspects
- availability
- accessibility
- affordability
- reliability

• a country should have a balanced ENERGY MIX in order to be secure
  LONG TERM energy security is achieved by using renewables, using natural reserves but not over exploiting resources, investing in technology which could increase supply in the future

Question 2

A ) the energy mix

Answer 2

an important part of energy security
1. domestic and foreign sources
domestic= energy extracted and processed in the same country
foreign= energy imported from overseas
2. primary and secondary sources
primary= found in nature, not converted (consumed in their raw form)
secondary= derived from transformation of conversion of primary sources

Question 3

B ) factors affecting energy consumption (mix)

Answer 3

physical availability
- does a country have its own access to energy resources or does it have to rely on foreign imports
- CLIMATE (more extreme weather conditions require more energy to make living more comfortable)

technology
- it can help us access energy resources which aren’t so readily available thus increasing energy consumption

cost
- physical exploitation + processing from P-S + delivery to consumer
- the higher the costs of each of these stages the more expensive energy is (high costs often lead to lower consumption: unaffordable)

economic development (standard of living)

public perception
- for some consumers, energy is perceived almost as a human right, there is little regard for the environment
- the general perception in a country could have a big impact on the overall rates of consumption and is heavily influenced by gov policies

environmental priorities
- some governments will take the cheapest route to meet nations energy needs regardless of the consequences, others seek to increase reliance on renewables
prioritising environment can decrease consumption due to beliefs on energy saving

Question 4

B ) C/S: The UKs changing energy mix

Answer 4

COAL- 1970s, consumption of coal was dominant (30% of national total) NOW (2023) coal is less than 1% due to environmental priority, physical availability (or lack of: too £££ vs other options) & declining demand!

OIL & GAS- both stayed relatively constant with gas slightly increasing to due increased domestic availability

foreign vs domestic
in 2015, 50% of UKs oil came from Norway
62% of UKs natural gas came from Norway

Question 5

C ) energy pathways

Answer 5

describes the flow of energy between a producer and its point of consumption and the way that it reaches the consumer: modes of transport such as pipeline, organisation lines, ship, rail etc.

Question 6

C ) energy players

Answer 6

along energy pathways there are companies responsible for the movement and processing of energy.

1. TNCs
2. OPEC
3. Government
4. Consumers

Question 7

C ) role of TNCs

Answer 7

= companies that own supply lines in different countries and invest in distribution and processing of raw materials
ROLE: they explore, exploit and distribute energy across the world, respond to market conditions to secure profits for their shareholders.

Question 8

C ) role of OPEC

Answer 8

= Organisation of the petroleum exporting companies: permanent inter-governmental organisation, its 14 members hold 2/3 of the worlds oil reserves, it puts them in a position to control amount of oil and gas entering the global market, as well as the price
ROLE: to unify the petroleum policies of its members to ensure the stabilisation of oil markets for reliable petroleum to consumers, steadfast income for producers and a fair return for investors
((((OPEC has been accused of holding back production in order to drive up oil and gas prices))))

Question 9

C ) role of governments and consumers

Answer 9

Gov: in charge of ruling a country and therefore making decisions regarding energy policies
ROLE- to meet international obligations, whilst securing energy supplies for the nation’s present and future, as well as supporting the country’s economic growth

Consumers: the end users of energy (found at the end of the energy pathway) the most influential consumers are transport, industry and domestic users.
ROLE- they create demand for diff types if energy often based on price issues