Crude awakening

Global Energy Monitor reports that 24,166 km of oil pipelines are in development worldwide, with an estimated cost of USD 75.4 billion. This expansion, led by the United States, India, China, and Russia, is projected to add approximately 30.1 million barrels per day of transmission capacity, potentially generating 4.61 billion tonnes of CO2 annually. The report argues that this buildout creates significant stranded asset risks and contradicts the IEA's Net Zero by 2050 scenario, which states that no new oil fields are necessary to meet Paris Agreement goals.

• Globally, there are 24,166 kilometers of oil transmission pipelines in development, consisting of 10,351 km in the construction phase and 13,813 km in the pre-construction phase.
• The total projected cost for the global oil pipeline buildout across 78 projects is USD 75.4 billion, with North America accounting for the highest regional expenditure at USD 25.6 billion.
• The United States and India lead the world in new pipeline capacity by length under development, each with over 2,800 km. The U.S. has 2,829 km (estimated cost USD 7.9 billion), while India has 2,824 km (estimated cost USD 4.0 billion).
• Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest volume of planned development globally, with 1,950 km under construction and 4,540 km proposed.
• The expansion of pipeline capacity is estimated to add 8.3 million barrels per day (bpd) from projects under construction and 21.8 million bpd from pre-construction projects, which together would generate 4.61 billion tonnes of CO2 annually.
• Russia is developing 2,051 km of new pipelines costing an estimated USD 4.0 billion to redirect oil exports toward India and China following EU and U.S. boycotts.
• The buildout is considered inconsistent with the IEA's Net Zero by 2050 scenario, which asserts that "no new oil fields are necessary" to meet the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting warming to 1.5 ºC.

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} }