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  <front>
    <journal-meta>
      <journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">jssi</journal-id>
      <journal-title-group>
        <journal-title>Journal of Security and Sustainability Issues</journal-title>
      </journal-title-group>
      <issn pub-type="epub">2029-7017</issn>
      <issn pub-type="ppub">2029-7017</issn>
      <publisher>
        <publisher-name>LKA</publisher-name>
      </publisher>
    </journal-meta>
    <article-meta>
      <article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">JSSI6316</article-id>
      <article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.9770/jssi.2017.6.3(16)</article-id>
      <article-categories>
        <subj-group subj-group-type="heading">
          <subject>Article</subject>
        </subj-group>
      </article-categories>
      <title-group>
        <article-title>Biomass Clusters as a National Energy Security Factor</article-title>
      </title-group>
      <contrib-group>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <name>
            <surname>Navickas</surname>
            <given-names>Valentinas</given-names>
          </name>
          <email xlink:href="mailto:valentinas.navickas@ktu.lt">valentinas.navickas@ktu.lt</email>
          <xref ref-type="aff" rid="j_jssi_aff_000"/>
        </contrib>
        <aff id="j_jssi_aff_000">School of Economics and Business, Kaunas University of Technology, Gedimino str. 50, Kaunas, Lithuania</aff>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <name>
            <surname>Švažas</surname>
            <given-names>Mantas</given-names>
          </name>
          <email xlink:href="mailto:mantas.svazas@ktu.edu">mantas.svazas@ktu.edu</email>
          <xref ref-type="aff" rid="j_jssi_aff_001"/>
        </contrib>
        <aff id="j_jssi_aff_001">School of Economics and Business, Kaunas University of Technology, Gedimino str. 50, Kaunas, Lithuania</aff>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <name>
            <surname>Guščinskienė</surname>
            <given-names>Jūratė</given-names>
          </name>
          <email xlink:href="mailto:jurate.guscinskiene@lka.lt">jurate.guscinskiene@lka.lt</email>
          <xref ref-type="aff" rid="j_jssi_aff_002"/>
        </contrib>
        <aff id="j_jssi_aff_002">The General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania, Šilo str. 5A, Vilnius, Lithuania</aff>
      </contrib-group>
      <volume>6</volume>
      <issue>3</issue>
      <fpage>523</fpage>
      <lpage>531</lpage>
      <pub-date pub-type="ppub">
        <day>31</day>
        <month>03</month>
        <year>2017</year>
      </pub-date>
      <pub-date pub-type="epub">
        <day>31</day>
        <month>03</month>
        <year>2017</year>
      </pub-date>
      <permissions>
        <ali:free_to_read xmlns:ali="http://www.niso.org/schemas/ali/1.0/"/>
      </permissions>
      <abstract>
        <p>The aim of the article is to explicate methodology, facilitating the evaluation of biomass cluster‘s impact to the growth of the energetic independence and national security. The analysis of the biomass clusters‘ impact to the energetic security is related to the critical analysis of the resources as well as to the analysis of the secondary data. The conception of a biomass cluster is relatively new as it emerged basically given the complex geopolitical situation and the aim of the pursuit for some energetic alternatives. The cluster unites enterprises, operating in some certain region and engaged in biomass preparation, logistics and burning. The main impetus of the cluster activity is the objective of the consumers‘ provision by some local renewable energy. Some serious issues, related to the energetic resources consumers‘ behaviour, are often occurring in the states where import-based structure of energy prevails. Lacking some competition and local production, both energetic and national state security is “walking with a limp“. Under the above circumstances, a biomass cluster may become a counterweight from monopoly-based import, ipso facto, increasing national security of the state itself. In the latter case, some stable energy supply would be assured and the price would be based on the market but not on the shifts of the geopolitical situation. The authors have created the following research methodology, contributing the evaluation of the benefit of the local resources use.</p>
      </abstract>
      <kwd-group>
        <label>Keywords</label>
        <kwd>biomass clusters</kwd>
        <kwd>energy security</kwd>
        <kwd>energy autonomy (independence)</kwd>
        <kwd>sustainable development</kwd>
      </kwd-group>
      <kwd-group kwd-group-type="JEL">
        <label>JEL</label>
        <kwd>O12</kwd>
        <kwd>O13</kwd>
        <kwd>Q32</kwd>
        <kwd>R58</kwd>
      </kwd-group>
    </article-meta>
  </front>
</article>
