Abstract

In the aftermath of the 1970s energy crises, the governments around the globe, especially western governments, have realized the importance of security of supply. It is difficult to clearly state that “energy security” as a concept has emerged as a priority; however the security of supply aspect has become prominent. In classical terms, security of supply simply refers to the threat of disruption in energy supply, rather than to a broader concept. ¹ Moreover, it was assumed to be directly related with national security, rather than a distinct issue in its own right. ² Therefore, in early writings, energy security was usually considered a part of defense policy, focusing on the availability of energy resources. In this mentality, producing countries were seen as key actors due to their reserves, while there was only a limited recognition of interdependency among the producer and consumer countries. ³ Accordingly, diversification appeared as a key issue for security of supply.