The diversification of energy resources and equipment imports in the European Union

Vidas Lekavičius, Rimantė Balsiūnaitė, Viktorija Bobinaitė, Inga Konstantinavičiūtė, Kristina Rimkūnaitė, Dalia Štreimikienė and Dalius Tarvydas

Energy, 2024, vol. 307, issue C

Abstract: Efforts to reduce dependence on energy imports and increase domestic energy generation are often linked to imports of energy-generation equipment, which may lead to security issues. This study analyses the European Union's imports of energy and energy technologies in 2013–2023 using a common methodology based on a set of indicators. The analysis encompasses both well-established import diversification indicators and an extended version of the Herfindahl–Hirschman index (HHI), which considers the political stability of import sources. The results indicate that, while the diversification of energy imports has increased in recent years (the extended HHI for imports of the generalised group of energy and fuel products decreased from 0.16 in 2017 to 0.1 in 2022), imports of energy equipment are becoming increasingly concentrated (the extended HHI for energy technology imports into the EU increased from 0.16 in 2017 to 0.55 in 2022). This trend is particularly evident in the case of solar and energy storage technologies, which represent a significant vulnerability in the context of technology imports. Import dependency may have adverse consequences for the EU's ambitious energy transformation agenda.

Keywords: Energy imports; Energy equipment; Diversification; Energy security; Import dependence; Energy transition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:307:y:2024:i:c:s0360544224023697

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2024.132595

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