Crude awakening

This briefing by Global Energy Monitor (GEM) analyzes the global expansion of crude oil pipeline infrastructure, detailing over 24,000 km of pipelines in development. The report highlights the financial costs, environmental impacts, and the risk of stranded assets as countries transition to renewable energy, noting that this buildout contradicts global climate goals to limit warming to 1.5°C or 2.0°C.

• Globally, there are 24,166 kilometers (km) of oil transmission pipelines in development. This total is split between 10,351 km currently in the construction phase and 13,813 km in the pre-construction phase.
• The projected cost for the global oil pipeline buildout is USD 75.4 billion across 78 projects. North America leads this capital expenditure with USD 25.6 billion. Of the total cost, USD 36.0 billion is attributed to projects under construction and USD 39.5 billion to those in the pre-construction or proposed phase.
• The United States and India are the top developers by pipeline length. The U.S. has 2,829 km in development costing an estimated USD 7.9 billion, much of which is linked to the Permian Basin. India follows with 2,824 km costing an estimated USD 4.0 billion.
• Sub-Saharan Africa leads the world in planned development, with 1,950 km of pipelines under construction and 4,540 km proposed. Notable projects include the 1,444-km East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) and the 1,950-km Niger–Benin Oil Pipeline.
• Russia is developing 2,051 km of new pipelines costing an estimated USD 4.0 billion to redirect exports toward India and China following EU and U.S. boycotts. A major project is the Vostok Oil Pipeline, a 1,600-km system estimated to cost USD 85 billion.
• The expansion of oil infrastructure is estimated to generate 4.61 billion tonnes of CO2 annually. This is based on capacity data available for 66% of projects, where projects under construction would add 8.3 million barrels per day (bpd) and pre-construction projects would add 21.8 million bpd.
• The buildout creates a significant risk of stranded assets, as the IEA's Net Zero by 2050 scenario indicates that "no new oil fields are necessary" to meet energy needs consistent with the Paris Agreement.

APA

Langenbrunner, B., & Joly, J. (2022). Crude awakening. Global Energy Monitor. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-Oil-Pipelines-Briefing-2022_11.pdf

Chicago

Langenbrunner, Baird, and Julie Joly. Crude awakening. Global Energy Monitor, 2022. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-Oil-Pipelines-Briefing-2022_11.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Langenbrunner |first1=Baird |last2=Joly |first2=Julie |title=Crude awakening |publisher=Global Energy Monitor |date=September 2022 |url=https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-Oil-Pipelines-Briefing-2022_11.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{langenbrunner2022crude, author = {Langenbrunner, Baird and Joly, Julie}, title = {{Crude awakening}}, institution = {Global Energy Monitor}, year = {2022}, month = sep, url = {https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/GEM-Oil-Pipelines-Briefing-2022_11.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }