• Water
• Access and governance
• Water quality
• Water supply

Water

Energy generation, extraction, refining, processing and distribution require a multifaceted global infrastructure. However, much of that infrastructure lies in areas that may become increasingly physically unstable owing to changes in the environment. Of particular concern are disruptions caused or exacerbated by climate change.

This brief aims to identify how upcoming investments will change the existing environment, susceptible areas in the global energy infrastructure and how they might be affected by moderate environmental change. It notes that most planners are not accustomed to incorporate environmental change-induced site changes into designs. Another problem is that while some change may be broadly predictable, some are variable, making precise projections impossible.

The paper notes that the successful management of hydroelectric installations is contingent on the ability to predict the volume of water entering the system. This has always been constant but as the climate changes, these constants are now becoming variables. This causes problems for both primarily glacier-dependent and primarily precipitation-dependent power plants. The flow extremes combined other factors such as deforestation can cause erosion, landslides and siltation, each of which can affect the efficiency and stability of hydroelectric power plants. Apart from hydropower, nuclear power generation may also face challenges in ensuring output and site security, because reactors need large amounts of water for cooling. As a result, they are generally situated on the coast, on rivers, lakes or reservoirs which are vulnerable to rise in water level. Another problem is brought by offshore Arctic energy extraction; this is likely to cause substantial damage on onshore Arctic energy infrastructure. The melting of permafrost is also a major problem as it will affect infrastructure.

These disruptions may affect insurance costs, potentially endangering the economic viability of certain investment. The disruptions could also engender a political response between states, for example if a dam building deprives one country of its expected supply of freshwater, it could respond with attacks.

Recommendations given are:

• every form of energy generation, including renewables, and every installation site chosen should be evaluated for its stability in times of environmental change
• geothermal power plants should ensure that they do not trigger earthquakes
• sufficient research, planning, engineering and financing should be considered before setting up an investment
• integrate change into planning in such a way that energy output increases with changes rather than decreases
• focus on building a more decentralised energy structure based on locally available renewable situated in secure locations.

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