Generolo Jono Žemaičio Lietuvos karo akademija

Today the world energy market is in great transition and the demand of clean energy such as liquefied natural gas (LNG). Increase of natural gas production and supply causes drawback of onshore infrastructure and many environmental restrictions. As solution, offshore large-scale terminals especially Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) type is becoming commercially competitive and effective alternative for the areas where onshore gas supply infrastructure is not feasible. LNG production consumes around 850 kJ/kg of LNG energy and it is just dumped into seawater or in the atmosphere despite reusing as extra energy source. In this paper, we review the cold energy economy as well as current status of LNG cold energy utilization technologies. Moreover, current and emerging cybersecurity trends after LNG cold energy implementation at FSRU are proposed and discussed to broaden the perspectives of the researchers in the community and industry experts. Finally, the review concluded with a practical recommendation of implementation of LNG Cold Energy Hub concept for future energy systems.

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.

Our paper tackles the issue of the European energy security and economic growth. Specifically, it evaluates the relationship between natural gas consumption and economic growth in the European Union (EU). Channels along which natural gas is supplied to the EU energy markets yield dependence from the Russian Federation which presents a threat to the European energy security. Our sample includes panel time series data over the period from 1997 to 2011 for a 26 EU countries. Based on neoclassical growth model, we create a multivariate model including gross fixed capital formation and total labor forces of a country as additional explanatory variables. Using panel cointegration tests, we found that there exists a long-run relationship between economic growth, natural gas consumption, labor and capital. In the short-run there is bidirectional causality between natural gas consumption and economic growth. The causality running from economic growth to natural gas consumption is positive. On the other hand, the causality, which runs from natural gas consumption to economic growth, is negative.